Oregon Social Sciences Teacher Update #139

March 3, 2015

  1. Social Sciences and the State Legislature
  2. Oregon Council for the Social Studies 2015 Awards
  3. Classroom Law Project Events and Resources
  4. “Egypt in Flux: Ebb and Flow of History” Hosted by PSU and the American Research Center in Egypt
  5. Oregon Historical Society Events and Resources
  6. Fulfilling Oregon’s Financial Literacy Standards
  7. Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center Events and Resources
  8. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies (Volume 3 Number 1) Now Available
  9. Call for Manuscripts for the Oregon Journal of the Social Studies
  10. Oregon Constitution Challenge for Schoolchildren
  11. Life Happens Offers Resources, Scholarships
  12. Take the JFK Challenge
  13. Northeast National Resource Center on Canada Summer Institute for K-12 Professionals
  14. National WW2 Museum Research Starters
  15. 2015 Student Essay and Video Contest
  16. Bells Across the Land 2015—Appomattox 150th Anniversary Event
  17. Students Learn WWII History Firsthand—from New Orleans to Normandy
  18. Great Civics Teachers Should Be Recognized! Apply Today for the American Civic Education Teacher Awards
  19. Imagine Tomorrow Competition for Students in Grades 9 to 12
  20. The Marshall Immersion Workshop, July 20 - 24, 2015
  21. "Rosie the Riveter" and More! WWII Museum Women's History Month Resources
  22. ODE Resources (in every issue)

1. Social Sciences and the State Legislature

The 2015 Oregon Legislative Session has begun! Social Sciences Teachers should be aware of some bills that deal directly with their content area:

  • SB 333Tom McCall Day—encourages districts to observe March 22 as Tom McCall Day, and to teach lessons commemorating McCall’s legacy using curriculum from Oregon Historical Society.
  • HB 2955Civics Day for Teachers—provides funding for two teachers from each legislative district to attend civics professional development.
  • HB 2977INS Citizenship Test Requirement—requires students to be tested in civics knowledge using the INS Citizenship test.
  • SB 484Civics Education Evaluation—ODE staff is to create a report on the state of civics education in Oregon.

Besides Social Sciences bills, you and your students may also find the following bills of interest and may want to create a project where students track the progress of particular bills.

  • SB 111Third Grade Advancement—students that do not meet 3rd grade reading benchmarks would not be promoted to 4th grade.
  • SB 170Firearms Safety Education—each year all Oregon students (grades K-12) should receive firearms safety instruction.
  • HB 2750Applications Required for Diploma—students would be required to apply to university, community college, the military, or apprenticeship.

Go to to find more information about bills that have been introduced and to follow their progress through the legislative process.

2. Oregon Council for the Social Studies 2015 Awards

Oregon Council for the Social Studies is accepting nominations for the 2015 OCSS Oregon Outstanding Social Studies Educator of the Year Awards (K-6 and 7-12) and Friend of Social Studies Award. See online form at

For more information contact Andy Demko, Awards Chair, Oregon Council for the Social Studies, at .

3. Classroom Law Project Events and Resources

Mock Trial Workshop Opportunities

One, two, or three part series for middle and high school teachers!Join CLP for the option that works best for you!

I. Saturday, March 7: 9AM-4PM, Pendleton and Roseburg

Middle and high school teachers will learn the nuts and bolts of this interactive, civic education strategy that encompasses the Common Core, can be used in multiple disciplines, plus students love it! Registration now open at .

II. Saturday, March 14: 9AM-4PM, Portland

Geared for high school teachers (middle school teachers welcome) we will discuss classroom implementation and observe students competing in the final round of the high school mock trial competition.

III. Friday, June 19; 9AM-8PM, Portland

Geared for middle school teachers (high school teachers welcome) we will discuss classroom implementation as well as observe middle schoolers put on a mock trial at the county courthouse with a real judge presiding.

We the People Book Club

Tuesdays, 5:00pm-8:00pm, Lucky Lab Brewery, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland

Join Classroom Law Project for another series of fascinating books that connect with Constitutional principles and current events! Meetings bring together teachers of all levels from around the Portland-metro area to discuss a variety of topics, network, and learn. Dinner is provided by Classroom Law Project, and 3 optional semester credits are offered through Lewis & Clark. For more information, please visit .

  • April 28: Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, John Paul Stevens
  • May 26: So Help Me God: The Founding Fathers and the First Great Battle Over Church and State, Forrest Church
  • June 16: Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American History, Daniel Kanstroom

The Bob and Marilyn Ridgley Classroom Law Project Scholarship – Deadline Friday, March 20, 2015

Classroom Law Project announces the Bob and Marilyn Ridgley Classroom Law Project Scholarship! This opportunity is open to high school seniors who have participated in a CLP program and intends to attend a college or university in the fall. The scholarship awards the selected student $2,000 per year for four years. For more information on the scholarship and application process, please visit

Susie and Tyler’s Current Events

Are you looking to include current events in your classroom? Classroom Law Project’s good friend, Susie Marcus, and program manager, Tyler Kaltenbach, do the research and lesson development for you every week! Complete with links to articles, questions to consider, lesson plans, standards (Oregon Social Studies content and CCSS), and connections to the We the People text. For this week’s current event and our archive, please visit

SAVE THE DATE! LAW DAY

April 30, 2015, Portland State University

Mark your calendar and join Classroom Law Project on Thursday, April 30, at Portland State University for the 35th annual Law Day Conference for High School Students. This one-day conference at Portland State University features 18 different workshops on legal issues concerning youth including activism, gun control and careers in the law. Each year, more than 500 students from Oregon and SW Washington participate and learn from scholars, activists and other experts. Registration will open in the beginning of March. For more information, please visit .

Registration open! We the People Day (Grades 5-8) & Project Citizen Showcase (Grades 5-12) **

May 21-22, 2014 Oregon State Capitol

These days at the State Capitol offer students the opportunity to present We the People (Thurs., May 21) and/orProject Citizen (Fri., May 22) simulated hearings to a panel of civic leaders. Teachers may choose units and questions. Project Citizen portfolios are displayed in the Capitol Galleria and judged by civic leaders. For more information and to register, visit

SAVE THE DATE! SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Who: Upper Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers

Where: Central Oregon Community College; Bend, OR

When: June 23-26, 2015

Check the CLP website for more details and registration opening in March. .

4. “Egypt in Flux: Ebb and Flow of History” Hosted by PSU and the American Research Center in Egypt

June 27-August 4, 2015; Study Tour in Egypt for K-16 Educators

The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University and the American Research Center in Egypt are pleased to host Egypt in Flux, a five-week short-term seminar in Egypt funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad Short Term Seminar Project for twelve K-12 and community college teachers. This seminar is designed to help integrate Middle East studies into the classroom and into the institution's general curriculum.

Egypt in Flux objectives:

  • To increase participant knowledge of the history and culture of Egypt by engaging with the culture and society of contemporary Egypt and learning directly from local experts, scholars, and community members.
  • To develop and disseminate tools and resources to support education about Egypt and the entire Middle East in the K-16 classroom, thereby improving the accuracy and content of classroom curricula.

During this program, participants will:

  • form a deep understanding and appreciation of Egyptian culture that focuses on geography, history, economics, arts, customs and society
  • understand the diversity of the peoples, histories, geographies, and cultures of the Middle East
  • collect teaching and learning materials to use in their classrooms, including primary sources
  • develop curricula to integrate Middle East studies into the classroom
  • promote understanding between Egyptian and American people

Program highlights include:

  • Five week seminar in Egypt
  • 40 hours of Arabic language instruction
  • Lectures and panel discussions with scholars, experts, and social entrepreneurs
  • Excursions around Cairo with Egyptian cultural mentors
  • Weekly debriefing sessions to process material and begin developing lesson plans
  • Guided field-trips around Cairo
  • Three night stay in Luxor Visits to ancient Egyptian historical sites including the Giza pyramids, Saqqara, Valley of the Kings and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple
  • Celebration of Ramadan and Eid el Fitr

For more information and to apply, click here. Applications are due on Friday, March 6, 2015. Contact Elisheva Cohen at with questions.

5. Oregon Historical Society Events and Resources

  1. Competitors are busily revising their projects for the state contest for National History Day to be held on Saturday, April 18th from 9am-2pm at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. This event is free and open to the public –come and see these students defend their papers, documentaries, performances, exhibits, and websites before a panel of adult judges.
  2. Check out the Common Core-aligned educational materials for the new exhibit from the Oregon Black Pioneers, called Community on the Move. Click HERE. Fill out the tour form for a docent-led tour HERE.
  3. Plan your OHS tours for next year: OHS’s exhibit on WWII runs from June to December and will provide even more opportunities for student engagement.

6. Fulfilling Oregon’s Financial Literacy Standards

Have you thought about how you are going to fulfill theOregon Social Studies Content Standards for this school year? Financial Beginnings is here to help! FB offers a no-cost resource for educators to assist youin meeting those Social Studies standards in Financial Literacy.

"The 6-12 literacy standards for History/Social Studies are not meant to replace the content standards in the social sciences but rather to supplement them."-Oregon Department of Education.

FB offers full service programs for grades K-12 including curriculum, materials, and trained volunteers. Spring is their busiest time of year, sosign up today!

Financial Literacy Conference

Multnomah Athletic Club, Portland; August 10 & 11, 2015 8 AM-5 PM

The conferencewill increase attendees' knowledge of personal financial management, as well as offer age-appropriate lessons and activities for educators to implement in the classroom. These offerings are designed to provide knowledge and tools that will meet the Oregon Core Social Science Standards for Financial Literacy as well as provide information about how to manage personal finances. Participants will include Oregon educators teaching pre-Kindergarten through College, students, and community members. Registration discounts are available for early registration and educators who have adopted Financial Beginnings programs this school year.

Register here.

7. Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center Events and Resources

Sakura Sakura: An Exhibition of Photographs by Motoya Nakamura opening on March 7, 2015 at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center!

Over the course of a year, celebrated local photographer Motoya Nakamura trained his camera lens on the sakura (cherry blossom) trees that frame the Oregon Nikkei Endowment’s Japanese American Historical Plaza and Bill of Rights Memorial. With the changing of the seasons, Sakura Sakurashows how these blossoming gifts from Japan bring Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park alive each year.

Oregon Nikkei Endowment is proud to open this exhibit at our museum, the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, to help kick off the 25th anniversary celebration of our Japanese American Historical Plaza and Bill of Rights Memorial.

Nakamura was born in Nagoya, Japan, and came to the United States two decades ago after falling in love with J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. According to artist, "As a resident of the United States and an immigrant from Japan I have lived half my life in each country. My identity has changed as I have assimilated to the new culture. I often feel as though I am a foreigner in this new land while simultaneously feeling like a stranger in the old. The trees embody this change and complexity."

Over a career in photojournalism spanning 17 years, Nakamura’s work has been featured in the pages of the Oregonian, Mix Magazine, and other publications. Blending with his background as a photojournalist, his art photography has been exhibited at local museums, colleges, and contemporary art galleries including the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, Portland Art Museum, Reed College, Newspace Center for Photography, and Disjecta. His photos have also been published in the seminal Communication Arts Photography Annual.

With his latest exhibition, Sakura Sakuraexplores belonging, identity, and diaspora, notions which the artist constantly grapples with. Through beautifully rendered oversize digital prints, Nakamura captures the natural beauty and awakens the cultural wonder these trees hold. Come see sakurain a way that has never been seen before!

Sakura Sakurawill be on exhibit between March 7 and June 14, 2015. The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center is located at 121 NW 2nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon. Museum hours are Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm, and Sunday, 12-3pm. Admission is $5, $3 students/seniors, and free for children 11 and under. For more information on this exhibit and related programming be sure to call us at 503-224-1458 or check out our website .

This exhibition and its public programs are made possible in part through a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

  • Family Day at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center

Date TBA – Come celebrate sakurawith fun-filled activities for children, teens, and adults alike!

  • Photography Workshop for Young Adults

Date TBA – In partnership with the Portland Photographic Society, this workshop led by Motoya Nakamura will place cameras in the hands of Portland youth and allow them to capture thesakura trees through their own lens.

  • Artists’ Talk

Saturday, June 6, 3 pm, Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center – Nakamura and visiting University of San Francisco professor Brian KomeiDempster will showcase the power of poetry, writing, and visual art to express complex issues of identity and the legacy of Japanese Americans.

ABOUT THE OREGON NIKKEI ENDOWMENT

The mission of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, to educate the public about the Japanese American experience during World War II, and to advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans. Our two projects include the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Waterfront Park, designed by landscape architect Robert Murase, and the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, a place to explore the culture and history of Japanese Americans, located in Portland’s historic Old Town neighborhood.

8. Oregon Journal of the Social Studies (Volume 3 Number 1) Now Available

The new issue of the electronic journalOregon Journal of the Social Studiesis now online. Access social studies research and practice articles and media reviews at

9. Call for Manuscripts for the Oregon Journal of the Social Studies

About the Journal

TheOregon Journal of the Social Studiesis a peer-reviewed, electronic journal that provides an outlet for P-16 social studies research, best practices, lesson plans, and reviews.

Executive Editor

Ken Carano

Co-editor

Shawn Daley

Call for Manuscripts

The editors of theOregon Journal of the Social Studies, a peer-reviewed electronic journal, issue a call to submit manuscripts for the August 2015 issue.

Theme: Teaching Literacy in the Social Studies

Submission Guidelines

Submissions from all social studies disciplines as well as from interdisciplinary perspectives are welcome. Each submission will be refereed using a double-blind peer review process. Submit manuscripts as a file attachment to the executive editor.

Submit your manuscript with an email message indicating that it has not been published elsewhere, is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that copyright will be given to theOregon Journal of the Social Studiesshould it be accepted for publication.