The Rochester ReviewThe Rochester Review Social Studies Department Newsletter Rochester City School District

The Power of The Power of

RelevanceRelevance Register for the 2011 Social

Studies Conference now!

January/February 2011

Living Living

VoicesVoices … bringing history to life.… bringing history to life.

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From the Director...

On February 12, 2011, teachers and leaders from across the district will gather for The

Power of Relevance, a professional social studies conference for educators K-12. The

keynote address will be delivered by Myra Zarnowski, Queens College, professor of literacy

and education and author of Making Sense of History: Using High Quality Literature and

Hands-On Experiences to Build Content Knowledge. Dr. Zarnowski will share her research

and work with teachers and children on reading history by using sense-making concepts to

join content and process in intermediate grades classrooms. She will work in a break-out session with teachers to

further explore these issues of building historical context, historical significance, reading historical fiction, and

reading primary sources. Dr. Nevan Fisher, Professor of History, Nazareth College, will share the relevance of

China on the world’s stage, U.S. China relationships, and the significance of cultural and political changes in

modern China during the luncheon keynote. Rochester teachers and Fullbright-Hayes scholars Khieta Davis and

Diane Watkins will share insights from their 2010 summer journey to Ethiopia and discuss

the significance of Ethiopian resistance to colonization. Additional workshops will be

provided by speakers from the Close-Up Foundation, New York State Geographic

Alliance, NBC Learns, and the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, as

well as teacher-leaders from the RCSD community. Sponsors will be on hand from

Educational Resources, Pearson-Scott-Foresman, the American Institute for History

Education, the Strong Museum, and Teachers Curriculum Institute (History Alive!). Many

door prizes, resources, and texts will be shared with attendees. I hope you will carve out

some time on Saturday to join us to invigorate your practice with new ideas and to support

the teaching and learning of Social Studies in RCSD.

Jennifer Gkourlias, Ed.D.

Executive Director of Social Studies

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

From the Director 2

Conference 2011 3

Opportunities 4-5

Teaching American

History Grants 6

Rochestrivia 7

Who’s Who and

What’ What in SS 7

January/February 2011 Volume 3, Issue 5

THE ROCHESTER REVIEW SOCIAL STUDIES NEWSLETTER

R O C H E S T E R C I T Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

Don’t hesitate to contact one of the Department’s Lead Teachers if you have any question, needs, or concerns...

Mark Ferraro, Intermediate

Elementary Lead: 262-8107

mark.feraro@rcsdk12.org

Kitty Palumbo, Intermediate

Elementary Lead: 262-8269

kitty.palumbo@rcsdk12.org

Stefan Cohen, Secondary

Lead: 262-8162

stefan.cohen@rcsdk12.org

Steve LaMorte, Secondary

Lead: 262-8169

stephen.lamorte@rcsdk12.org

Mariella Diaz, Primary

Elementary Lead: 262-8367

mariella.diaz@rcsdk12.org

Khieta Davis, Primary

Elementary Lead: 262-8372

khietan.davis@rcsdk12.org

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The Power of Relevance: The Power of Relevance:

Connecting Our Students to the WorldConnecting Our Students to the World February 12, 2011

R O C H E S T E R C I T Y S C H O O L D I S T R I C T

China’s Dynamic Economy and the Resulting Impact on the Environment and Global

Security

Nevan Fisher, Nazareth College

Join us at the Rochester City School District’s Center for Professional Learning (690 St. Paul Street) for the Social Studies Department’s first annual conference. Workshop sessions will apply to teachers of Social Studies from Kindergarten

through grade 12.

Register on Avatar now!

To Learn the Lessons of History, Students Need

Lessons in History

Myra Zarnowski, Queens College

Registration and Opening Remarks

8:00-8:30

Keynote Address (Light Breakfast Provided)

8:30-9:15

Workshop Session 1 9:30-10:45

Workshop Session 2 10:55-12:10

Keynote Address (Box Lunch Provided)

12:30-1:30

Workshop Session 3 1:45-3:00

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Gilder Lehrman Summer

Institutes

K-12 history, social studies and English teachers are

invited to apply to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of

American History 2011 Summer Seminars. Taught

by renowned historians on college campuses in the

US and the UK, these one-week seminars give

educators the opportunity to deepen their knowledge

of topics in American history—while gaining

practical resources and strategies to take back to

their classrooms. This year’s deadline is February

15, 2011 - go to http://www.gilderlehrman.org for

more information.

Additionally, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of

American History has received a challenge grant

from the NEH to provide free resources to schools.

To register for free as an Affiliate School go to:

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/affiliate/

affiliate_overview.php. For more information

contact Ron Nash at ron.nash@gilderlehrman.org.

The Bill of Rights Institute

Do you have a student

or two interested in the

Bill of Rights? Help

them to be among the most knowledgeable about the

Constitution by nominating them for the Bill of

Rights Institute’s Constitutional Academy. Find out

more information and nominate a student at www.ConstAcademy.org

American Art in the 18th and

19th Centuries

The National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC) has

an opportunity for K-12 teachers to learn more about

American art in the 18th and 19th Centuries. There

will be two six-day seminars (Jul. 11-16; Jul. 25-30)

where sessions will integrate art, social history,

language arts, and learning theory through

examination of the collections of the National

Gallery. For information and an online application,

visit www.nga.gov/education/teacinst.htm.

The application deadline is March 15, 2011.

Foreign Policy Institutes

The Foreign Policy Research Institute's Wachman

Center is pleased to invite applications for two

upcoming history institutes for teachers:

"China and India: Ancient Civilizations, Rising

Powers, Giant Societies, and Contrasting Models

of Development" will be held at the University

of Pennsylvania from March 19-20, 2011. For

more information, visit: http://www.fpri.org/

education/1103china_india/

"Civilian Control of the Military and American

Democracy" will be held at the First Division

Museum, Wheaton, Illinois from April 2-3,

2011. For more information, visit: http://

www.fpri.org/

education/1104civilmilitaryrelations/

TAH Book Circle

There are still openings for the next

TAH Book Circle. As part of

commemorating the 100th

Anniversary of the Triangle

Shirtwaist Factory Fire, we will be

reading Triangle: the Fire that

Changed America by David Von

Drehle. We will meet to discuss the book and how

to apply its themes and content to our work with

students. If you sign up now, we will deliver a copy

of the book to your school (while supplies last).

Sessions meet on Monday afternoons from 4:00 p.m.

to 6:00 p.m.

February 7, 2011

February 28, 2011

March 14, 2011

March 28, 2011

Participants will receive 8 Professional Development

Incentive hours per book circle. You must attend at

least three of the four scheduled sessions and submit

a lesson plan to be published on SharePoint in order

to receive PD credit. Sign up on Avatar (title is “SS

Book Circle: Triangle, the Fire that Changed

America (4072)” or contact Stefan Cohen

(stefan.cohen@rcsdk12.org) for more information.

Opportunities

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Opportunities

Upcoming Dates: February 1: Growing up in

America: Education

February 3:Elementary

Historians (Early Schools)

February 3: TLC - New

Teachers

February 7: Triangle Shirtwaist Book Circle

February 8: :TAH Lecture: The Rise of

Corporations (Dr. Jose Torre)

February 9:Grade 12 SS Collegial Circle

February 10: TLC - American History

February 10: Cornhusk Dolls and the Three

Sisters

February 14: Content Area Literacy Circle

February 17: TLC - World History

February 17: Elementary Historians

February 21-25: Recess!

February 28: Book Circle - Triangle

March 1: Lecture - Labor Movements

March 3: Elementary Historians (Early Schools)

March 3: TLC - New Teachers

Strong National Museum of Play

Advanced Placement American

History Conference

The theme for the 21st Annual Advanced Placement

American History Conference at Strong Museum is

“The Turbulent Sixties.” Teachers may choose

one day during the week of Monday March 21

through Friday March 25, 2011. Conference hours

are 9:00 AM.-1:30PM on Monday, Wednesday, and

Friday and 8:30AM.-1:00PM on Tuesday and

Thursday.

The conference challenges students to think critically

by illuminating the historical process of change and

continuity through insightful seminars offered by

local college and university professors. Register by

calling 585-263-2700. The cost is $7 per person and

registration closes February 11. More details are in

the attached flyer or at the Strong Museum website:

http://www.museumofplay.org/education/ap-

conference

NYSCSS Annual

Conference

The New York State Council

for the Social Studies annual

state conference will be in

Rochester this year, from

March 17-19, 2011.

The theme is “The March

from Civil War to Civility: Through Social Justice

Education.” Check with your building RTA Rep to

see if there are conference days or funds left so that

you can attend! Session offerings, registration

information, and more can be found at http://

www.nyscss.org/Default.aspx?pageId=643958

GORGE-ous Geography

The New York Geographic Alliance and the IRIS

Program at Cornell University are pleased to

announce that we are ready to accept applications for

our summer institute, GORGE-ous Geography

Institute 2011 . This institute will be held from July

24-July 29, 2011 on the campus of Cornell

University. Any educator who works within New

York State is invited to apply. This includes school

teachers, college instructors, and informal educators

(museum docents, 4-H leaders, etc.). Visit their

website for more information: http://

www.nygeographicalliance.org/in-the-news/in-the-

news.cfm?mode=display&article=90

Portraits of Courage

The Rose and Joseph Denaro Interfaith Center is

hosting its 9th annual David Ferranti Multi-Media

Gallery Art and Writing Forum. This year’s theme

is “Portraits of Courage” and students in K-12 are

eligible to participate. The submission deadline is

Friday, March 11. For more information about

submission requirements or about the forum, visit

www.denarocenter.org.

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The Rochester City School District is currently implementing

three separate federal Teaching American History grant

programs for teachers:

Teachers as Historians: targeting Middle and High

School teachers

Elementary Historians: geared toward teachers of

Fourth and Fifth Grades

Growing Up in America: designed for teachers of

Kindergarten through Grade 2.

Roc

hes

ter’

s T

each

ing

Am

eric

an

His

tory

Gra

nts

Growing Up in

America

The Growing Up In America

program for K-2 teachers is well

underway and a great success. In

October, participants had the

opportunity to tour the Genesee

Country Village and Museum and

participate in a workshop on

Child Labor presented by Dr. Thomas Lappas of

Nazareth College. Participants learned about the

resources available to teachers by the GCVM and

examined the Lowell factories in respect to child

labor practices of the times. In November,

participants convened at the Rochester Museum

and Science Center to tour two exhibits and

enrich their historical content knowledge. Mr.

Perry Ground, the director of the Native

American Resource Center, engaged teachers in

a hands on workshop to develop a deeper

understanding of the Native American Family.

In addition to the above experiences, these two

workshops provided teachers with resources and

materials to design lessons to incorporate in their

classroom. On January 27th, teachers met at the

Rundel Library and participated in the third

session of the program entitled; Urbanization:

From Farm to City. Participants learned about

the Great Migration presented by Dr. Timothy

Kneeland from Nazareth College and toured the

Local History & Genealogy Department to learn

how to use local directories and historical

education boxes to create dynamic Social Studies

lessons in order to engage our youngest future

historians, K-2 students.

Elementary Historians

The Elementary Teaching American History

Grant has begun the New Year with a discussion

of the role of African Americans in the

Revolutionary War. Participants learned about

the involvement of African Americans from the

Boston Massacre through the war through an

engaging presentation by Dr. Tom Lappas of

Nazareth College. We spent a great deal of time

with the historiography of African American

participation in the war, and looked at how study

has changed as the mood of the public and its

views have evolved. We are looking forward to

February when we will be studying the

foundations of the US Constitution with Dr.

Timothy Kneeland of Nazareth College.

During the session, the group reviewed primary

sources from figures such as Lemuel Haynes and

Phillis Wheatley, and discussed the complexity

and nuance in the views of these authors while

exchanging ideas for their incorporation into our

practice. Some of Dr. Lappas’ suggested

resources are listed below:

http://www.footnote.com/

page/1387_african_american_patriots_of_the/

http://www.forerunner.com/wheatley/

wheatley.html (Complete Poems of Phillis

Wheatley)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p12.html

Peter Salem, Minuteman. By: Keats, Mark,

Plays - The Drama Magazine for Young

People, 00321540, Jan/Feb95, Vol. 54, Issue 4

Gary Nash, The Unknown American

Revolution, 2005.

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All men are created equal." It was a dangerous idea. No

government ever made such an idea the

cornerstone of its existence. Our Revolution is the

story of one of many common citizens who fought to

bring these five words to life. Words

that have even greater meaning to an

African American soldier in 1776.

Our Revolution looks at the

experience of being a Patriot and a

soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolution from a rarely considered view: a

young free African American in the northern colonies. The show is being brought to eight

elementary schools across the district through our Teaching American History Grant.

Our Revolution is a production of Living Voices, a theater company based in Seattle, Washington.

The company’s productions combine live performers with dynamic archival imagery to help

students experience what it was like to live in another time. History comes alive as students

journey to defining moments in America’s past. Last year, Living Voices visited district High

Schools with its Hear My Voice program, addressing women’s right to vote.

in Social Studies Living Voices:

Our Revolution

Contact Steve Lamorte and Make a nomination for Who’s Who and

What’s What in Social Studies!

Every month, a trivia question dealing with local

Rochester history will be posted on the RCSD SS

Facebook page. Log on and post a comment with

your guess and you’ll have a chance at winning an

awesome SS prize.

From the book Rochestrivia by Pete Dobrovitz

What is the official name of the 50-foot-tall structure that towers above Manhattan

Square Park?

facebook.com/rcsdsocialstudies