A Cross-Curricular Approach to Learning about Good Citizenship Instilling the principles of good citizenship is a key focus in elementary social studies. The curriculum offers numerous opportunities to reinforce students’ understanding of citizenship while alsoContinue reading
Cultural and Religious Celebrations in the Elementary Classroom
Happy New Year, and welcome to another Social Studies-ELA Collaboration! As we wrap up the big holiday season in the United States, teachers can begin introducing students to several other major religious and cultural celebrationsContinue reading
Discussing the Elections in the Elementary Classroom
Many educators have been challenged in recent years to help students navigate the current political climate. And as we are now wrapping up a long election season, with Election Day around the corner, students mayContinue reading
Research-Proven Strategy to Improve Student Vocabulary (and Help Emerging Bilinguals!)
Morphemic Awareness At our annual TEKS Conference in San Antonio this year, Melissa Solis (Region 13 Social Studies Specialist) and I presented a session on the importance of teaching vocabulary in the content areas. WeContinue reading
Celebrate Freedom Week
We hope your school year has been off to a great start! Constitution Day and Celebrate Freedom Week are just around the corner, and we wanted to offer some resources to help you plan. Continue reading
Tough TEKS: US.3A Political Machines and Civil Service Reform
This week we will do a deep dive into TEKS US.3A: “Analyze political issues such as Indian policies, the growth of political machines, and civil service reform.” This TEKS was chosen for our “Tough TEKS”Continue reading
Word Walls for Enhanced Vocabulary Instruction
As you’re gearing up for a new school year, you might consider adding a word wall to your vocabulary strategies repertoire. Word walls are a great resource for teachers at every level, elementary to secondary.Continue reading
Tough TEKS: 8.5B The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
This month’s Tough TEKS features one of the new 2022 standards that will be implemented starting in the 2024-25 school year. This one is short, but weighty: 8.5B explain the effects of the Fugitive SlaveContinue reading
Processing Skills: NEW Democratic Procedures TEKS
With Independence Day approaching, this seems like an opportune moment to discuss the civic engagement skills strand in the TEKS. According to the 2021 Civic Health Index, “students who receive quality civic education are moreContinue reading
Observances & Holidays: Juneteenth
In June 2023, the federal government declared Juneteenth to be a federal holiday, the first new federal holiday since declaring Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1983. Teaching students about the history of Juneteenth isContinue reading