Session 6
(10:40 - 11:00)

Presenter & Affiliation:  Lori Burger, Social Studies School Service

Session Description:  We know that time is limited–especially for social studies instruction. We will explore the challenges related to elementary social studies and ways to make every minute count. Social studies should be a priority in elementary school. Social studies in grades K-5 has value beyond the content itself. More instructional time devoted to social studies is correlated with greater reading growth from first through fifth grade. The students who benefit the most from additional social studies time are girls and those from lower-income and/or non-English-speaking homes. We will focus on possible solutions to make every minute of social studies instruction count.

Room: Lavender

Presenter & Affiliation: Erin Conklin, Bloomsbury / ABC-CLIO

Session Description:  Discover how student dissatisfaction with our district curriculum led us to reevaluate how we taught history. Through research and exploration, students delved into the rich tapestry of local African American history, amplifying the voices from the past. Students not only deepened their understanding of history but also impacted their community.

Room: Rosemary

Presenter & Affiliation: Annie Evans, University of Richmond (VA)

Session Description:  Students struggle to see how history shapes today's debates. This interactive workshop equips teachers with practical strategies for using New American History and Bunk to help students recognize historical connections and multiple perspectives. Participants will explore Bunk's tools, design inquiry-based lessons, and develop assessment strategies grounded in research on historical thinking. Leave with immediately applicable lesson ideas and confidence to help students understand history as contested, relevant, and essential for informed citizenship in the modern world.

Room: 184

Presenter & Affiliation: Kristen Waltz, Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School

Session Description:  Through a Fulbright-Hayes program, I spent the summer in Peru and created lessons to share with World History teachers. The first lesson deals with archaeological issues of looting at the pre-Incan Royal Tombs of Sipan and at Machu Picchu. The second lesson explains the role of textiles in Peru, from the Inca empire to a women's weaving cooperative today. The third lesson explores popular interpretations of Andean cosmology and Catholicism at historical sites around Cusco. Each lesson was designed with student engagement and critical thinking in mind. Fulbright fellows created a database with more lessons across subject areas and grade levels.

Room: Thyme

Presenter & Affiliation: Marchelle Roniet, Eastern Christian HS (NJ)

Session Description: This session invites participants to look back at the Vietnam War as the first conflict extensively broadcast into living rooms across the United States and how that unprecedented level of media exposure fundamentally shifted public perception, government transparency, and the role of journalism in wartime. Participants will also be challenged to fast forward to today where social media, 24/7 news cycles, and citizen journalism dominate the information landscape. By reflecting on the past, participants engage with global issues, the role of embedded journalists, and the ethics of war reporting in the era of livestreams and viral content.

Room: Sage