As a service to members of the Massachusetts Council and the wider social studies community, third party events may be posted in this calendar. Third party events are not endorsed by the MCSS board.
Use the Categories button to filter events by category.
To ensure you see all events, verify that all categories are highlighted.
Resource Ready with the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. [Register here]
Casey Cullen and David Buchanan, Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition
One hour webinar
With the Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign for racial justice, climate change and so many other major issues of this moment in time the need to renew the social contract grows more urgent every day. Education plays a key role in making that happen. The Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) is here to support you in this critical work. During this session, representatives from the MCLC will highlight resources from many different organizations to build on the growing momentum for civics in Massachusetts schools. This session is for all educators seeking to establish new pathways for civic engagement in their district and looking to fortify old ones. Join us to learn more about the work of the MCLC and the resources available to make civics learning come alive in your classroom – whether it’s virtual or in person.
Exploring the Role of Religion in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Religious Literacy as a Means and Ends for Civic Competency
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. [Register here]
Kate Soules, ksoules@religionanded.com, & David Rhodes, drhodes@gse.harvard.edu
Two-hour workshop
While there has been increasing attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion in public education, the impact of religion is often invisible or overlooked. Further, the study of religion is inextricably tied to many topics and themes in the social studies and history classroom, and religious diversity is deeply embedded in public life, individual and community identities, and current events. However, many teachers are apprehensive of any discussion of religion. When teachers lack confidence in how to address religion in the classroom and curriculum, they often avoid the topic altogether for fear of overstepping boundaries or revealing their own lack of knowledge. This has significant implications for students’ development of essential skills and knowledge which, in turn, impacts their civic engagement.
This workshop will introduce educators to the principles of religious liberty in public schools and key frameworks of religious literacy so that they can support students in the development of the knowledge and skills crucial for engaged citizenship in a religiously plural society.
Unpacking Religious Literacy for Educators
In these times of upheaval, it becomes increasingly important for teachers to understand the roles that religion plays in the lives of students and to develop their own religious literacy. We will examine what the concept of “religious literacy” means, particularly for educators. Once we break down religious literacy into manageable components, participants will explore various resources that can deepen their own knowledge and be adapted for use in the classroom. Ultimately, we will provide a roadmap for continued learning beyond the workshop. Participants will receive a tool to evaluate their own religious literacy and will be encouraged to arrange follow-up consultations with instructors to discuss strategies for ongoing learning and application in their particular contexts.
Presenter: Celeste Reynolds, creynolds@mpspk12.org & Steven Johnson
Mashpee Middle-High School
Date/Time of Session:
- Part 1: Tuesday, October 6, 2020, 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
- Part 2: Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
- Part 3: Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
It is necessary to teach students technologies that will empower them to become strong digital citizens. As this pertains to mapping, OpenStreetMap (OSM) provides educators and students a platform that allows them to become part of the global OSM community and help communities around the world.
Today there is a global initiative to map vulnerable communities, using open source software and data, to save lives. Introducing OSM to students in the classroom will not only teach them citizenship but also to be engaged in service learning opportunities locally as well globally. Incorporating OSM into the classroom provides an effective, low-cost, easy-to-use, and hands-on technology that will reinforce geographic concepts, spatial thinking skills, digital citizenship, and methods to use geospatial data to help solve problems. Today there is a global initiative to map vulnerable areas around the world to save lives because there are communities around the world who have inadequate or incomplete maps.
Students can become involved in providing spatial data in these areas which, in turn, unlocks the ability for communities to create maps which ultimately helps these communities make better decisions for their community. Using OSM in the classroom will provide a comprehensive approach to the technology that allows students to interactively learn about the geospatial system, plan a data collection effort, and integrate the collected data into a map that will be used by various organizations such as Red Cross, USAID, the United Nations and many more.
The three part session will provide proper training for teachers to learn about how they can use OSM in their classroom to improve student spatial thinking skills, empowering students to contribute to the world around them as digital citizens and ultimately saving lives.
Video to explain what is OpenStreetMap: https://youtu.be/d6n29CU2-Sg
MapGive: https://youtu.be/C175zW8-6j8
To Begin the World Over Again: a multi-pronged, scaffolded history curriculum for engaging and guiding students online
Wednesday, October 28. 2020 at 3:00 p.m. [Register here]
William Jackson, 1@nomadicprofessor.com, and Nate Noorlander, nn@nomadicprofessor.com
One hour webinar
We are presenting an online history curriculum that is adaptable for individual learners, teacher preparation, or classroom use. Our first course covers early U.S. history, from the pre-Columbian Americas to the ratification of the Constitution. Our courses include
- unit plans
- daily guided notes with answer keys, adaptable for individual or group work, as well learners at different levels
- daily reading quizzes with explanations for right and wrong answers
- on-location mini-lectures filmed around the world
- printable flashcards
- vocabulary-building and content retention exercises
- guided document-based lessons with answer keys
- a structured rollout and guided instruction in all the steps of the research-paper writing process, including database research and citation methods
- the text of the full course as a downloadable audiobook
- and common-core alignment.
Our webinar will promote the content and methods of this course.
Theme: Preparing Students to Hold “The Office of Citizen”
Audience: Middle and high school students, the humanities
Exploring Government and Civics in Virtual, In-Person and Hybrid Settings: A Free eBook for Teachers and Students
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. [Register here]
Robert W. Maloy, Torrey Trust, and Chenyang Xu
University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education
90-minute workshop
This session presents the work of a team of UMass Amherst faculty and public school teachers in developing and publishing Building Democracy for All, a free online eBook of learning resources for teaching the new Massachusetts 8th Grade Civics and Government curriculum framework (as well as related AP U.S. History and AP Government standards). Using a combination of discussions and demonstrations, we will showcase strategies for teachers to use in virtual, in-person and hybrid settings to a) investigate civics and government topics in depth, b) uncover hidden histories and untold stories, and c) engage students with public policy issues and choices in related to society today. Our Building Democracy for All eBook is available free online at https://edtechbooks.org/democracy
Robert W. Maloy is a senior lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he coordinates the history teacher education program
Torrey Trust, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Learning Technology in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is the coordinator of the Learning, Media, and Technology master’s degree program and Digital Media Design and Making in Education online graduate certificate program.
Chenyang Xu is a doctoral student in educational and learning technologies in the College of Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education:
- Reuben Henriques, History/Social Science Content Support Lead
- Cecelia Spencer, History/Social Science Content Support Specialist
- Ann Marie Gleeson, History/Social Science Test Development Coordinator
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will present an update on implementation of the History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, including newly available resources to support educators; state assessments; and student-led civics projects, particularly within the context of COVID-19.
Reuben Henriques is History/Social Science Content Support Lead at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Originally from Madison, WI, Reuben taught middle and high school history in the Boston area for six years. Through his work as a department chair and instructional coach, he led a push to integrate more source work and historical thinking, supporting increased alignment, collaboration, and rigor across history classes. He has also written curriculum and delivered professional development for the KIPP Foundation as part of their effort to expand access to AP history courses. Reuben has a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a focus on instructional leadership.
Ann Marie Gleeson is the History/Social Science Test Development Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Ann Marie has spent her career working closely with history and social science educators through her work creating and implementing professional development programs and as a teacher educator and researcher. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College with an emphasis on authentic social studies teaching and learning.
EarthView: World Beyond Borders
November 2, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. [Register here]
2 hour webinar and virtual field trip
Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan & Dr. Vernon Domingo
Bridgewater State University Department of Geography
Featuring Kevin Bean & Moderator Andrea Weng
https://www.bridgew.edu/earthview
Blog: http://bsu-earthview.blogspot.com/2020/10/evonline-at-nerc-2020.html
This workshop begins with a virtual field trip to EarthView, a 20-foot, inflatable globe that serves as a portable classroom for social studies, geography, earth science and more — any discipline that benefits from a global or regional perspective. The field trip will include presentations made both outside the globe and inside (drones may be involved) and on some of the continental and Massachusetts floor maps that comprise the EarthMap portion of the program.
Following the field trip, we will reflect on what we have learned from the twelve years we have spent (so far) using these large-scale maps with well over 100,000 students, educators, and the general public. Finally, we will share resources for exploring patterns and connections — human, physical and environmental — at a global scale using resources available for remote learning on flat screens. The workshop will model the use of maps to learn about the spatial dimensions of such topics as water scarcity, climate change, wildfire, migration, and both the causes and consequences of Coronavirus spread.
EarthView site, including program information, reservations, and fees: https://www.bridgew.edu/earthview
Vernon Domingo is Professor Emeritus of Geography and James Hayes-Bohanan is Professor of Geography, both at Bridgewater State University in southeastern Massachusetts. Vernon’s main areas of teaching and research have been political geography, the geography of Africa, and the geography of access to water. James has specialized in environmental geography, the geography of Latin America, and the geographies of coffee.
Both Vernon and James have long been active in the preparation of future teachers, the continuing education of in-service teachers, and advocacy for geography education. Since 2008, they have been more directly involved in K-12 education as co-coordinators of Project EarthView, bringing them into contact with thousands of students and scores of teachers each year. The two giant globes and seven National Geographic floor maps have been used by almost 120,000 geography learners to date, from infancy to infinity.
RESOURCES:
- National Council for Geographic Education
- Geography for Life — The National Standards
- This session video and slides (to be posted after November 2)
- BSU EarthView Website and Blog
- BSU Center for the Advancement of STEM Education – CASE
- EarthMap — our lending program of giant floor maps from National Geographic
Teach the History and Struggle for Voting Rights
Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. [Register here]
Carolyn Jacobs and Sue Wilkins, GBH and PBS Learning Media
One hour webinar
Introduce students to the history of voting in America and the key figures who have fought for access to the ballot box for all using powerful media from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and FRONTLINE. We’ll share resources available free on PBS LearningMedia and explore ways to effectively integrate them into your instruction. The presenters are Sue Wilkins, GBH Director of Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction and Karen Pleasant, teacher, Stoneleigh-Burnam School, Greenfield, MA.
Theme: Under-represented voices in American history
Audience: Middle and high school students, all subjects
Preparing Citizens For A World of Migration
Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. [Register here]
60-minute webinar
Adam Strom, adam@reimaginingmigration.org
We live in an era of mass migration. In the United States, 26% of school-aged youth are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. They form just a slice of the one billion people on the move around the world. It is in this context that young people – whether they are part of an arriving or receiving culture – strive to form their identities as learners, community members, and change-makers. While history education has the potential to help young people put today’s experiences in context, myths and misinformation about the past get in the way of a deeper understanding of the experience of migration on individuals, communities, and nations. At the same time, academically rigorous exploration of the past can provide perspective and insight into today’s choices, dilemmas, and experiences of migration.
In this interactive session designed for in-service middle and high school teachers, educators from Re-Imagining Migration will introduce a culturally relevant framework, resources, and strategies for teaching about migration in ways that promote student’s understanding of citizenship in an age of migration as well as their social, emotional, academic, and civic growth. Using primary sources and historical case studies, participants will critically engage text and participate in small and large group discussion while considering fundamental questions about the human experience such as: What does citizenship mean in an age of migration? Why do people leave their homes and what happens to our identities while crossing borders? What factors influence how communities respond to migration? What are the ways that communities receive and integrate newcomers? What can we do to build more inclusive and sustainable societies?
At a time when more and more families are either on the move, across national borders, or connected to family members who are migrants, traditional understanding of citizenship is being challenged by patterns of migration as well as those who would seek to restrict membership. In greater Boston, over 50% of the population are immigrants or their descendants. However, some politicians argue that birthright citizenship, and the constitutionally guaranteed rights that are associated with it, should not be granted automatically.
To prepare young people, immigrant-origin youth, or their peers, we need to help them understand both histories and patterns of migration to inform their understanding of and perspectives regarding one of the most important civic issues of our time.
Featured Resources:
Presenter: Steve Armstrong, stevearmstrong512@gmail.com
Connecticut State Department of Education
During these six sessions participants will study ways that music has been critical to virtually every protest movement in the United States and how protest songs are an invaluable tool that can be used to analyze various protest movements. Music from the labor movement, the anti-war movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the civil rights movement and the women’s movement will all be carefully analyzed. We will study music that has been heard in the protests around the country this year as well as labor songs that were sung in the 1910s. A careful analysis of the music and the lyrics of these songs will take place. We will also discuss the power of protest music, and the reasons why music is such an important component of almost every American protest movement. Participants will be asked to find music from additional American protest movements and share with other participants. If participants want to wonder “how” to use music in the social studies classroom, these sessions will explain that.
Steve Armstrong is a lifetime classroom teacher at the high school and college level, and is a past president of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has given many workshops to teachers at the state, regional, and national levels on using music in the social studies classroom. Steve has worked as a consultant at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and has done many workshops on music in the classroom at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the site of the original Woodstock Music Festival.
Teach “McCarthyism” and its Current Relevance
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 4:15 p.m. [Register here]
Carolyn Jacobs and Sue Wilkins, GBH and PBS Learning Media
One hour webinar
Teach students about the strengths and limits of democratic institutions, including a “free press” using digital resources drawn from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | McCarthy: Power Feeds on Fear. We’ll explore the resources available free on PBS LearningMedia and share ways to effectively use them in your instruction. Presenters will be Sue Wilkins, WGBH Director, Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction and a social studies educator.
Theme: Preparing students to hold “The Office of Citizen”
Audience: Middle and high school students, all subjects
Presenter: Steve Armstrong, stevearmstrong512@gmail.com
Connecticut State Department of Education
During these six sessions participants will study ways that music has been critical to virtually every protest movement in the United States and how protest songs are an invaluable tool that can be used to analyze various protest movements. Music from the labor movement, the anti-war movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the civil rights movement and the women’s movement will all be carefully analyzed. We will study music that has been heard in the protests around the country this year as well as labor songs that were sung in the 1910s. A careful analysis of the music and the lyrics of these songs will take place. We will also discuss the power of protest music, and the reasons why music is such an important component of almost every American protest movement. Participants will be asked to find music from additional American protest movements and share with other participants. If participants want to wonder “how” to use music in the social studies classroom, these sessions will explain that.
Steve Armstrong is a lifetime classroom teacher at the high school and college level, and is a past president of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has given many workshops to teachers at the state, regional, and national levels on using music in the social studies classroom. Steve has worked as a consultant at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and has done many workshops on music in the classroom at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the site of the original Woodstock Music Festival.
2021 marks 100 years of NCSS service to social studies teachers, administrators, and professionals.
To celebrate this moment in the history of social studies education, NCSS is planning a year-long experience of signature events, starting with our first-ever NCSS Virtual Conference: Advancing Social Justice from December 4-6, 2020. With our partners, the American Bar Association’s Division for Public Education and the National Council for Geographic Education, the Virtual Conference will provide innovative learning online for your professional growth.
Registration Rates
Members
|
Non-Members
|
Non-members can join at the time of registration and receive the member rate.
Additional registration fees are required for the Associated Group meetings micro-sites: CUFA $30. NSSSA $25. IA $35.
A limited number of scholarships are available for first-time attendees.
Presenter: Steve Armstrong, stevearmstrong512@gmail.com
Connecticut State Department of Education
During these six sessions participants will study ways that music has been critical to virtually every protest movement in the United States and how protest songs are an invaluable tool that can be used to analyze various protest movements. Music from the labor movement, the anti-war movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the civil rights movement and the women’s movement will all be carefully analyzed. We will study music that has been heard in the protests around the country this year as well as labor songs that were sung in the 1910s. A careful analysis of the music and the lyrics of these songs will take place. We will also discuss the power of protest music, and the reasons why music is such an important component of almost every American protest movement. Participants will be asked to find music from additional American protest movements and share with other participants. If participants want to wonder “how” to use music in the social studies classroom, these sessions will explain that.
Steve Armstrong is a lifetime classroom teacher at the high school and college level, and is a past president of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has given many workshops to teachers at the state, regional, and national levels on using music in the social studies classroom. Steve has worked as a consultant at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and has done many workshops on music in the classroom at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the site of the original Woodstock Music Festival.
Presenter: Steve Armstrong, stevearmstrong512@gmail.com
Connecticut State Department of Education
During these six sessions participants will study ways that music has been critical to virtually every protest movement in the United States and how protest songs are an invaluable tool that can be used to analyze various protest movements. Music from the labor movement, the anti-war movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the civil rights movement and the women’s movement will all be carefully analyzed. We will study music that has been heard in the protests around the country this year as well as labor songs that were sung in the 1910s. A careful analysis of the music and the lyrics of these songs will take place. We will also discuss the power of protest music, and the reasons why music is such an important component of almost every American protest movement. Participants will be asked to find music from additional American protest movements and share with other participants. If participants want to wonder “how” to use music in the social studies classroom, these sessions will explain that.
Steve Armstrong is a lifetime classroom teacher at the high school and college level, and is a past president of the National Council for the Social Studies. He has given many workshops to teachers at the state, regional, and national levels on using music in the social studies classroom. Steve has worked as a consultant at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and has done many workshops on music in the classroom at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, located at the site of the original Woodstock Music Festival.