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"Creating Effective Citizens...One Student At A Time."

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NEXT BOARD MEETING!!!
Saturday, May 3, 10:00 am, Oklahoma City Memorial
(PLEASE, contact our President, Eugene Earsom, if you are planning to attend!)

	COLONIAL DAY AT THE CAPITOL February 1, 2008 several classes of fifth grade students from the Oklahoma City metro area will converge on the state capitol for celebrations of our American heritage and a focus on early American history. Co-sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, this year's Colonial Day stands out as one of the most memorable due to a special visit by Patrick Henry (as portrayed by Colonial Williamsburg re-enactor)
State Superintendent of Education Sandy Garrett and local re-enactor Benjamin Franklin.	Thomas Jefferson visits with colonial militiaman, Kelly Curtright, State Director of Social Studies, Oklahoma State Department of Education.
Students converge on the state legislative chambers to listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
NEW RESOURCES FOR OKLAHOMA STUDIES! The Daily Oklahoman is offering FREE access to its archives of newspaper and advertisements, exclusively for Oklahoma's teachers. If you would be interested in utilizing these fantastic resources for teaching about our state's history and government, all information is provided in a flyer. Contact Janet Portwood at JPortwood@NewsOK.com Click HERE for a flyer! CLICK HERE for DIRECTIONS to ACCESS!
CONSTITUTION DAY The Oklahoma Council for Social Studies recognized the importance of students to understand the meaning of our Constitution and its history, and its contemporary impact on their lives. For this reason we are pleased that the United States Congress has set aside September 17th as a day of commemoration and classroom instruction aimed at commemorating the anniversary of the signing of this guiding document in our nation's government. Please access resources on our "Resource" page.

SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM
The annual United States Senate Youth Program, established in 1962 by U.S.Senate Resolution, will be held in Washington, D. C., from March 4 - 11, http://hearstfdn.org/ussyp/pdf/USSYP_Brochure_2005.pdf

The Oklahoma State Department of Education coordinates and implements the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) on a yearly basis. It isoverseen by the Director, Social Studies Education (Office of Standards and Curriculum) on behalf of State Superintendent Sandy Garrett. The USSYP is a competition program in which two Oklahoma high school students will win a one-week, all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. and a $5,000.00 college scholarship from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. To be eligible a student must be a junior or senior in an Oklahoma high school during the current year of the competition, be an elected student officer (e.g., a Student Council or class officer), and have at least one parent or guardian who is a permanent resident of Oklahoma.
Materials concerning the United States Senate Youth Program are mailed to every high school principal and counselor during early August. The principals have until mid-September to nominate student(s) for the program. The nominated student(s) take a qualifying exam in late September at one of eight selected sites around the state. The top 10 highest scoring students statewide come to the State Department of Education in Oklahoma City for interviews in early November. Two winners and two alternates are selected from the interview process, which includes a short essay that is scored and a short interview by a panel of social studies professionals. The State Superintendent informs the scholarship winners and alternates in mid-December of their status.

TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES WITH DR. SEUSS!?

Want some fantastic ideas for incorporating reading and children's books into your classroom (yes, even a seconday classroom!) Check out the packet prepared by our State Director of Social Studies, Kelly Curtright!
"CUTTING LEUSS WITH DR. SEUSS"
Click here for COVER & Table of Contents
Click here for Teacher Packet

OCSS Receives SILVER STAR COUNCIL Award

Past President Brett Dickerson receives the Silver Star Award from NCSS President Jesus Garcia at the
National Conference held in Baltimore.

OKLAHOMA STUDENT MOCK ELECTION Thanks to The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma State Department of Education for co-sponsoring Oklahoma Student Mock Elections.

TEACHABLE MOMENTS OFFERS FREE LESSONS
ABOUT IRAQ AND MIDDLE EAST

“Teachable Moments” published by the National Council for Social Studies offers an archive of articles and lesson plans will help you teach about current events such as the war in Iraq.
Such lessons include:
“Spotlight on Iraq”-background information on the history of Iraq and the Saddam Hussein regime,
“SHIFTING SANDS”- a lesson plan, developed by the Choices for the 21st Century Education program, analyzing the mix of interests and values that have drawn America into the Middle East,
“In War, Is Law Silent? Security and Freedom After September 11”- From airport security to wiretapping to racial profiling, in times of crisis, how do we balance the desire for personal freedom with the need for national security?
“Military Tribunals and the War Against Terrorism”- a survey of the political and Constitutional implications of the war against terrorism. To access these resources, go to:
http://www.socialstudies.org/classroom/

	OKLAHOMA TEACHER SELECTED AS NCSS TEACHER OF THE YEAR 2004
This September, 2004, Ms. Patti Harrold of Edmond Memorial High School was selected as the National Council for the Social Studies' "Outstanding Secondary Teacher of the Year. Ms. Harrold will be honored at this year's annual conference in Baltimore November 19-21st. Read more about Ms. Harrold on our "AWARDS" page!

Oklahoma Council for History Educators WELCOMES YOU!

A new state organization, OKCHE (Oklahoma Council for History Education), which will be affiliated with the National Council for History Education, invites you to join and participate in professional growth opportunities during the year.
For more information, go to our "PARTNERS" page or their website: http://members.cox.net/okche/

Social Studies’ Role in American Education

This summer, NCSS members and leaders visited with congressional delegations in Washington, D.C. in support of Senate Bill 2721, introduced by Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and co-sponsored by Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. The bill, entitled the "American History Achievement Act" would amend the NAEP testing program, commonly referred to as the "Nation’s Report Card" to require state academic assessment of student achievement in U.S. History. Currently, several states have dropped social studies curriculum from state testing. However, we are fortunate that Oklahoma’s legislature continues to support the role of social studies in required curriculum and state assessment. The Alexander-Kennedy bill is the first step in making sure that social studies received the support it needs to become part of the regular battery of NAEP testing. A copy of the proposed legislation can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov ("Search" S.2721)

NCSS RECOMMENDED BOOK LIST FOR STUDENTS

Members Only: 2004 Notable Trade Books List

The books recommended on this year's NCSS list were evaluated and selected by a Book Review Committee appointed by National Council for the Social Studies and assembled in cooperation with the Children's Book Council . Books selected for this bibliography are written primarily for children in grades K-8.
The selection committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text. Each book is read by several reviewers, and books are included on the list by committee assent; annotations do not necessarily reflect the judgment of the entire committee.
www.ncss.org

Latest NCSS Publications

NCSS is the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education, engaging and supporting educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. Members receive journals with timely information and lesson ideas immediately for use in the classroom. Back issues may be ordered by mail, fax or telephone.
Use the order form: (http://www.ncss.org/publications/journals.shtml)

MEET OUR STATE DIRECTOR FOR SOCIAL STUDIES
KELLY CURTRIGHT

Who Is this new state Director of Social Studies Education anyway?
For the curious, here is a bit of information about Kelly Curtright.

Kelly grew up in the hills of the Arkansas River valley near Muskogee. He graduated from Porter High School in 1977, graduated from Midwest Christian College (BA in Ministries) in 1981 and the University of Central Oklahoma (MA in History) in 1992.
He and his family live in NW Oklahoma City; his two children attend the Putnam City Schools.

Kelly has taught junior high, middle school, and high school students both United States history and world history in the Putnam City Schools (1992-2003). In 1994, he was selected as a Colonial Williamsburg Summer Teacher Institute Fellow and the following year, became the Putnam City
Schools' District Teacher of the Year. He served as the Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator for Putnam City for six years, (1996 - 2003) during which time, he helped to completely renovate the district's social studies department curriculum resources with over $1 1/2 million in new geography and history materials and textbook resources. In addition, Kelly has served on state committees submitting major revisions of the Oklahoma Social Studies PASS Standards and objectives (1999 and 2002.) Kelly was selected to serve as the Director of Social Studies Education at the Oklahoma State Department of Education in early November 2003.

If you have any questions about our state standards, curriculum, or instruction in our schools, please do not hesitate to contact him via the SDE website or email.
http://sde.state.ok.us
kelly_curtright@sde.state.ok.us

LATEST NEWS AT NCSS

Oklahoma teachers are encouraged to access the latest information on social studies instructional practices, research, and trends through our partner organization, the National Council for the Social Studies.

	For general news items published on a monthly basis, access online the NCSS newsletter.
	For information about recent congressional actions and proposals at a national level, check out the legislative update page, also!
	For details and applications for summer workshops, institutes, seminars, and travel opportunities for teachers, check out the "Professional Development" page.

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN v. BOARD OF EDUCATION

May 17th, 2004, marked 50 years since the Brown V. Board of Education, Topeka Supreme Court decision that struck down segregation in public schools. On the "Teaching Tolerance" website, a collection of grade-appropriate lessons can be found http://www.tolerance.org/teach/.

OCSS urges you to take these lessons into the classroom to help move students into discovering what unites us fifty years later.

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