On Behalf of Amber Epling at the WV Secretary of State’s Office:

Charleston, W.Va. – The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office will be celebrating the birth of the U.S. government by kicking off a six-week, statewide educational tour today on Constitution Day.

Constitution Day commemorates the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, which took place on September 17, 1787.

The purpose of the statewide tour is to educate as many K-12 students as possible about the democratic process and inform them of the upcoming mock election on October 30, 2014, that they are all encouraged to participate.

The National Student/Parent Mock Election president says the event has helped introduce more than 50 million children, teens and adults to democracy since 1980.             The West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office has partnered with the West Virginia Department of Education to encourage K-12 involvement in the event.

“As the Chief Elections Officer for the state, I believe voting is one of our most important responsibilities as an American,” Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said.  “As a mother, I believe it is also important to raise good citizens who have an interest in their government.  The lessons in school that always stayed with me the longest were the hands-on, real-life activities that gave me practical experience I could later apply in real life.  The mock election does just that.”

The National Student/Parent Mock Election encourages parent involvement because research has proved that parents working with their children make a significant difference in school achievement.

The Secretary of State’s Office will be traveling to various high schools throughout West Virginia from now until Mock Election Day on October 30^th.

For more information about the National Student/Parent Mock Election or Constitution Day, visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.wv.gov/elections/civics/students.

Help your students navigate the road to financial success…
and possibly win cash doing it!

FREE financial education for your students through Financial Avenue.

As a nonprofit, we care about the financial future of students. That’s why we are making Financial Avenue, our online financial education program, FREE to all high schools in your state.

Implement Financial Avenue into your curriculum for the 2014/2015 academic year and your students, educators and school could all be eligible for winning a cash prize!

https://www.inceptia.org/FAchallenge/register/

This year Geography Awareness Week will be held on Nov. 16–22.  Attached please find the WV Geographic Alliance flyer on the poster contest they sponsor in regard to Geography Awareness Week.  This year’s theme is The Future of Food and the following are some links to information found on the National Geographic website regarding the past and future of food.

National Geographic Article on Evolution of Diet with several short videos about the diets of diverse groups of people around the world.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/evolution-of-diet/

Graphic showing the Similarity of a country’s diet to that of the rest of the world

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/diet-similarity/

National Geographic Page with several Articles on Food and the 2050 initiative to feed the world

http://food.nationalgeographic.com/

National Geographic – Geography Awareness Week Observance Ideas on How to Host a Geography Event

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/how-plan-event-geography-awareness-week/?ar_a=1

In addition to the Poster contest flyer, I am also attaching the WV Geographic Alliance Membership form that will need to be attached to any entries submitted to the WV Geographic Alliance and the Geography Awareness Week Poster Entry Form that will need to come to me.

—

April Fields

George Washington High School

Social Studies Department

AP World History

World Studies

Civics

Using Primary and Secondary Sources Effectively

You asked for it, we got it for you! Featur­ing an introduction from David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States of America, education specialists and archivists from the National Archives and the White House Historical Association, this webinar will address the differences in primary and secondary sources, how to use primary sources, how to find primary sources, and what judges are looking for in annotated bibliographies and process papers.

Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Time: 6pm ET / 3pm PT

Open to:  all NHD teachers, students, parents, and coordinators

To register, click HERE

Using National Endowment for the HumanitiesResources for Leadership and Legacy in History

Featuring The Roosevelts: An Intimate History

Connect with NEH’s EDSITEment staff and education experts to discover resourcesthat expand and deepen your students’ understanding of leadership and legacy. Eleanor, Theodore, and Franklin Roosevelt were three of the most influential leaders of twentieth century America. Together their legacy redefined the relationship Americans have with their government and with the world. Greg Timmons will show how film clips, lessons plans, and primary source from the series The Roosevelts (which recently aired on PBS) and from EDSITEment can be used in your classroom and for your students’ NHD projects. In addition, an NHD teacher will show how Chronicling America can be used to help students find great primary sources for NHD projects.

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Time: 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Open to:  all NHD teachers

To register, click HERE

I’m a new NHD Teacher….HELP!

Are you a new (or newer) NHD teacher? Maybe you picked up someone’s program or you are starting a new program or at a new school. Help is here!  Join Lynne O’Hara, NHD’s Director of Programs, and veteran NHD teachers from Iowa, New Mexico, and Mississippi to get help, advice, or just get started for the 2014-2015 school year.

Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Time: 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Open to:  all NHD teachers

To register, click HERE

Education Specialists from the Library of Congress are offering a free webinar to model primary source analysis strategies for educators and to discuss the impact this can have on instruction.
By analyzing a visual image, students can discover more than just the image’s content-they can also begin to explore its context. Analyzing images lets students discover new topics for exploration, and also build visual literacy skills that they can apply not only to primary sources, but to anything they see.
Education experts from the Library will discuss the power of images, model how to analyze photographs and prints, and demonstrate how to find images from the Library of Congress.

Date:  Thursday, September 25, 2014

Time: 7pm ET / 4pm PT

Open to: all NHD teachers, students, parents, and coordinators

To register, click HERE

Civil Rights Education

• Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Committee – Created by the Virginia General Assembly to administer the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program,  this legislative committee is responsible for annually selecting eligible Virginia residents for funding to attend approved in-state educational programs.
  • Additional resources – A variety of audio, video, print resources and lesson plans selected by the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Division of Legislative Services that help explain the Civil Rights movement.
  • Virginia Specific Resources – Materials highlight the role that Virginia and Virginians had leading up to the landmark Supreme Court Case and the impact of Massive Resistance in communities across the state.
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission – This Virginia General Assembly agency was created in 1992 to honor the memory and legacy of the Civil Rights leader and to continue his work through educational, historical and cultural programs, public policy and public discourse.
  • General Resources – Information related to Dr. King, the Civil Rights Movement and African-American history.
  • Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation Proclamation Resources – Materials related to the 16th president, his life and the Civil War.
  • Emancipation Proclamation and Freedom Monument Work Group Resources – Information pertaining to the work of the commission, subcommittees and work groups honoring the Emancipation Proclamation.
  • 50th Anniversary of Public School Closings in Virginia – Resources pertaining to the desegregation issues impacting Virginia public schools.

Outside Resources

• Library of Virginia – educational material on Virginia’s history, culture and people including lesson plans in the Virginia Memory Online Classroom
• Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center – curriculum materials, educational audio, video, podcasts and programs for educators
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts – student and teacher resources including online art and lesson plans
• Virginia Museum of Natural History – information on professional development opportunities for teachers and resources for students
• Virginia Association of Museums – a resource list of museums in Virginia that includes many online resources for teachers and students
• Encyclopedia Virginia – in partnership with the Library of Virginia Encyclopedia Virginia includes online reference work about the Commonwealth
• Virginia Historical Society – outreach programs, SOL tours, hands-on history options and more
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation – tools for educators related to the restored capital of Britain’s largest, wealthiest and most populous 18th-century outpost
• Virginia Holocaust Museum – educational materials and resources for students and teachers
• Virginia Foundation for the Humanities –  connects people and ideas to explore the human experience and inspire cultural engagement.
• National History Education Clearinghouse – teachinghistory.org – designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom

Professional Development

• Geography Connects – a series of self-paced courses for Virginia teachers taught by Dr. Don Zeigler, professor of geography at Old Dominion University; may be taken to earn recertification points or for graduate credit
• Virginia Government Matters  – a free online teaching and learning resource highlighting active citizen involvement, the impact of state and local government on daily life, and how individuals shape their communities in the Commonwealth.
• Online U.S. History Course: Hidden in Plain Sight – an online U.S. history course created for teachers. This course may be taken for recertification points or for graduate credit. 45 Recertification Points Participants
• Virginia Studies: Thinking Historically about Virginia – an online course for teachers may be taken for recertification points or for graduate credit.

FYI- VIRGINIA Standards of Learning (SOL) Assessment

• SOL Sample Items – Sample items that reflect the increased rigor and higher cognitive level items that appear on the 2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning tests.

• Virginia Electronic Practice Assessment Tool (ePAT) – Released tests presented through the Electronic Practice Assessment Tool (ePAT) application, to closely simulate the online Standards of Learning assessment experience for students
• Released SOL Tests & Item Sets – Tests and item sets representative of the content and skills included in the Virginia SOL tests

Above Courtesy Virginia Department of Education:

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/history/resources.shtml

The U.S. Department of State Announces

Scholarships for American High School

Students to Study Abroad

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) offers merit-based scholarships to study one of seven critical foreign languages:  Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian and Turkish.  The NSLI-Y program is designed to immerse participants in the cultural life of the host country, provide formal and informal language practice, and spark a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures.   The application deadline for summer 2015 and academic year 2015-2016 programs is October 30, 2014. Visit www.nsliforyouth.orgfor more information.

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program offers  merit-based scholarships to spend an academic year in countries that may include Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey. This program increases understanding between people in the United States and people in countries with significant Muslim populations.  Students live with host families, attend local high schools, do community service, and complete a capstone project. Applications for academic year 2015-16 programs are due January 7, 2015.  Visit www.yes-abroad.org for more information.

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) offers merit-based scholarships to spend an academic year in Germany.  The program was established in 1983 to celebrate German-American friendship based on common values of democracy.  Students live with host families, attend local schools, and participate in community life in Germany.  For more information and application deadlines, visit the organization in charge of recruitment for your state at http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/.

For more information on exchanges sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visitwww.exchanges.state.gov or watch this video about U.S. high school student exchanges.   To receive printed brochures and/or posters about our study abroad opportunities, send an email with your request to youthprograms@state.gov.

For information on having an international experience without leaving home, consider hosting a Department of State- sponsored exchange student.  Learn more at http://hosting.state.gov