Action Civics Survey

Posted on February 24, 2017 by stevemasy

Heli Mishael, a student at Harvard’s Kennedy School, is doing some investigatory research around action civics and what teachers need to effectively implement an action civics approach in their classroom. This is definitely a question we here at FJCC would be interested in getting an answer to, so if you have some time, please take this survey!

Questions on this survey may be directed to Heli Mishael Thanks for taking the survey and hopefully contributing to the body of knowledge about what might be needed!

“Teaching the Presidency in the Digital Age” Webinar!!!

Posted on January 10, 2017 by stevemasy

I am happy to pass this along, as the Teaching for Democracy Alliance is simply fantastic.

tfda
WEBINAR: Teaching the Presidency in the Digital Age
Wednesday, January 11th
4pm ET/1pm PT
The Teaching for Democracy Alliance is pleased to announce its first webinar of 2017 on the timely and important topic of “Teaching the Presidency in the Digital Age.” The webinar will feature Professor Joseph Kahne of UC-Riverside, whose most recent work examines the connection between media literacy education and students’ ability to spot fake news, as well as commentary by media literacy experts Dr. Katherine Fry of Brooklyn College and Dr. Paul Mihailidis from Emerson College. The webinar will also highlight free and innovative instructional resources to support teachers as they help their students make sense of the executive branch in today’s digital climate. Register HERE.

This looks to be another excellent webinar from them. I encourage you to check it out.

Citrus Ridge Civics Academy Grand Opening Celebration

Posted on January 6, 2017 by stevemasy

I apologize for the delay in posting. Here at the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, we have been swamped with work, and finding the time to write a few words has been tough, but I hope to get back on track! Let’s start with some excellent news.

As you are likely aware, Polk County has opened a new public K-8 school with a civics focus, called Citrus Ridge: A Civics Academy. The FJCC is excited to be playing a small part in the school, offering support to teachers, students, and administration. To some degree, the school was sponsored by Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL 15th). In early December, the school had its official ‘Grand Opening’, and we were happy to be there.

Citrus Ridge Grand Opening Program

My own favorite part of the program involved student leaders across the grade levels reading their essays on good citizenship, such as the young elementary student below, who will, I think, go on to big things one day!

Congressman Ross himself arrived just in time to speak to the audience of students, staff, parents, and community members. He spoke highly of the importance of civic education and of civility, and how important it is that we understand each other as citizens. He also officially presented to the school principal, Kathy Conely, a wonderful gift. It features the flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in honor of Citrus Ridge, as well as Congressional documents and records announcing the creation of the school and its goals.

We also got a wonderful tour of the new school, led by students and the school administration, prior to a ribbon-cutting.

We are looking forward to continuing to work with Citrus Ridge and the great people there. You can see some much better pictures of the event at the Ledger!

Upcoming SOURCES Conference at UCF!

Posted on January 6, 2017 by stevemasy

SOURCES Annual Conference
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
Saturday, January 14, 2017

The Teaching with Primary Sources Program at the University of Central Florida (TPS-UCF) will be hosting the third annual SOURCES Annual Conference at the University of Central Florida on Saturday, January 14, 2017. The SOURCES Annual Conference is a free opportunity available to any educators interested in the utilization and integration of primary sources into K-12 teaching. Presenters will focus on providing strategies for using primary sources to help K-12 students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills, and build content knowledge, specifically in one or more of the following ways:
Justifying conclusions about whether a source is primary or secondary depending upon the time or topic under study;
Describing examples of the benefits of teaching with primary sources;
Analyzing a primary source using Library of Congress tools;
Accssing teaching tools and primary sources from www.loc.gov/teachers;
Identifying key considerations for selecting primary sources for instructional use (for example, student needs and interests, teaching goals, etc.);
Accessing primary sources and teaching resources from www.loc.gov for instructional use;
Analyzing primary sources in different formats;
Analyzing a set of related primary sources in order to identify multiple perspectives;
Demonstrating how primary sources can support at least one teaching strategy (for example, literacy, inquiry-based learning, historical thinking, etc.); and
Presenting a primary source-based activity that helps students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills and construct knowledge.

Dr. Michael Berson and Dr. Ilene Berson, of the University of South Florida, and Bert Snow, of Muzzy Lane Software, will provide the Keynote Presentation, Historical Inquiry with Primary Sources: The Kid Citizen App for Young Learners. In this session, they will discuss about and present ways in which educators can use an application that they collaboratively developed in order to foster young children’s inquiry with Library of Congress primary sources focusing on Congress and civic participation. Templates to add content will be demonstrated. Additional session titles include the following:

· Primary Source Analysis in Elementary Grades: A Tool for Building Critical Literacy Skills
· Integrating Current Events and Geography into Social Studies Curriculum
· Examining the Cold War through Primary Sources
· Teaching with Primary Sources through A Geography Lens
· Making Texts Accessible: Situated Word Learning and Scaffolded Inquiry
· WGBH/PBS Learning Media: US History Interactive Modules for Grades 9-12
· Venture Smith’s Real Voyage
· Building Civic Competencies with Primary Sources
· Teacher-Leaders & Professional Development
· Library of Congress Resources – BYOD
· Emerging Technologies for Promoting Inquiry: A Top 10 List
· The Kids Are Alright: Children from the Past Tell Their Stories
· Archiving It! – K-12 Web Archiving Program
· Using Primary Sources to Engage All Learners in U.S. History
· Finding a Voice in History Using Found Poetry to Construct Meaning
· Social Studies and Social Media: Engaging Students in their Medium
· The Interactive Constitution: Non-partisan Civics Education for 21st Century Classrooms
· Island in Transition: How Cuba’s Past will Influence its Future
· Exploring the History of Local Schools
· Hollywood or History? Using Primary and Secondary Source to Analyze Film
· Examining the Civil Rights Movement from a Historian’s Eye
· Emerging Technologies for Promoting Inquiry: A Top 10 List
· Kindergarten Historians and the Power of Primary Sources
· Student-created History Labs for the Secondary Classroom
· Perspectives & Voices from Reconstruction
· Myth-Making in the News: Tracing Sojourner Truth’s Legacy
· Leveraging Library of Congress Materials to Teach Second Order Historical Concepts

Registration is free and is open for the SOURCES Annual Conference. Register now: http://www.sourcesconference.com/registration.

Future of Florida Summit for College Students!

Posted on November 22, 2016 by stevemasy

This is an incredible opportunity to learn about a little known feature of Florida governance, and the Graham Center always offers excellent programs.

The 2017 Future of Florida Summit, held from Feb. 10 to Feb. 12 on the University of Florida campus and sponsored by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, will focus on the upcoming 2017-2018 Florida Constitution Revision Commission. Students from any Florida college or university — public or private — are invited to apply to attend.

The Florida Constitution Revision Commission has more influence than most Floridians realize, and many don’t even know it exists. Commissioned every 20 years, this group of unelected appointees will have the power to put constitutional changes directly on the November 2018 ballot. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the revision process and the history of Florida’s constitution from the state’s leading scholars on the topic and members of past Constitution Revision Commissions.

This type of revision process is unique to Florida, providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to directly influence the contents of Florida’s constitution. Invited students will draft constitutional amendments, which will then be submitted to the 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission.

Food and lodging are provided by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. However, invited students are expected to arrange travel to and from Gainesville and arrive at Pugh Hall — centrally located on the University of Florida campus — by 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.

The Summit will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, and end at noon on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. Accepted students will receive notification by Monday, Jan. 16, and will be required to confirm that they are attending by Friday, Jan. 20.

You can apply for the summit here.

Even MORE Upcoming FCSS Sessions!

Posted on October 25, 2016 by stevemasy

So this weekend is the start of the Florida Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Have you registered yet? Are you coming? We hope you are coming, because we have some awesome sessions lined up. You can learn more about the keynote speaker here, and you can go here and here to get get an overview of some of the sessions we have planned. So with that out of the way, let’s take another look at some of the quality sessions we have lined up for you this weekend.

Saturday Morning, Concurrent Session 1

Factors Relating to U.S. History End of Course Exam for African American Students Irenea Walker, University of Central Florida

If social studies teachers properly alter their pedagogical approaches, African American students can learn to appreciate learning about historical facts. This paper focuses upon creative lessons that focus on interactive activities to peak interest.

eoc-graphic

Engaging the 21st Century Learner Amanda Mudlock and Rich Sayers, Pearson

Build academic skills for 21st century students through inquiry-based learning by facilitating easy projects, civic discussions, and document-based questions. Teach students to take ownership of their ideas, work together, and communicate clearly.

21st-cent-kid

Curating Your Collection: Promoting Content Area Literacy by Giving Student Tools
to Explore Social Studies Texts Heather Cerra, Northwest Elementary School, Hillsborough County Public Schools

How can teachers spark student interest in informational and historical fiction texts related to social studies content? Using a unique framework, teachers can build student engagement and realize student growth in the areas of vocabulary and comprehension. (Elementary Session!)

hillsborough

Saturday Afternoon, Concurrent Session 2

The Great Travel Fair: A Cross-Curricular Unit of Study Amy Trujillo, Orange / Orlando Science Elementary School

Now in it’s fourth year, The Great Travel Fair combines ELA, Science, Social Studies, and Math in order for students to understand the regions of the United States through a balance of 21st century skills.

interdisciplinary
Public History, Memory, and Survival: Producing History Through Student
Centered Technology Joshua Stern, St. Johns Country Day School

Attendees will learn how to use iMovie to allow students to bring stories of Holocaust survival to life. Students become active public historians and create meaningful results by preserving and transmitting these vital personal histories.

imovie

Saturday Afternoon, Concurrent Session 3

St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement: Seamless Integration into your Classroom Blake Pridgen & Benjamin Rome, Flagler College

Utilizing the primary sources in Flagler College’s Civil Rights Library of St. Augustine (CRLSA: http://civilrights.flagler.edu), teachers will learn to effectively teach Florida’s involvement in the civil rights movement, grades 4-12.

crlsa

Sunday Morning, Concurrent Session 7

The State of the Assessment: Civics End-of-Course Assessment Stacy Skinner, Ed. D., Social Studies Coordinator, Test Development Center; Elise Beachy, Annette Boyd Pitts, Robert Brazofsky, Maureen Carter, Erin Conklin, Christy Disinger, George Masek, Stephen Masyada, Ph.D., Peggy Renihan, Chris Spinale, Jackie Viana

This annual conference message about the middle school Civics EOCA will provide an overview of implementation, a review of student performance data, and a discussion about test development with Florida educators involved in the process. (Note: A similiar session around the US History EOCA will be offered earlier in the morning.)

Achievement Level by Demographic Background

Context and Comparison: At the heart of AP World History Robert Strayer and Patrick Whelan, Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers

This session provides resources—both content and pedagogical—for effectively teaching contextualization and its companion skill of comparison. It addresses the much increased role of contextual thinking in the new exam format.

apworldspongebob

This has been just taste of the possibilities. Please be sure to check out additional session descriptions at 2016-fcss-session-descriptions, and earlier posts on what is shaping up to be a great conference session here, here, here, and here on why you should attend! Hey, it will be worth it for the trick or treating alone!

You can register for FCSS online. It’s a great and affordable conference, and a chance to meet folks you can work with and learn from. Hope to see you here in Orlando. The hashtag for the conference, by the way, will be #FLCSS16. Join us!

NBC Piece on Teaching Civics in a Tough Time

Posted on October 19, 2016 by stevemasy

Good morning, friends of Civics and Social Studies! This was shared with me recently, and I thought you might appreciate it.

Tonight, on NBC Nightly News, a veteran of the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship‘s past Civics Mentor Teacher Program will be featured in a piece looking at teaching Civics during a contentious election season. David Hamilton teaches at Pinellas Park Middle School, and the piece will look at the struggles and unique opportunities of teaching Civics during this overly contentious presidential election season. It should air tomorrow (Wed. 10/19) during the regular nightly news broadcast. The interview stems from a St. Pete Times article last year.

We are looking forward to the piece. David Hamilton is an excellent Civics teacher, and we are grateful to have worked with him in the past!

Resources for Constitution Day and Freedom Week

Posted on September 15, 2016 by stevemasy

Here in Florida, we are required by state statute to teach about the important documents of this country during Freedom Week at the end of September. This is in addition to what is expected for Constitution Day. Over the past year, the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, in collaboration with teachers and leaders from some counties and with the National Archives, has been working on a new set of lessons and materials that include primary sources. We wrote about this effort here. We are happy to announce that as of this week, we have a number of new lessons that target grades 2-12 and are intended to help teach our state benchmarks that can be connected to Freedom Week and Constitution Day! You do, of course, need to register on our main site in order to access these new free resources. You can visit each lesson directly from the links below. Each one is intended to give students some hands on experience with primary sources and everything you need for instruction is provided for you (though you do need to use your own technology!).

Thinking Through Timelines: Inching Toward Independence

A Short Activity for Second Grade

Question: Why do we celebrate Independence Day?

Thinking Through Timelines: Creating the Constitution

A Short Activity for Third Grade

Question: Why do we celebrate Constitution Day?

Guidance on Government: State Edition

A Short Activity for Fourth Grade

Question: How does the Florida Constitution organize the government?