Professional Learning

This 90-minute session, usually virtual, is an overview of the Student Edition features, Teacher Guide features, and GSEonline.

Teachers will (optimally) work in grade-band cohorts to identify social studies skills in each of their resources and how these skills build and support from grade to grade, as well as within each book. This will help teachers identify the foundational skills in each book or activity and offer opportunities for expanding and connecting them.

We will do a deep dive into the types of differentiation in each grade’s resources and work together to apply strategies and resources that make the most sense for each teacher’s class. This will involve group work and time to plan.

At the third-grade level we go through literacy supports and strategies, including the Story Time features, and how those can be taught either along with or in place of other textbook content. From the fourth-grade level up, we start with foundations of reading and analyzing as well as argumentative writing. We will comprehensively review the various supports for language acquisition, as opposed to simplified reading levels.

This is a detailed look at the options you have for assessment. Some districts are wondering if/how they can do CFAs (common formative assessments), while others want a deeper understanding of how they can assess through projects and rubrics.

Not sure where to start? Our curriculum programs come with more than enough to cover the standards. Learn how to create the most engaging and multimodal experience possible for your student by deconstructing different types of activities in the Teacher Guide. Practice curriculum mapping and lesson planning by integrating essential "framework" activities and supporting activities that allow teachers to customize the curriculum for the interests and needs of their students. This session includes guided time for planning and collaborating with grade-level cohorts.

All GSE resources include a variety of ways that projects can connect to the content and assess students’ understanding of the content and skills. But these projects can be time-consuming and challenging to grade and gauge. This session will help teachers navigate the different options for project-based learning and plan what options are best for them and their students. It will help guide them through the logistics and implementation of both shorter and longer projects. This session will explain how to use the template rubrics in the teacher tools and show teachers how to create their own.

This is a high-level session on how to turn your social studies classrooms from a teacher-first learning environment to a student-first learning environment. This can be completed with grade-band cohorts, school-based cohorts, or grade-level cohorts. We will end with a deep dive into the practical tools in the resources that teachers can use, such as Learning Goals and self-assessments, among others, that offer students choice in their learning.

An introductory-level workshop to explore how GSE resources align with state or national expectations of high-quality instructional materials. Review the indicators of high-quality instructional materials for the social studies classroom and discover inclusive teaching strategies, differentiation techniques, and assessment options to incorporate in your classroom. Teachers will leave empowered to assess and communicate how their social studies instruction meets state or national expectations for effective, impactful lessons and to reframe "problem" lessons based on HQIM standards.

This is a detailed look into how teachers can use the resources to make sure students are learning about the multiple groups of people who have contributed to their history. There are also ways for students to connect to (and see themselves in) the resources. We cover what appropriation is and how to teach it to younger students, as well as presentism.

What are they, and how do you teach them? This is a “back to basics” session that ensures educators are familiar with the terminology we are referring to when we talk about topics like “inquiry-based” or “periodization.” This would be a good course for a cohort of new teachers or “new to social studies” teachers.

This session is designed to thoroughly investigate the interactive/digital side of our resources. We include tech-based activities as well as tips and strategies for teaching remotely (if needed/wanted) or implementing a flipped classroom. It can also include material on how to analyze digital media; this is typically engaged more at the upper grades.