Teaching Resources: 9/11, Constitution Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Elections

This fall provides several authentic opportunities to engage learners with the 'civic life' component of our Southeast Polk vision. Below are resources to support teaching and learning around 9/11, Constitution Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and the upcoming elections.  Please feel free to post any additional resources you have found to this blog.

September 11th

General Resources

·  Newseum https://newseumed.org/collection/freedom-in-the-balance/ 

·  US Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/911anniversary 

·  9/11 Tribute Center http://tributewtc.org/education/resources/teaching911 

·  Scholastic http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/understanding-september-11

·  PBS News Hour http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/2014/09/911-anniversary-in-the-classroom/

·  Teaching History http://teachinghistory.org/spotlight/september11 

 Elementary Specific Resources

·  Book: 14 Cows for America

·  Book: September 12^th We Knew Everything Would Be All Right

·  Book: September Roses

·  Book: The Survivor Tree

·  9/11 Memorial Museum K-2 Lesson Plans https://www.911memorial.org/lesson-plans-k-2 

·  9/11 Memorial Museum 3-5 Lesson Plans https://www.911memorial.org/lesson-plans-3-5

9/11 Memorial Museum

The 9/11 Memorial Museum invites teachers and students from across the country to participate in a live webinar to commemorate the 15th anniversary of 9/11. This FREE program, broadcast live from the 9/11 Memorial Museum, connects students and teachers from all 50 states with Museum staff and guest speakers to learn about the attacks and the importance of commemoration.

The program will be broadcast live on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2016 and TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (EST). It will also be recorded and available online for classes that miss the live broadcast. Participants will be introduced to the Memorial & Museum, learn about 9/11, and hear from Ada Dolch, the former principal of Leadership and Public Service High School in lower Manhattan. Ada was responsible for safely evacuating her students on 9/11 at the same time her sister, Wendy Wakeford, was at work on the 105th floor of the North Tower. In 2005, Ada helped establish a school in Afghanistan in memory of her sister, who was killed. For more information about Ada’s story, click here. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the speakers during the 40-minute webinar. Attached is information about the program we hope you will share with educators, administrators, and other networks to ensure students have access to this FREE interactive program commemorating the 15th anniversary of 9/11.Register at911memorial.org/schoolswebinar.  For more information, visit 911memorial.org/webinar or contact the Education Programs Staff at anniversaryintheschools@911memorial.org. See the attached flyer for more information. 

Constitution Day

Congress enacted legislation requiring all public schools to set aside time on September 17th (or a day during that week) to teach all students about the U.S. Constitution and about citizenship.  This year is the 229th anniversary of our national Constitution.  While compliance is mandatory, the implementation details are left to local districts.  If you have any questions, contact Stefanie Wager, social studies consultant, at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov or 515-725-7842.  If you have legal questions about the matter, contact nicole.proesch@iowa.gov.  

You can find resources for teaching about the Constitution on the Iowa Department of Education Constitution Day webpage at https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/content-areas/social-studies#Constitution_Day.  Another fun resource that is relatively new through the National Archives is called the Constitution at Work.  Students match an article of the Constitution to the related primary source. Check it out here.  

Hispanic Heritage Month

·   PBS  http://www.pbs.org/specials/hispanic-heritage-month/  

·  Time for Kids  http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/hispanic-heritage-month-1

·  Smithsonian http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/resource_library/hispanic_resources.html  

Election Day-November 8th

From the NY Times Learning Network:

Our Election 2016 Unit: An Overview By MICHAEL GONCHAR The goal of our four-part election unit is to help students read, watch, research and discuss in order to come to conclusions grounded in evidence about the candidates and the issues.

Election 2016 Unit, Part 1: Who Are the Candidates? By MICHAEL GONCHAR For this mini-unit, students become investigative reporters who learn as much as they can about the candidates so they can inform voters about what experience, leadership qualities and values the candidates would bring to the presidency.

Election 2016 Unit, Part 2: What Are the Issues? By MICHAEL GONCHAR For this second mini-unit, students continue working as investigative reporters learning about the issues at stake in this election.

Election 2016 Unit, Part 3: The Campaign Strategy By MICHAEL GONCHAR For this third mini-unit, students take a step back from the candidates and issues and instead take a closer look at how the candidates run their campaigns.

Election 2016: Lesson Plans and Digital Resources for Educators

Growing Voters: Election Lesson Plans for Elementary, Middle, and High School

Election Resources from Scholastic

Race for the White House (TCI)

(score sheet)