Breakout #3

 Jon Bassett 

Gary Shiffman

Storytelling is the best technology we have for engaging students’ curiosity about other people, including the ones who made the history we teach in school. In this workshop, attendees will practice some of the techniques Jon and Gary use to guide their students both in *getting* the story in a social studies lesson and then in narrating their own accurate and skillful version of that story in their responses to Question One: What happened?  

Dr. Dario Lujan

AI can help students learn about history and social studies by providing them with personalized learning experiences. It can also help teachers create more engaging lessons by providing them with real-time feedback on student performance. Additionally, AI can be used to help students develop critical thinking skills by analyzing data and identifying patterns.

Summer Carter

Join us for an engaging game of hide and seek that packs powerful strategies! It’s important for students to understand pictures, how they affect us and how to understand information contained in them. Participants will engage in strategies that develop students' visual literacy to support comprehension of social studies content and will leave with engaging and high-impact instructional strategies.

Silvia Torres

In this hands-on session, attendees will learn how to redefine STAAR test prep using Edpuzzle! They will learn how to leverage Edpuzzle's content and interactions to create effective video lessons to support student preparation for the STAAR tests. Edpuzzle is a must-have for your EdTech toolkit, come find out why!

Denisse Almaraz

Jared Cicchetti

Using primary sources in the Social Studies class is critical in cultivating young historians. This session will focus on making these higher order thinking skills accessible to all students including EBs. We will use best practices and biliteracy strategies to analyze primary sources in ESL, Dual Language and/or Bilingual K-5 classes. This workshop will be presented in English and resources will be provided in Spanish.  

Claudia Romero

The El Paso Public Library’s Border Heritage Center was formed in 1995 by combining three major collections – Southwest, Genealogy, and Raza – into one area of the Main Library. The purpose of the Center is to enhance the quality of life of El Pasoans and others by collecting, preserving, and making available information about the history and culture of the residents of El Paso and the surrounding Southwest region. Join me to learn more!

Jesus Gamez

Teaching through songs and chants has been used in education for a long time. As a teacher, I’ve learned that songs and chants benefit classroom management, student learning, and community-building. Chants are used in the classroom to help students learn and retain information. When information is paired with rhymes and a catchy melody, students can better remember or memorize it. In addition, chants provide a safe way for emergent bilinguals to practice language. Participants will examine how instructional chants are the perfect tool for social studies teachers to engage ALL students in learning.