#sschat is a network of educators, resources, and ideas that started on Twitter, but has expanded to Facebook, an annual NCSS unconference, and more. Join us to chat asynchronously on Twitter or Facebook, or chat with us live on Mondays from 7-8pm EST.
Hi everyone in #sschat! I'm Darren and I teach high school social studies at @csdriverside. I happen to be a NewsELA Certified Educator and I love using it in my class
Hi, folks! I'm Katie from Pennsylvania (close to Pittsburgh here). I teach 7th grade Social studies at a cyber school! Excited to be inside where it's warm on a super FRIGID day! #sschat
A1: In high school, history was my favorite subject because my teacher would teach from primary sources. Searching online library databases are easy to access for good resources #sschat
A1 I have been packratting materials for 18 years and always finding more. I don’t search for long - amazing what is available now. My room is full of books, articles, and artifacts #sschat
A1) My search for non fiction content is short lived now, thanks to some go to favorites. But at the start of my time in the classroom, that search kept me up all night #sschat
Hey Everyone, Matt from PA social studies teacher currently teaching Civics and Government, Foundations of citizenship, and co-teaching Leadership Seminar. Have taught US and World as well!
Just realized how many PA #sschat teachers are here. Who all is from PA in the chat?
A1: I am ALWAYS on the hunt for good, quality nonfiction for my middle schoolers. Any way I can tweak and cultivate interest in Geography I am all here for . #sschat
A2: I want to teach young elementary and pre-k & K so I would search my local library for age appropriate nonfiction content for my future class #sschat
I remember stressing and wondering how it could take three hours to find material for a 40 minute lesson and thinking I could never make it as a teacher. It gets easier. #sschat
A1 It depends and is different for me for World and AP. Also depends on content and POV I may be looking for. Sometimes quick and sometimes I go into a black hole or side tunnel of a fascinating find. #sschat
A1: all the time. I use primary sources, biographies, speeches, and current events in my social studies classes. text sets are helpful in finding clusters of articles to explore! #sschat
A1 I am retired, but old habits die hard, and I am still constantly on the search for great non fiction material. I have a house, garage and storage locker filled with decades worth of what I've found. #sschat
There's a strategy that is more involved than See, Think, Wonder so if you really want to dig a little deeper on a more important piece, it's great. It was written for art education. #sschat
A1: I am constantly scouring @EchoesReflect@yadvashem for nonfiction Holocaust resources for my course. I don't rely on any fictional text for that course specifically #sschat
A1: after 19 years of curating nonfiction content, I’m still adding to my collection... All. The. Time! The summer months is when I can gather the most after attending T Institutes. #Sschat
A1- Late jumping in...Tyler from Illinois. I actually spend way less time searching for nonfiction than I use to...since I started using @Newsela it has made my life way easier finding articles. #sschat
A1. My MS gave us a lot of freedom to find our own content that aligned with our school curriculum. PLC time was also a great time to share out and swap our favorites. #sschat
A2: we have an amazing digital resource director that can help us out when needed, being 1:1 we can access information on the fly. Staff presentations also help a lot too. #sschat
A2 I have a great curriculum specialist, but district support is limited to our subscription to ABC-Clio. Lots there, but reading level is usually above most middle schoolers. #sschat
What’s up #sschat Zackary Seitz, high school social studies teacher and grad student in north Texas here. Will be popping in for a minute and back out. Just wanted to say hey!
A2: My school really does do a lovely job of providing new sources to us to explore and use. Recently, I've dug deeper into worldbook and newsela with their encouragement. We also have access to @brainpop , which provides great starters for the Ss. #sschat
A2) We have a curriculum coordinator at the district level who sends weekly updates with some resources and some are shared through PLC meetings. Generally, left to individually T on own time #sschat
A2.) we have a strong depart. across the district but especially within the building. We worked to basically eliminate the textbook after it’s online platform was no longer supported. Supervisor provided us freedom to work with P. Source material to build a framework. #sschat
A2- We have lots of support to use whatever resources we can find...the district currently pays for @Newsela Pro accounts which makes life better. #sschat
A2: In my high school (Dearborn MI), we had an AWESOME librarian who would sit with us one one one if we needed to find relevant resources for projects, essays, etc! Super helpful #sschat
A2) We have a curriculum coordinator at the district level who sends weekly updates with some resources and some are shared through PLC meetings. Generally, left to individually T on own time #sschat
I can't believe I forgot our awesome librarian, Tracy Baker @PLMSlibrarian . We have access to school databases and public too. And shw works with us on purchasing new materials. #sschat
A2: @csdriverside has a library that provides nonfiction books, as well as a librarian that helps us out with research. also, school-wide @Newsela subscription is very beneficial! #sschat
A3: I know I've found a winner when it's the perfect combination of student interest in the material and content standards being met. When the kids recall it a month later, you have a winner! #sschat
A3: I use it immediately and think of many different ways to make it work longterm. Plus, the ultimate sign, other staff start using it because the students talk about it being used in my room - like when I started using Gimkit #sschat
A3. Sometimes there is just the right spark! ✨ But mostly I know it's right when it fits into the objective AND I hear students say "this is cool!" #sschat
A3 It engages and enthralls me; is accessible for students I have given their interests, backgrounds, skills and existing knowledge; and builds upon the base we have toward the goals we've set. #sschat
A3. When there are multi-themed connections across time. Shared the yellow vest movement in France with students when discussing Shays Rebellion. Students connected the dots to taxation impact on social classes. Event seemed to resonate with students. #sschat
A3) Usability for all levels of readers. Appropriate length for 1- 2 class periods. Includes multiple point of views or contrasts nicely with an existing resource. Can it be used for discussion? #sschat
A3- When that perfect storm of skills/standards, content, and high interest/engaging meet. As a teacher I feel like you know when you know that it is a good one. #sschat
A3: When I see the signal words for @ThinkingMaps! Signal words show the thought processes in a text. I use Thinking Maps as a tool to read, talk, and think about @Newsela articles. #sschat
A3: I’m looking for innovative ideas that are student driven and have a strong content component. Reflection, digital integration and collaboration are also pieces that get me excited. #sschat
A3 Love when I can find an article that's engaging and pushed Ss traditional thinking. Love using Corn Wars when discussing executive branch, agencies, and policy. This article gets them talking. #sschathttps://t.co/8MAqe3BQpD
A3) Usability for all levels of readers. Appropriate length for 1- 2 class periods. Includes multiple point of views or contrasts nicely with an existing resource. Can it be used for discussion? #sschat
Yes! I never noticed I did that until I was taped at some of my presentations and workshops - I really get into it!!!! 😂 #SSChat A lot of pictures people take of me are all blurry because I get so excited and laughing
#sschat Want tools on how T's & S's benefit from activities designed to bring ALL members of the classroom into community, creating a safe, equitable learning environment? FOLLOW @_coolclassroom & check out Carla Tantillo Philibert. CLICK: https://t.co/66AFEeMUMm for info
I love that you brought up usability in the classroom. Too often, we forget that we need to be mindful of accessibility for ALL kiddos, especially struggling readers and ELL students! #sschat
We really do #sschat. When I describe it to people they think it is cool, but are overwhelmed. I can't imagine being new to the chat these days. It flies, even on slower weeks.
In reply to
@flipping_A_tchr, @GeoJo22, @GeorgeHistory
Text sets are where it is at! Love creating ones based around central ideas and having students read different articles on similar topics. Makes for great conversations! #sschat
A4) What can STUDENTS do with this non fiction resource? Surely we can go through the close reading process but does this support the essential questions? can students use this as learning evidence?#sschat
A4. Finding texts that are on grade level. Love finding leveled texts that students can adjust. Also, finding resources that are an appropriate length for 13-14 year olds. Sometimes the time I spend editing is stagggering. #sschat
Yes. Started this year with writing essential questions and now have turned that over to the students. So much power in writing good driving questions.#sschat#InquiryMindset
A4 Setting aside my personal reaction to it, knowing that is based on my personal background knowledge and skill set; then trying to determine what my students (with their existing background knowledge and skill sets) will be able to do with it. #sschat
Truth. I encourage my EDU 321 and SST 373 students to join in, fast past and overwhelming, but with experimental they get it down and are better for it! #sschat
In reply to
@Mrneilhistory, @flipping_A_tchr, @GeoJo22
A4 Planning time and adaptability to reading levels of outside of @Newsela. This was a feature Ss asked for when going through text adoption b/c they enjoyed it so much w/Newsela. #sschat
A4: Finding the information at readable grade levels for differentiation...love using @Newsela for this but wish others would understand that vocab needs to be scaffolded for our Ss #sschat
A3. It's an untold perspective, esp. from Ss' perspectives, and it's related to something that they're already thinking about.
E.g., just found this @TIME piece about MLK's visit to Berlin; inspiring, and relevant in so many ways. https://t.co/8URfkkOx4Z#sschat#MLKDay
A4: Access for all students where they can retain the content is so vital. Also, finding material that can be used in a class period! I tend to overplan and can accidentally assign a reading that's too large #sschat
If you teach elem or middle school social studies (and yes, even HS), do NOT miss @CaptainLibrary's ongoing series on pairing primary sources w/ picture books! https://t.co/Gx7TO2UUGS#sschat
Sure, @ThinkingMaps is more than a graphic organizer, it's a tool that "maps our thinking." There are 8 types of thought processes, and signal words help us identify those. Signal words like because, result, and therefore are for the cause & effect map. #sschat
In reply to
@flipping_A_tchr, @jjanikis, @ThinkingMaps, @Newsela, @ThinkingMaps
This is where peer work can be such a blessing. We also need to teach close reading/annotations. It’s ok to not understand something and important to ask questions. We are all teachers of reading. #SSChat
If you teach elem or middle school social studies (and yes, even HS), do NOT miss @CaptainLibrary's ongoing series on pairing primary sources w/ picture books! https://t.co/Gx7TO2UUGS#sschat
A4: not all articles have Power Words. the Quiz part can be very challenging for my students. but I like to work around by editing prompts for the Write part. #sschat
Switch things up 🎚
If you're 👀 to help students
Research 💻
& Synthesize 📄
Have them create an oral research paper 📢 instead of the age-old typed paper 🚫
Check out more ideas here: https://t.co/tR9zAx6Mno#engchat#sschat
It is hard! It is hard for us too, I feel the pressure of time with question formulation. I am stuck in the mindset of giving them a solid question and then having Ss going deeper #sschat
The last few years I worked on my own classroom library 📚 which has worked nicely for the colonial period and there are a lot of good books on the civil rights era but in between is difficult to find. #sschat
If anyone’s interested, I have it on good authority that the next @VisionsOfEd podcast is going to be great for those interested in nonfiction texts #sschat
A5: If I was majoring in social studies or a different content area, I would use online library databases such as JSTOR & MEL and also Britannica #sschat
I remember something pedantic about the difference between Goals and Objectives, which I didn't really understand until about 8 years later.
We were never taught how to ask good questions, particularly on the "essential Q" level
#sschat
Haha, yep.
Side note, since we are talking non-fiction
@rickaroundhere has some great non-fiction documentaries about Pittsburgh. 😀
#sschat#pittsburghpride
In reply to
@flipping_A_tchr, @DrJHarmon, @historycomics, @MrsDevlinSS, @rickaroundhere
A6: I think the biggest thing is conversation and connections with peers and experience. It is out there, you just need to find it. Chats like this one go a long way in that process. #sschat
A6: Personalization! 😁A program should be able to know what and when I need the "just right" article based on what I teach + time year + trending topics. #sschat
A6: From student experience, worthy nonfiction can't just be information on a page - it has to make connections with the reader like having a convo #sschat
A6: I think the biggest thing is conversation and connections with peers and experience. It is out there, you just need to find it. Chats like this one go a long way in that process. #sschat
Join us next week for our combined #engsschat! Monday, January 28th at 6PM CST. #sschat#engchat
We are still looking for guest host this semester. If you've got a topic, fill out this form: https://t.co/2hhq4iy1oW
