Meetings

9/17/09
===
 * To Do:**
 * need 6 key representatives from committee? determine reimbursement protocol
 * contact committee members to determine what needs to be done at each level
 * Luke, Adam, Ant, & Neal will begin completing the district curriculum document which will identify areas in need of work
 * formatting wiki
 * curriculum document for end of year BOE(determine if template is needed-see modified template used for science curriculum below)
 * many teachers have chosen Social Studies work for their student learning goals this year; how do we encourage communication across district and provide guidance in curriculum development? [use CT SDE protocol/rubric for curriculum development]
 * How do school librarians get connected to the new social studies curriculum?


 * materials-orders for 2009-2010
 * assessments
 * faculty PD
 * field trips
 * NCSS materials

Year Wrap-up Meeting 5/27/09===
 * Review Grade Level Materials
 * June Faculty Meeting - Social Studies Curriculum and Materials Introduction
 * August - Social Studies Staff Development
 * Columbus Day PD - Social Studies Staff Development
 * BOE Social Studies Presentation - Well Received
 * Antoinette - Commending such meaningful work done this year - Great Team!
 * Heading into next year - Time to complete units
 * Discuss implementation time line with administration

Release time to complete units of study (all meetings at Ox Ridge, starting in Antoinette's office):
Tuesday, 5/12 5th Grade 1st Grade

Thursday, 5/14 (12:00-3:00) K team

Wednesday, 5/20 2nd Grade 3rd Graded

Wednesday, 5/27 4th Grade

We will be meeting next on __April 22__ when everyone will be given a 1/2 day release time to work on developing at least one model unit of study. Stay tuned for specific details.




PD day, March 16, 2009
Here is the form we'll use for aligning our orders to our essential questions:



And, here is Chris Basta's excel PO:



Notes from our February 12th SS Team Meeting at Royle.

 * 1) **Timeline for Enduring Understandings and Unit Objectives**
 * We will have individual grade level team meetings the last two weeks in March to review your enduring understandings and unit objectives
 * March 16th PD Day - An opportunity to work on SS during one session
 * 1) **Please submit your hours - The Budget closes on April 1st**
 * 2) **Resources - Please look at our resource samples and your own and make a prioritized list for your grade level**
 * 3) **Resource Ideas:**
 * Trade Books
 * Field Trips
 * Unit Kits
 * Technology/Media
 * Online Subscriptions
 * Magazines

[[file:Social Studies Planning Template.xls]]
The following files are from the National Council for the Social Studies;

Our next meetings with grade level teams will take place in January; we'll be in touch to schedule.
Also, with regards to submitting forms for curriculum pay: As per Judith, please submit the form to Linda Piro at CO for curriculum pay when you reach 10 hours. On the attached form, you need to fill in your name and employee number, total hours, time frame (i.e.: Sept-Jan), under assignment write “SS Curriculum.” Don’t worry about specific dates and hours on the form. However, if you are keeping a log, you can submit that with the form to Linda.

Here is the form:



Agenda for 12-16-08
7:30 am, Royle Library

Click here for agenda:



**Hi Team! Below is an Essential Question checklist that may assist you in creating an evaluating your grade level essential questions:**
ü  Does my essential question provide a purpose for my unit? Does it shape my unit? ü  Is it open for debate? What is important? What is relevant? ü  There is no simple “right” answer to my essential question. ü  Does it promote deep understanding? ü  Does it inspire? ü  Can my essential question transcend over time (K-5 experience or even higher)? ü  Can my essential question be interdisciplinary? ü  How rich is my essential question? ü  Does my essential question force my students to make a decision? A judgment? ü  How well does my essential question connect to my enduring understandings and unit objectives?

To Do before next meeting:

 * Bring your notes and ideas to share from our small group meetings.**

Remember to bring your own coffee (or tea, donuts, Lucky Charms-you know who you are, whatever) next time!

1. Prior to our next meeting, please take a look at this unit template and comment about whether you think it will be useful to you as you plan your units.



If you have suggestions or feedback, post them in the discussion area on this page. Adam can make changes and post different versions of the form. Or, better yet, if you feel comfortable creating a version of the planning form, post it here.

2. You might want to check out these sample Reading Workshop units (Reading in the Content Areas, Reading Historical Fiction, Social Issues, etc) from the [|Teachers College Reading and Writing Project] as you think about planning your units and essential questions.

3. Begin a rough draft of at least one unit using the unit template and beginning with essential questions.

4. Check out an article or two:

Here is an [|article] about UBD

And, here is a [|powerpoint presentation] about UBD

This looks really interesting too.....hopefully helpful.



This [|article] is incredibly clear and specific with templates at the end.

Minutes from 10 - 28 - 08
Before the meeting, please review the Understanding by Design page and the Essential Questions page. Taking a look at these pages before our meeting will help us as we discuss specific terms.

The two audiences.... We are creating a document for a BOE presentation in April. We are also creating a useable, living document for teacher use and adaptation. The wiki will serve as a "virtual binder." Teachers will be able to access the information and materials they need for printing and planning. Eventually, SmartNotebook files can also be housed here.
 * 1. Review of committee purpose**

Where are we in talking to our grade level teams about social studies? Have you heard any particularly interesting or challenging issues from your teams?
 * 2. Grade level chair reports**

K: Began with SS units from PD day two years ago and aligned them with scope and sequence (posted on wiki) Where do holidays/cultural activities around the world fit in to current scope and sequence? Question about economics (science?)-not currently teaching it: do we need to? [Yes, the National and State standards state that a complete study of Social Studies includes all four areas: history, civics, geography, economics]

1: Generally focus is on monthly holidays, need resources scope and sequence has some of what we're doing, some not

2. used to have neighborhoods (too narrow) Third grade used to "do" communities : Are there resources we can use? looking at New Canaan curriculum; will take direction from them used map from PD day a few years ago

3. A lot that we are doing already that is good worried about too much change like text book if changes, resources need to be readily available

4. There was a mix of emotions at 10/10 PD day when we brought this up such different approaches used across district some use text some feel reading level of text too high like having text as resource CT unit-need resources district unit created years ago needs to be revised CT project in non-fiction reading unit? support for new teachers is needed continuity across district needed have been doing things that have "worked": why change?

5. Focus on resources (ie: online textbooks) skill of reading textbook needed to prepare for middle school considering visiting middle school and sitting in on a history class what foundation are they looking for? understand how to use a textbook online jeopardy (other games) as resources curriculum is narrow, American history textbook level too high SS only text book (no longer have textbook for spelling, science)

What do these terms mean? How do they make sense in terms of our curriculum (beliefs about student learning, how we teach children and the content / inquiry we engage with? Is the language of UBD helpful for our curriculum writing process? Does the UBD model connect to your current thinking about social studies, why or why not?) How do we create challenging and age appropriate "big questions" that will support our social studies teaching?
 * 3. Unpacking the terms of Understanding by Design**

How to develop meaningful units related to the notions presented in scope and sequence. two audiences pragmatic side (ie: textbooks, resources, etc) Goal is to write units of study connected to the ideas presented in scope and sequence and that are meaningful to students

How do you feel about thinking about your units in a "backwards way?" At the end, what do kids know and what are they going to do? From those questions, develop activities from perspective of 7- or 9-year old.

The key is to look at ultimate idea (what do we want these kids to walk away with entering the next grade?) should every grade be about getting into the next grade? primary goal or objective is most important, thinking about how to teach is scary, we all do things differently, want to have liberty to be individuals want something manageable that is unified makes sense to start with end and work backwards tricky to look at what we already have in place tricky to come up with a unified approach

Use of essential questions What are the "big picture" items that you and your students are going to grapple with? This might be an area where we can create a unified curriculum (What is peace? What does it mean to be free?) Seems to be a pretty helpful structure to make sure that third grade across the district, or any district, is grappling with assured experiences We can all recognize the limitations of saying "here is the lockstep, unit by unit, chapter by chapter : can't be responsive to children...no differentiation. We're not going to be able to say Tuesday morning at Holmes is going to be the same at Royle We agree that the backwards design model is helpful for differentiation

Example... Looking the late 1800s and the Industrial Revolution through a big concept/essential question... How does technolgy affect lives both positively and negatively? How does industrialization impact a society? How does technology impact us today? How would our lives be different without the invention of the computer?

The American Revolution... What is an American? What does it mean to be free and independent? How are conflicts resolved?

Guiding questions help us do so much more in SS and help us consider interdisciplinary connections

tech tools

job of our committee: 1. Develop essential questions for each grade/unit 2. Collect/create resources or possibilities

step 1: What we want to ask 2. Creatting resources

aligning field trips (ie:" Historical Society)

need to combine two things

1. What the district is asking 2. What kinds of questions will they ask (why do I need to know this?)

Tension between what kids want to know and also having experience (we have knowledge about why having this frame of reference is important)

Re: We need to align and create bridge to middle school at middle school level they are also in the process of re-thinking their work target is shifting we don't want to chase imaginary target each grade is not supposed to be about entrance to the next grade level


 * 4. Build the K - 5 planning template using this model as our base**

prior to next meeting: Goal to review the form



Next Meeting: December 9, 7:30 drafts of essential questions some units of study