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Want to Have Professional Development Delivered at Your Site?
Contact the Social Studies Department for more information about the sessions listed below, to order customized support, and to request staff development services.
Virtual Sessions
All sessions on this list can be offered as virtual sessions. Please contact us, Social Studies Department , for more information.
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Social Studies Success Student AcademiesGrade 8US History (High School)This engaging academy, for students, will focus on critical social studies content by Eras. Students will explore historical eras through engaging activities different from initial instruction. They will enhance their knowledge by becoming historians, critical thinkers, and problem solvers. Information will be presented in new ways that target a variety of learning styles, including technology, and competitive review games. Students will leave more motivated, excited and better prepared for STAAR!
HB 3906 is part of the STAAR redesign. Participants will recognize the variety of new item types in the Grade 8 Social Studies STAAR redesign and internalize components of effective classroom instruction. In addition, educators will experience and plan future effective learning opportunities to align more closely with skills necessary for student success.
Developing Historical ThinkersIn this session, social studies educators will experience hands-on instructional strategies that peak student interest, create relevance and increase engagement, therefore supporting students in developing a deeper understanding of social studies. Participants will also refine formative assessment practices to support multiple modalities of student understanding. Educators will leave this session with new ideas, resources and research-based strategies to implement into the classroom and support student achievement in social studies.
Differentiating for Social StudiesToday’s classrooms are increasingly diverse and more inclusive. In this six-hour staff development, teachers will engage in powerful practical strategies to meet the challenge of addressing multiple learners. Teachers will refine their current practices while also learning about new instructional approaches for differentiating in the social studies classroom.
Analyzing Rigor in Social StudiesParticipants will gain a deeper understanding of their social studies TEKS and the requirement needed to meet or exceed expectations. Educators will reflect on their current practices to ensure alignment and participant in exemplar strategies to utilize within their classroom.
Promoting Literacy in Social Studies & Reading Language Arts (6th-HS)Students must become proficient readers, writers, and critical thinkers in order to successfully meet the requirements of the social studies TEKS. In this six-hour professional development, educators will learn strategies for response to text, integration of writing, supports for STAAR redesign and the use of cross-curricular texts.
Creating Engagement in a Social Studies ClassroomIn this six-hour staff development, social studies educators will participate in hands-on instructional strategies that peak student interest, create relevance and increase engagement. Participants will also explore multiple cooperative grouping structures and techniques, to include all learners within instructional activities. There will be opportunities to network and share best practices with teachers from across the region.
Deep in the STAAR of Social Studies (Grade 8):Colonization - Age of JacksonParticipants will explore and acquire activities that engage students in learning that is different from initial instruction, presenting concepts in new ways that target varied learning styles. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and gather instructional practices to use in their classrooms and/or tutorials. Middle school social studies teachers will leave with new teaching resources and innovative instructional approaches!
Deep in the STAAR of Social Studies (Grade 8):Westward Expansion - ReconstructionParticipants will explore and acquire activities that engage students in learning that is different from initial instruction, presenting concepts in new ways that target varied learning styles. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and gather instructional practices to use in their classrooms and/or tutorials. Middle school social studies teachers will leave with new teaching resources and innovative instructional approaches!Increasing Engagement Through the Use of Technology in Social StudiesParticipants will learn innovative ways to integrate technology into their classroom. Teachers will be introduced to and have an opportunity to explore, a wide range of free iPad apps as well as web-based tools that support the learning of social studies content, critical thinking, and student engagement. The session will include tools for planning, instruction, assessment, student productivity, and peer collaboration.
Reading, Writing, and Thinking about Social StudiesParticipants will analyze how the integration of writing and reading supports student learning of social studies content and skills. We will identify expository texts for reading and writing, in order to improve overall literacy and explore and create strategies to effectively integrate social studies content through literacy.
STAAR Track the Vocabulary FrontierEffective vocabulary instruction is a key element to student success. In this academy, participants will engage in and explore innovative, research-based strategies that will enhance teachers' knowledge and skills in order to make word-learning meaningful for all students, including our English Language Learners.
"I've Got Skills! Social Studies Skills!!!"In this session, participants will identify the significance of social studies skills and their impact on STAAR and EOC, examine the connections of social studies skills vertically, and engage in experiences that explicitly teach social studies skills. Participants will walk away with new ideas for engaging students in a thought process that can be used in social studies, and across the content areas.
Social Studies STAAR Interventions U.S. History (EOC)Focus on STAAR standards to support students that are demonstrating a lower degree of mastery and need intervention. Participants will explore and acquire activities that engage students in learning that is different from initial instruction, presenting concepts in new ways. Teachers will have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and gather instructional practices to use in classrooms and tutorials. Everyone will leave with new teaching resources, innovative instructional approaches, and energized for interventions designed to help students achieve!
The Perfect Pair: Literacy and Social Studies (Elementary RLA & Social Studies)This 6-hour training will provide elementary social studies educators with a deeper understanding of strong social studies and literacy instructional practices. The session will address reading and writing strategies, academic vocabulary, building strong background knowledge in social studies, and the integration of cross-curricular passages.