Welcome
"District 11 has a comprehensive social studies program which takes
students from the familiar to the new, from local environments to places
far away, and from the concrete to the abstract. Learning in social
studies includes the goals and objectives of the curriculum as well as
those experiences which develop in students a sense of civic efficacy.
Good social studies instruction is meaningful, active, challenging, and
sometimes cross-curricular."
~ Peggy Altoff, Social Studies
Coordinator
altofmm@d11.org
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"Civic learning
teaches democracy, and this much we know is true: democracy doesn’t
happen on its own, it is learned. Public schools have the historic
assignment of keeping American democracy strong by preparing each
generation for active and informed citizenship."
~ Peggy Altoff & Jill Conrad
Civic
Education Prepares Students for Active Learning
"Fellow
citizens, we cannot escape history.”
~ Abraham Lincoln
"No one is born a good citizen; no
nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to
evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A
society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline."
~ Kofi
Annan
"The
only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of
citizen."
~ Louis D. Brandeis
Supreme Court Justice
(1856 - 1941)
"How
wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting
to improve the world."
~ Anne Frank
German Jewish
Teenager
(1929-1945)
"Liberty can not be preserved without a
general knowledge among the people."
~ John Adams, Second
President of the United States
(1735 - 1826)
“Geography has made us
neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners,
and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together,
let no man put asunder.”
~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy
35th President of
the United States (1917-1963)
 "Now I say to you today my friends, even
though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a
dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream
that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal."
~ Martin Luther King Jr.
Speech at Civil Rights
March on Washington, August 28, 1963
US black civil rights leader &
clergyman (1929 - 1968)
District 11 Recognizes the Need for Social
Studies Instruction at the Elementary
Level
"Students need to use a wide range of
reading materials-nonfiction and expository writing- and lots of
vocabulary words. But in an effort to teach to the test, many schools
across the nation are replacing social studies and science with reading
instruction in the early years, and that hurts kids. Without this critical
base, many kids aren't equipped to do the abstract thinking and learning
required of them as they move on."
~ Jeffrey Wilhelm
Reading
expert, Boise State University. Excerpt from Newsweek, Feb. 2007
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News
D-11 Students are Winners: School District
11 was well-represented at the Colorado Springs Regional History Day
competition at Colorado College Feb. 22-23. Many D-11
students will move on to...
Read more...
Social Studies: Is it "History"? NCSS
President Gayle Thieman and Past President Peggy Altoff articulate
the devastating impact of NCLB on social studies teaching in an
article published in the District Administration March 2008 issue.
Read more...
Why We Need to Save (and Strengthen) Social
Studies: A commentary by NCSS member Judith L. Pace on NCLB and
its effect on social studies from Education Week.
Read more...
Social Studies Matters
Clearly, the need to teach social studies in grades K-12 is more
important today than ever before. The many disciplines found under
the social-studies umbrella provide students with opportunities to
learn the skills they need to be effective citizens in a culturally
diverse society and an interdependent world.
Read
more...
07- 08 Opportunities for Teachers: Are you looking
for professional development of the highest quality for this school
year and the summer
of 08? Check
here
for updates.
District 11 Continues Commitment to Teaching
Social Studies
In an
effort to meet minimum reading requirements on state tests, many
schools across the country have diminished or abandoned teaching
social studies and civic responsibility at the elementary, middle
and/or high school levels. District 11 remains committed to educating the
whole child and preparing students to be not only good test takers,
but also to be prepared for college, career and citizenship.
Read more...
Teaching American History (TAH) Grant Award-
District 11 applied for and received one of
the Teaching American History (TAH) Grants funded by the Federal
Government (sometimes referred to as the Senator Byrd Grant).
District 11 formed a consortium with five other El Paso County
school districts, and a variety of community partners including
Colorado College’s Tutt Library, Pikes Peak Library District and the
Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, to write a winning grant proposal
that will provide the consortium with $994,436 over the next
three years. Read
more...
News
Archives | |
What We Believe
Vision: Creating Effective Citizens for the 21st
century.
Mission: The mission of the Colorado Springs
District 11 social studies community is to empower students to be
responsible citizens by learning about the world in which they live. This
is accomplished in two ways:
-
increase student
achievement by collaborating with members of professional learning
communities to develop, implement and evaluate standards-based social
studies curriculum;
-
use research-based
best practices in the teaching of social studies, K-12.
Social studies educators
teach students the content knowledge, intellectual skills, and civic
values necessary for fulfilling the duties of citizenship in a
participatory democracy. Social studies is defined as "the integrated
study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic
competence." Within the school program, social studies provides
coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such standards-based
disciplines as archaeology, economics, geography, history, law,
political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as
appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and natural
sciences.
(adapted from http://www.socialstudies.org/about).
At all levels,
social studies courses focus on core Indicators of learning based on the
Colorado Model Content Standards and articulated in the Curriculum
Alignment Guides. The Elementary Curriculum, grades K-4, focuses on
enduring understandings and concepts that are the building blocks of
later learning. In grade 5, students explore the early history of the
United States. In middle school, students in grades 6 and 7 study the
cultures that developed on different continents while examining the
history, economics, geography, and government of each. Students in Grade
8 continue their study of United States History, from the founding of
our nation’s government to Reconstruction. In grades 9-12 , all students
take courses in World History, United States History, Economics and
Government. A wide variety of social studies electives, including
several Advanced Placement courses, allow for expanded intellectual in
Geography, Psychology, Ethnic Studies, the History of the West,
Sociology, etc.
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Standards-Based Instruction
Colorado Social Studies Content
Standards
Colorado's education system is built
on challenging Academic Standards. There are model standards for the four
core disciplines of social studies: History, Civics, Economics, and
Geography. All were developed and adopted between 1995 and 1998 and were based
on the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) Curriculum Standards for
Social Studies, the National Standards for United States History, the
National Geography Standards, the
National Standards for Civics and Government, and other available state
and national works.
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Elementary Social Studies
Curriculum
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Assessment
Legislation Surrounding the Mandate for Social Studies Testing - provides clarification on No Child Left
Behind testing as it relates to K-12 social studies.
CSAP - The Colorado Student
Assessment Program (CSAP) is a standards-based assessment designed to
provide a picture of student performance on state academic content
standards and to provide a context for improving public education. Every
student in grades 3-10 will be evaluated in reading and writing.
Additional testing will be given in math for grades 5-10 and in science
for the 8th grade. There are no CSAP assessments for social studies at any
grade level
End of Course Assessments - High school
subjects not tested by the CSAP are tested via end of course
exams. These include US history, Economics and American Government.
Semester Assessments-these will
be administered in 5th and 8th grade to meet the requirements of the D11
accreditation contract with the Colorado Department of Education |
Parent Resources
This directory lists organizations concerned
with the social studies, social sciences, art education, music education,
and related topics. They publish curriculum and teaching guides, lesson
plans, journals, and magazines; conduct conventions, conferences, teacher
workshops and seminars; and offer other types of services, support, and
resources for educators.
- ERIC/Clearinghouse for Social Studies Education
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The Learning Network - Builds on news and
archives from the NY Times, this site connects teacher, students and
parents to the most comprehensive news and education resource on the
web.
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Online
Newspapers and Magazines
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Outline Map Resources - A hotlist from
About.com that contains multiple levels of maps as well as historical
maps.
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Teaching
with Documents - From the March, 2002 Inservice,
our links provide teachers with internet sources for documents and
strategies to use them.
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Texts and
Documents
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National Geographic Kids
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Library of Congress Online Exhibits
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The History Place - A listing of Museums
and all of the major online galleries, the better ones of which are
included here.
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Art Galleries
- Carol Gerten’s Museum of Fine Art - If
you have ever seen a painting, chances are it is hosted here. Bring any
topic to life in your classroom with paintings of the time period. Most
art is European or American, but other painters are included as well.
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Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago)
- Plenty of resources from this Lake Michigan paradise. Excellent online
exhibits provide students, teachers, and parents with an excellent
virtual field trip.
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The
Hermitage, Russia - One of the world's best
collections of art in St. Petersburg (not the home of Andrew Jackson)
The digital collection allows online viewing.
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The
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Not
only includes information about visiting the museum but also hosts
several online galleries. This site is a must-see when discussing the
Holocaust.
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Library of Congress Online Exhibits -
Includes featured attractions at the Library as well as dozens of online
exhibits, many with RealAudio and Video segments.
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National Museum
of American Art and Renwick Gallery - This
section of the Smithsonian allows viewers to browse over 3000 online
paintings, take one of over a dozen virtual tours, and find information
concerning visits to one of Washington D.C.'s fantastic museums.
- National Museum of Natural History -
Online exhibitions provide viewers with a trip to the museum without the
travel.
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The Smithsonian
Museums - The starting place for virtual visits
to all the Smithsonian museums.
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World Wide
Arts Resources - Another site collecting museums
around the world.
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http://www.kids.gov/
-links to government and other
kids sites
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Teacher Resources
Web Resources
Teacher Support Teams
- High School Social Studies Chairs
- Middle School Social Studies Chairs
- Elementary School Social Studies
Chairs
General Reference
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CIA World Factbook - Country
statistics, brief histories, and maps abound in this valuable
resource.
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Children’s
Trade Books (from NCSS) - Offers books for
students K-8 that highlight cultural experiences and
diversity.
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CNN Interactive Site for Classrooms -
These web pages focus on utilizing CNN news stories for educational
purposes. Teachers can use the lessons for group activities and students
can work at their own pace for individualized learning. A "Featured
Story" is abbreviated, outlined, and edited for easier reading.
Curriculum activities are also available.
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Census
Bureau - Map Stats - Interactive site with
census information for each state by census tract.
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ERIC/Clearinghouse - Social Studies, Art,
Music, and Music Internet Resources - Selected links to other Internet
sites featuring curriculum and/or information on social studies, the
social sciences, education, history, economics, government, geography
and related areas.
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Flags of the World - Flags for all
countries of the world, as well as information about each country,
including one of the newest UN members, Timor-Leste.
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Great Books
Index - Hundreds of books in English
Translation. Books range from Aeschylus to Woolf, and span all social
science topics.
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Historical Atlas by William Shepherd,
1923 - A 52-map collection at the University of Texas, Austin. The
collection includes maps from ancient Greece, colonial maps, the
American Revolution, and many more.
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Historical Maps of Europe - Over 100 maps
online spanning locations and centuries. From the University of Texas at
Austin.
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The
History Channel - Includes program guides, daily
quizzes, historical speeches, and other historical bits.
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The History Channel Classroom - Study
Guides and related materials are available to students and teachers from
the A&E spinoff.
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The History Place - Hundreds of topics
are included in this vast resource “dedicated to students, educators,
and all who enjoy history.”
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How to
Write a Term Paper - Guidelines for researching
and writing a term paper.
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Infoseek: Travel Places to
Visit - This site is mainly for traveling to distant lands, making
reservations, etc., but by using these tourist sites, web users can
discover contemporary cultures around the world.
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International School at Amsterdam Projects - A teacher in California and another in Amsterdam have
collaborated for several years on this project—publishing student work
online in the social studies. Not only a source for reference material,
but a good model for what the web can do for class
projects.
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Internet Modern History Sourcebook -
Notes and links for modern history. This is a foundation for a college
course, and is very extensive.
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Modern History in the Movies - Provides
basic information and links to hundreds of movies that can bring times
of the past to life. Of course, most of these are Hollywood versions of
the past.
- National Women's History Project -
“History looks different when the contributions of women are included.”
Includes links, network of organizations, women’s history month
information, and an online catalog.
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New York Times Learning Network -
American newspaper publisher has an outstanding resource for students,
parents, and educators. Updated daily with direct connections to current
events.
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Research Resources for the Social Sciences (McGraw-Hill) - The textbook publisher has assembled hundreds of
links to supplement classroom teaching and research. This guide takes
teachers step by step through the owner’s political cartoons site so
that they can use it to study current events, politics and government,
symbolism, etc.
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This Day in US History - From the
archives of the History Channel.
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Today in
History - Links to this date in history
sites.
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Voice
of the Shuttle - A web page for humanities
research. Every humanities topic is touched in this site of links.
Examine all the topics, or jump right to the
history
links.
Comments:
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Teaching American History
(TAH) Grant Award - The purpose of
the grant is to increase the instructional skills of American History
teachers, as they create and digitally archive lessons about local
historical events that are of national significance. The grant funds
will be used to train 120 of our local seven through twelfth grade
history teachers in order to increase teachers’ US history knowledge,
teaching skills, including improving student reading abilities, and
increasing student interest in US History. At the end of the project,
the digitally archived lessons of the Pikes Peak region will be shared
with the teachers and students across the United States. The six
Teaching American History consortium school districts include 146
schools, 4,739 teachers, and 82,167 students. The other school districts
who join with us are: Harrison School District #2, Fountain-Fort Carson
School District #8, Manitou Springs School District #14, Academy School
District #20, and Falcon School District #49. Colorado Springs School
District 11 is the lead district in the project and the district of
record for funding.
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Stock Market GameTM -
(SMG) program is available in all 50 states for grades 4-12. The SMG
program teaches core academic and investment skills. Students, working
in teams or individually, invest a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio,
choosing equities and mutual funds over a 10-15 week period. The SMG
program provides teachers with grade-specific materials to help students
learn about saving, investing and the economy. SMG programs are
supported by local coordinators who provide teachers with technical
assistance and classroom management support. Contact the
Colorado Council on Economic
Education.
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Donna Ecks of District 11
in Colorado Springs is the 2007 winner of the Enterprising
Teacher of the Year. This award is presented by the Colorado
Council on Economic Education.
Read more... |
