Oregon Social Sciences Teacher Update #144

Oregon Social Sciences Teacher Update #144

August 3, 2015

ESEA Reauthorization Possibilities
Oregon Digital Newspaper Program Now Offers Lesson Plans for K-12
New Coos History Museum is Now Open!
Classroom Law Project Events and Resources
Scholarships Available for Financial Literacy Conference
Oregon Trail Live IV
Oregon Historical Society Hosts Reception/Tour for Teachers
Oregon Council for Economic Education Fall Workshop
Oregon Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference
Schools and Districts Must Observe Constitution Day, September 17
Free Informational DVD on Addressing Public Issues
Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program
Understanding Sacrifice: World War II in the Mediterranean
Gilder Lehrman Online Courses
College Board Releases Revised AP U.S. History Framework
ODE Resources (in every issue)

1. ESEA Reauthorization Possibilities

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is moving along, and there may be opportunities for Social Studies teachers in the final resulting federal legislation. While nothing is certain, the U.S. Senate version of the bill does provide some funding to support teachers and students in the areas of civics, U.S. history, geography, and economics. Other legislation will make it possible to use parent engagement dollars to support financial literacy instruction. If the Senate version of the reauthorization prevails, funding will go to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that partner with higher education institutions, museums, or other entities, a structure much like the Teaching American History grants from a few years ago. There is also the possibility of funding for “Presidential Academies,” institutes for teachers to get two weeks of professional development, and for “Congressional Academies,” institutes for students to get two weeks of study. Be watching for how the negotiations go to maintain the funding provisions in the Senate version of the reauthorization during the conference process.

2. Oregon Digital Newspaper Program Now Offers Lesson Plans for K-12

The Oregon Digital Newspaper Program (ODNP) now offers lesson plans that align with Oregon Common Core State Standards for use in K – 12 classrooms. University of Oregon’s UOTeach Master’s Program graduate Erin Choi incorporated primary source content from newspapers found in the ODNP’s Historic Oregon Newspapers online and the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America website, and aligned the new lesson plans with Common Core standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Sciences.

The lesson plans target Grade 4 ELA standards and Grade 4 Social Sciences standards for Oregon History topics, and Grades 6-8 ELA standards and Grades 6-8 Social Sciences standards for American History. However, K-12 educators can adapt all of the lesson plans to any grade level, utilize the plans as they come, or insert relevant articles and activity ideas into their existing lessons.

Check out the K-12 Resources page for links to applicable Oregon Common Core State Standards and ODNP lesson plans, as well as additional resources. To learn more about the ODNP, visit ODNP.uoregon.edu.

The ODNP has been digitizing historic Oregon newspapers since 2009, making them keyword searchable and freely available to the public online at They have digitized over 700,000 pages so far, all of which are excellent primary source materials that can be used to bolster almost any K-12 lesson, perfect for meeting literacy standards in the classroom.

3. New Coos History Museum is Now Open!

The new Coos History Museum is now open to the public! Operating hours are Tues-Sun., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information about the museum, its collection and exhibits visit

4. Classroom Law Project Events and Resources

Project Citizen Workshop

Monday, August 17; 9am-4pm; Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland

Looking for a curriculum that goes beyond civics and integrates language arts and math? Then Project Citizen is for you. This award-winning, cross-curricular program has students working together to discover, research, and develop solutions to problems in their community. The workshop combines content related to government and public policy, and connections with state standards and the Common Core with a hands-on approach. It's fun!

To register, go to: .

We the People Workshop

Tuesday, August 18; 9am-4pm; Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland

Looking for an effective and engaging curriculum and strategy for teaching the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Join Classroom Law Project for an interactive and information-packed workshop! This workshop explores the acclaimed We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum developed by the Center for Civic Education. Teachers will examine content, practice simulated hearings and discuss classroom implementation.

To register please visit .

We the People Book Club

Tuesdays: Oct. 20, Dec. 15, Feb. 23, Apr. 19, May 24, and June 14; Lucky Lab Brew Pub, SE Hawthorne Blvd.

Join CLP and its two master facilitators, Shelley Larkins and Susie Marcus, for lively conversations about books that help us better understand our country’s history and future! Come for one, come for all six. It’s up to you! This year the Book Club will be reading the following books:

Oct. 20 – Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, Robert Putnam
Dec. 15 – Shays’s Rebellion: The American Revolution’s Final Battle, Leonard Richards
Feb. 23 – Democracy Reborn: The 14th Amendment and the Fight for Equal Rights in Post-Civil War America, Garrett Epps
Apr. 19 – The Law of the Land: A Grand Tour of our Constitutional Republic, Akhil Reed Amar
May 24 – The Great Dissent: How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind – and Changed the History of Free Speech in America, Thomas Healy
June 14 – Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America, Gilbert Kind

5. Scholarships Available for Financial Literacy Conference

Are you an educator or student in Salem? The Epping Family Foundation is generously providing30 full scholarships to Salem area educators and studentsto attend Financial Beginnings'2015 Financial Literacy Conference. They still have8 scholarships available for teachers and 4 available for students- each coveringall conference fees, a travel stipend, and meals for both days of the event.

Financial Beginnings works hard to provide teachers and students with the resources necessary to master personal finance, from creating simple budgets, to saving for college, to entering the stock market for the first time. At FLC 2015, participants willconnect with a wide range of stakeholders from pre-K to college, explore new teaching methods, and expand their own knowledge of key personal finance topics. After last year's event, 92% of attendees felt moreconfident in their ability to teach financial concepts to their students and 89% were inspired to be more proactive in achieving their financial goals.

6. Oregon Trail Live IV

Saturday September 19, 2015; Willamette Heritage Center, Salem, Oregon

The first, and only, live action version of the classic computer game-Oregon Trail. Between Missouri and Oregon, your team must meet 10 challenges based loosely on the game, evade the sheriff, trade at Fort Hall and pass a homesteader's exam to qualify for land and build a tiny home. Live music, farm animals, a full size covered wagon, food and Miss Milly's Saloon complete this unique trail experience.

This is a family friendly event.

Teams check in at 12:00 and hit the trail at 1:00. Award ceremony at 4:00. Spectators welcome!

The WHC won the 2014 Outstanding Museum Educator Award from the Oregon and California Trails Association for this event. Find out why we do this (somebody had to) and see pictures from previous years at

Questions and information : Kathleen at 503-585-7012 or

7. Oregon Historical Society Hosts Reception/Tour for Teachers

The Oregon Historical Society invites social studies/history/civics teachers to a reception on Tuesday, August 25 from 5:30-7:00p.m. Attendees will receive a guided tour of the fantastic

new OHS exhibit “World War II: A World At War; A State Transformed.” This Smithsonian-level exhibit features many rare and priceless artifacts and documents from historical figures like Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, George Patton, and Harry Truman, as it examines the ways in which World War II impacted our world, our country, and our state. The exhibit will run through December 7, 2015. The Oregon HistoricalSociety offers free admission to all school tours. OHS is located at 1200 SW Park Avenue in Portland. RSVP by August 18 with name and your school to .

8. Oregon Council for Economic Education Fall Workshop

Friday, October 9th, 2015

The Oregon Council on Economic Education will be putting on a Fall Workshop in Portland on October 9th (a state wide teacher in service day). The workshop will start at 8:30 and conclude at 3:00. There will be three, 1.5 hour sessions, with lunch and a keynote speaker (lunch will be provided). Proposed topics to be covered include; “Games Economists Play”, “The Federal Reserve’s response to the Great Recession”, and “USA v Euro Area v Argentina,; policy options and constraints”. More information will follow with the September newsletter. Fee will be $25 for registrations received by Oct 2nd, and $35 after.

9. Oregon Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference

This year's OCSS Fall Conference is going to be extra special! With the theme, "Through the Eyes of Another: Inclusive Social Studies and Language Arts Education," this event will be in collaboration with the Oregon Council of Teachers of English (OCTE) and will feature special guest, award winning author, Lori Halse Anderson. In addition to numerous sessions and exhibitors for improving your Social Studies and Language Arts classrooms, the Oregon Spirit Book Award will also be awarded at this conference.

Saturday, October 3rd at Concordia University

10. Schools and Districts Must Observe Constitution Day, September 17

In 2005, Congress established September 17 as Constitution Day. Schools, federal and state agencies, and others that receive federal funding are required to provide educational programs related to the United States Constitution on that day. The Federal Register Notice of Implementation is available at Many organizations provide resources to support schools’ activities on that day:

Annenberg Media

The Constitution: That Delicate Balance: features a panel discussion on constitutional issues by distinguished personalities in government, media, and law.

See how key figures in law, media, government, religion, military, health care, and business puzzle through controversies introduced through hypothetical cases and the Socratic method in Ethics in America and Ethics in America II.
Hear leading historians recount American history illustrated by historical footage in Democracy in America. course Web site has downloadable readings that include the writings of Frederick Douglass, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Paine, and Alexis de Tocqueville.
Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers presents effective high school lessons and access Web-based materials including student and teacher perspectives, essential readings, and primary source documents.
For middle and high school teachers, America's History in the Making looks at the early development of the U.S. system of government. See unit 4, "Revolutionary Perspectives," and click on OAH Talking History to listen to the radio programs "Revolutionary Mothers" and "Washington's Slaves." Then see unit 20, “Egalitarian America,” for a look at more recent constitutional issues.
Learn about the beginnings of the U.S. Constitution in "A New System of Government," program 5 of A Biography of America.
Programs in The Western Tradition relevant to the Constitution include program 5, "The Rise of Greek Civilization," program 6, "Greek Thought," program 37, "The American Revolution," and 38, "The American Republic."
Search for historical artifacts –- images and documents -- related to the Constitution in the American Passages archive. Our special slideshow tool also allows you to create one or more presentations using items from the archive.

Classroom Law Project

“Visitor from Outer Space”:Great with all age groups. The U.S. is overtaken by space aliens and learners are asked to ponder which rights are most important.

Bill of Rights Institute

The Bill of Rights Institute has developed materials to help students and other observers understand the significance of the U.S. Constitution in observance of Constitution Day. Free materials are available to download from the web site. There are Constitution Day lessons for middle school and high school as well as a Constitution Cube lesson with activities for all levels. "Champions of Freedom" is a middle school activity that includes images of the Founding Fathers.

Center for Civic Education

The Center for Civic Education has lesson topics for all grade levels:

Kindergarten: Introduction to the term authority
Grades 1 and 2: Introduction to the terms authority, limited government and law
Grades 3 and 4: Introduction to the Preamble's ideas and importance
Grades 5 and 6: Explore terms in the Preamble
Grades 7 and 8: The federal system and the role of federal vs. state governments
Grades 9 and 10: Introduction to the first Congress, establishing the executive and judicial branches, and drafting of the Bill of Rights
Grades 11 and 12: Major conflicts and the Bill of Rights

Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Constitutional Rights Foundation provides resources to educate young people about the responsibilities of "civic participation in a democratic society." Among the resources are lessons with the following titles: "A Visitor for Outer Space (V.O.I.C.E.)," "Diversity and Equality (The Challenge of Diversity)," "The Constitution and Governance (The Challenges of Governance)," "The Tired King (Adventures in Law and History, Vol. II)" and other titles.

Dirksen Congressional Center

The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes an understanding of the U.S. Congress and its leaders through archives, research and educational programs. On the Historical Documents page under "Constitution" are a number of links to other resources.

First Amendment Center

The First Amendment Center provided information about the First Amendment freedoms to protect and preserve the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The center is housed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Arlington, Virginia. Materials are organized according to the five freedoms in the First Amendment. Lesson plans are also included.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

The Gilder Lehrman Institute has a module on the U.S. Constitution under "For Teachers and Students." Resources include primary sources, a bibliography of books, films and additional web sites. Lesson plans illustrate how to put all of the resources together.

History Channel

"This Day in History" for September 17 provides information about the U.S. Constitution.

Law Focused Education, Inc.

The Law Focused Education, Inc. web site has activities for students, lesson plans and other materials for teachers to use in planning for Constitution Day. There is a weekly Constitution quiz, a Constitution game, Preamble Scramble and Branches of the Federal Government among several interactive activities.

Liberty Day

Liberty Day is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education youth about the basics of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence and to distributing copies of those documents to the country’s fifth graders. They also provide a Complete Education Resource for teachers on the Constitution. The Resource includes a Teacher’s Packet containing a lesson plan, two evaluation forms, and multiple-choice pre- and post-tests. Also included are copies of the documents and a set of 24 Q&A flashcards on the contents of the Constitution. For more information, go to the web site or contact Andy McKean at .

National Archives

The National Archives Building in Washington, D. C. houses the handwritten copy of the U.S. Constitution. An article included on the web site entitled "A More Perfect Union" provides details of the Constitutional Convention and the process for ratifying the U.S. Constitution. Interesting facts about the U.S. Constitution are included in "Questions and Answers Pertaining to the Constitution." These resources are available on the Constitution web page.

National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Their resources include a toolkit for a group of people to read the Constitution aloud and lesson plans and other resources. The first web address is for the home page for the National Constitution Center. The second web address is for Constitution Day activities. The third web address links to the "America Reads the Constitution" tool kit.

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) web site has at least thirty-five lessons and other activities relating to the U.S. Constitution. One lesson for high school is entitled "Why Celebrate Constitution Day?" Most of the lessons appear to be for high school and middle school classes.

U.S. Courts

The U.S. Courts web site has discussion topics in one-page handouts, fast facts, interactive games, sixth amendment activities and court simulations.

Constitution Day, Inc.

11.Free Informational DVD on Addressing Public Issues

The National Issues Forums Institute, in collaboration with the Kettering Foundation, is providing a free informational DVD to be used by civic and educational organizations interested in addressing public issues. The Agency for Instructional Technology is distributing these DVDs.

Please share this link ( with anyone that may benefit from using these materials. Feel free to contact if you have any questions.

12. Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program

Announcing the launch of the 2016-2017 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching (DA) Program Online Application for K-12 teachers!