Elementary Social Studies Updates: December 2014

Curriculum Updates

·  K-5 CMAPP “alternate” optional units available for teachers to use:

o  2nd Grade – Geography and Environmental Literacy “The Green Mother Goose”

o  3rd Grade - Lost Colony

o  5th Grade Units - ELA/SS Integrated Unit for Just the Facts Man: Reading and Identifying Information and Revolution

Staff Development Opportunities

·  Close Reading: What, Why, When and How - Participants will:

  • understand the definitionof close reading
  • have a deeper understanding of why students would engage in close reading
  • understand when to apply close reading to literary and informational texts
  • practice close reading with grade level literary and content text
  • have opportunity to connect online with wcpss colleagues

The next session is Spring 2015 - SRN 156110102

Resource Highlight

NEW on NC WiseOwl – eBooks! The K-8 Collection contains nearly 4,800 titles with new titles added to each collection quarterly. Collections include content that spans all academic subjects and incorporates selections of classic literary works, important historical documents, and general reference works.

The content in the eBook collections is downloadable to a variety of devices. Chapters may be transferred to Kindles, iPads and other e-readers. Users also have the ability to search alongside other EBSCO content, adding magazines, journals and other EBSCO resources to their results.

·  NCDPI Social Studies Wiki - http://ssnces.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/

OPPORTUNITY! Please SHARE with teachers.

Dear Teachers,

The University of North Carolina’s Center for International Understanding is pleased to invite applications for the Borchardt Fund Teacher Awards for participation in its July 2015 Global Teachers to Singapore & Malaysia professional development program.

The Global Teachers to Singapore and Malaysia professional development program provides the opportunity for educators to learn more about Singapore and Malaysia's history, culture and education system; gain a better understanding of educational innovation in Singapore with a focus on STEM, technology in the classroom and teacher development; explore global education challenges with implications for both North Carolina and Singapore; and take part in a collaborative community of teachers who will use technology to implement their learnings in their classrooms and schools.

The Borchardt award will subsidize the participation of teachers from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake school systems. The program is open to NC K-12 teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels. Ten awards will be granted.

We are excited to be able to offer this opportunity to teachers in your system and would greatly appreciate it if you would pass along the information to teachers in your area. An information and application packet can be found at

http://ciu.northcarolina.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Borchardt-Information-and-Application-Packet-Singapore-2015-copy.pdf

The application deadline is coming up quickly (January 31, 2015)!

Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions. I can be reached at the above email or at 919-237-7953. You can also feel free to direct any teachers with questions to me. (Between December 22 and January 2, the best way to reach me will be by email).

Best regards and thank you in advance for your assistance in spreading the word about this opportunity,

Meredith Henderson