Title: Recap of Social Studies Content Team Meeting
Course: BPSS (SST) Social Studies Standards > Section: Teacher Workspace > Forum: Social Studies Standards Discussions ...

Thank you for your continued commitment to elementary Social Studies- and for taking on this role. We had almost everyone in attendance last night, but I wanted to send a quick recap with all of the dates.

Dave shared with us how to access the new Social Studies standards in LearnBPS. We watched the embedded presentation focusing on WHY we need to prioritize standards, and content team members completed the survey task themselves. As the SS Content Team rep, you will present this task to teachers in your building. Teachers need to take the survey, selecting new SS standards from their grade level which they feel have the most leverage and endurance, as well as selecting standards from the lower grade level students need for readiness (4th grade teachers look at 3rd grade standards, etc.). Dave will have all elementary teachers enrolled by January 15 (so logging in will go much smoother). He will also move the new SS standards to the top in the workspace.

It is very important to communicate that this survey allows EVERY teacher in the district to have a voice in prioritizing the SS standards!

Instructional coaches will receive this information next Wednesday (Jan. 13), so you will have a partner to collaborate with in delivering this to your staff. Please visit with your building principal and instructional coach to make a plan of when/how to deliver this to staff.

Because of parent-conferences being held in February we will cancel our February 13th meeting. This will also give you a longer window to complete the task of presenting the information and survey to your school.

This task needs to be completed by teachers by March 10.

We will be analyzing the overall results at our March 12th meeting.

Because of your extra time in leading this work in your school- once you present this to your staff and teachers have taken the survey- go into IVisions and submit 2 hours for Social Studies Content Team. Use the date on which you enter (if you submit on Feb. 21- put the date Feb. 21).

Also- we must complete this task before we can begin any other work in the Curriculum Cycle. On March 12 we will analyze the survey results and discuss if any additional information will be needed in order to finalize and communicate the prioritized SS standards. Our team will then dig in to what a guaranteed and viable curriculum means and select where this content team needs to start in our process of building a Guaranteed and Viable Social Studies Curriculum in order to immerse students in purposeful, engaging learning experiences to cultivate responsible and open-minded citizens.

For those of you not able to attend, your coach will receive the “how to” of how to do the survey, but if you wish to come in and learn as well, please let me know and I can set something up!

Thanks again for being so passionate about this content area! Please let me know if you need any additional support.

Tina Pletan

Elementary Literacy Staff Developer/SRCL Grant Coordinator
Hughes Educational Center
701-323-4052