Social Studies
Please complete and submit an Out-of-District PD Approval and Completion Form
(found in My Learning Plan) prior to attending/beginning sessions.
(found in My Learning Plan) prior to attending/beginning sessions.
Waves Across the South:
A New History of Revolution & Empire
January 31, 6:00–7:30 p.m. CT
Cambridge Professor of World History Sujit Sivasundaram radically changed our understanding of the Age of Revolutions with his award-winning book Waves Across the South: A New History of Revolution and Empire. In this presentation, he will introduce the 18th and 19th century uprisings and struggles of the Indian and Pacific Ocean—revolutionary stories from Tonga, Aotearoa/New Zealand, from Sri Lanka; and Java. You will view the Age of Revolutions from the perspective of ocean-facing peoples as they faced this transformative moment of history. In the process, you’ll see how indigenous people and people of color used revolt, association and agency against the Imperialism taking root in these islands and seas. The session will have plenty of time for discussion of how to integrate this perspective into teaching the Age of Revolutions at school.
A New Approach to Teaching the Reconstruction Era
February 08, 2024 - Marsh 20, 2024, Virtual, $25
During this course, you will learn to teach about the Reconstruction era to help students connect this history to the choices they make today.
How does society rebuild after extraordinary division and trauma, when the ideals and values of democracy are most vulnerable?
The Reconstruction era, most commonly viewed as the period from 1865 to 1877, was a monumental struggle for freedom and democracy in the face of violent backlash. The study of the Reconstruction era in American history is essential to an understanding of citizenship and democracy in the United States today.
During this course, you will examine this significant period in US history, when Americans were faced with the challenge of restoring a nation amid the social and political upheaval of the Civil War. You will learn to teach about the Reconstruction era using an approach that helps students connect this history to their own lives and the choices they make today.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Plan and implement a unit of study, built on the Facing History methodology, that focuses on the Reconstruction era of American history and the challenges of creating a just democracy in a time of deep division
Use key resources and teaching strategies to help students explore the idea that democracy can only remain vital through the active, thoughtful, and responsible participation of its citizens
Use historical and contemporary examples to develop students’ understanding of Reconstruction’s legacy and the importance of presenting an accurate account of this era
Learn how to facilitate respectful classroom discussions on difficult issues such as racism, bigotry, and other forms of exclusion in a way that invites personal reflection and critical analysis
Use new teaching strategies that help students interrogate texts, write and think critically, and discuss controversial issues respectfully
Holocaust and Human Behavior
February 08, 2024 - Marsh 20, 2024, Virtual, $25
This online course includes teaching strategies about the Holocaust and the themes of ethics and responsibility. Studying the Holocaust and human behavior allows students to wrestle with profound moral questions raised by this history while fostering their skills in ethical and moral reasoning, critical analysis, empathy, and civic engagement—all of which are critical habits of mind for sustaining democracy.
In this facilitated online course featuring Holocaust and Human Behavior you will:
Learn current scholarship on the history of the Holocaust and new research focused on human behavior, group dynamics, and bias
Increase your ability to facilitate respectful classroom discussions on difficult issues such as racism, antisemitism, and other forms of exclusion in a way that invites personal reflection and critical analysis
Learn a new way of structuring curriculum to help students connect history to their own lives and the choices they make
Engage with classroom-ready multimedia resources and learn how to build a customized unit that meets your curriculum objectives
Discover new teaching strategies that help students interrogate texts, write and think critically, as well as discussing controversial issues respectfully
Independent evaluation has shown that implementing Facing History’s approach improves students’ higher-order thinking skills, increases students’ civic efficacy and engagement with civic matters, and increases students’ tolerance for others who hold contrary views from their own.
By completing the NCE course, you'll be offered complimentary premium access to Newsela ELA, Newsela Social Studies, and/or Newsela Science—including our full content library, instructional supports, reporting and insights, and more— for a full year.
Why should you become a Newsela Certified Educator?
You’ll get a pretty cool badge and a certificate for 5 hours of professional development.
The self-paced course will provide you with immediate classroom connections to share with your students.
Gain access to a network of Newsela experts, teachers all over the country, and shared resources in the Newsela Community.
What should you expect in the Newsela Certified Educator course?
Guided lessons to apply annotations, write prompts, and quizzes
Templates to design article and Text Set assignments for lessons and unit planning
Strategies to analyze assignment trends in the Binder