South Carolina Social Studies Educator Update

September 2014
1. Internet Corner
2. Back to School History Resources
3. Constitution Day (September 17) Resources
4. NHD Resources at the Library of Congress: Leadership and Legacy in Baseball
History
5. SC Economics Update
6. First Freedom Student Competition
7. ETV Teacher Recertification Fall Session 2014
8. ETV StreamlineSC Transition, Access, Training
9. Global Exploration for Educators Organization
10. Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program
11. Does Your School Have a National History Club?
12. The Bill of Rights Institute Announces the Documents of Freedom Free Digital
Textbook
13. Pros and Cons for Teaching about Controversial Issues
14. South Carolina Department of Education Resources
1. Internet Corner
The internet can be a wonderful resource but it can also be time consuming for teachers as they
search for and evaluate quality materials. This new section in the monthly newsletter will
feature resources and websites with annotations to help teachers find and use quality materials.
Each entry will come with a short explanation of what the website contains and how it can be
used so that teachers can make timely decisions. I will also include grade levels that would find
it most useful. If you have a favorite site that you find valuable, please email me at
cyetman@ed.sc.gov so that I can feature your choice.
Caroline Yetman
Ducksters (This history for kids site is best for students from 1
st
grade through 8
th
grade
with a separate page targeting each grade levels standards and content. A shout out goes to
Donna Spruce and Kristi Hall of Beaufort for helping me find this site.)
http://www.ducksters.com/
This website is something every S.C. teacher middle and elementary school teacher should visit.
Ducksters stated goal is to provide a fun, educational, and safe web portal for education. This
new, exciting and dynamic site for elementary and middle school provides a wide range of
content including history, math, science, reading, geography, biographies, animals, and social
studies. This is an easy-to-navigate site through which students can construct their own learning
using multiple pictures and very readable text. Ducksters history unit on American Colonial
Life is extensive and interesting with an excellent timeline, a vocabulary section, and over 30
topics to explore. There are hundreds of units just like this one that cover both American and
World history.
Ducksters caters to student interest with facts of the day, sports, and quizzes such as Who is
your favorite president? There is a whole section of games that are engaging as well as
educational. The map games are particularly well done. There is a section for homework help
and at the bottom of each page there is a note on how to cite that page in MLA format.
An extra plus for this site is that content can be downloaded to eReader or mobile devices with
no ads. The site is free and does not require students or teachers to create an account or log on.
Palmetto Scene (best for elementary and 8
th
graders who are studying state history, but it does
have articles on the latest in state politics that could be useful for government classes)
http://palmettoscene.org
#PalmettoScene
Palmetto Scene is a South Carolina video magazine that explores the people, places, and culture
of the Palmetto State. While this site does include interesting stories from across the US, it
highlights the people and events of South Carolina in particular. The website features tabs for
Arts& Culture, Business & Economy, Education, Health, Politics, and Technology. For teachers
of local and state history this is a valuable resource to bookmark.
A perfect example for classroom use is http://palmettoscene.org/video/original-sc-cane-maker-
thomas-williams which explores the talent of fourth-generation cane maker Thomas Williams of
McClellanville, South Carolina. An informative three minute video features the Gullah-inspired
walking sticks that Williams creates. He is shown at his stand on Pawleys Island, where he has
been selling his one of a kind work for two decades.
Another good example is the video at http://palmettoscene.org/video/tbt-battle-camden which
was produced by Bruce Mayer of ETV Sumter. This short video chronicles the events that took
place leading up to the American Revolutionary Battle of Camden, S.C.
Bitesize (This site was created by the BBC and is best for use in 5
th
grade and up. Many items
are targeted to high school students.)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/
Participants gain skills and experience locating and identifying digitized sources from the
Librarys web site and utilizing them to support student inquiry. Legacy and Leadership in
Baseball History is this years example theme.
Tuesdays September 30
th
- November 4
th
5:00 - 7:00 pm (online)

Real-time facilitated chat sessions

Independent project development

Check out projects from previous participants

NOTE: This is an advanced TPS workshop for educators of grades 6-12. If you have not yet
completed TPS Level I, during registration you will be asked to complete a 12-hour
independent online course before the start date. Further information provided upon
registration.
Register here: https://forms.waynesburg.edu/machform/view.php?id=368156
Questions? Sue Wise TPS Associate Director Waynesburg University
swise@waynesburg.edu 724-852-3377 http://tps.waynesburg.edu
1. SC Economics Update
For any questions about the competitions and workshops offered by SC Economics, contact
Courtney Epting, Program Director, at courtney.epting@moore.sc.edu.
Competitions
SC Finance Challenge; for students in grades 6-12
Teams of 3-4 students compete in an online competition covering spending and credit, saving
and investing, and income and money management. Top 3 teams, and their teacher, in the
middle school and in the high school division receive cash prizes. Online registration
September 1-30 at www.financechallenge.org. Online competition dates are October 6-24.

SC Stock Market Game; for students in grades 4-12
This online game provides students with a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn about
investing and how the economy works. By managing a virtual $50,000 portfolio, students can
research, buy, and sell stocks and mutual fund while learning the
fundamentals of long-term saving and investing. Visit the SMG website to register. For a list
of training opportunities, visit SC Economics.
Workshops
All workshops are offered at no cost to teachers. There is a $25 registration fee that is refunded
upon attendance of the workshop. Schools will receive $50 towards substitute reimbursement
for every teacher that attend an SC Economics workshop. Attendees also receive classroom
ready lesson plans. Lunch is provided.
The Classroom Mini-Economy; K-8
Columbia, Sept. 19 and Florence, Nov. 7
Teach students about their role in society by using active lessons in your classroom. Activities
include conducting research to determine the best price for goods and services, learning
interviewing techniques, creating classroom jobs for students, running businesses and paying
taxes. Registration now open.

Teaching Economics Using Children's Literature; K-5
Winthrop, Sept. 26 and Charleston, Oct. 23
Introduce your students to economic and financial literacy concepts that easily integrate into
history, math, language arts and other content areas using popular children's literature. After
this 5 hour workshop, teachers will be able to discuss concepts such as capital resources (Three
Little Pigs), scarcity (The Lorax), and trade and money (A New Coat for Anna). Registration
now open.
Virtual Economics; K-12
Columbia, Sept. 26 and Charleston, Oct. 24
Looking for real world applications for your Science, Math, Language Arts, or Social Studies
classrooms? Virtual Economics is a resource of over 1,400 lesson plans from 74 publications
that integrate economic, real world concepts with a variety of classroom subjects. Publications
include: Math and Economics, Financial Fitness for Life, Middle School World Geography:
Focus on Economics, and Energy, Economics, and the Environment. Registration now open.
AP Microeconomics
Columbia, Sept. 19
A full day workshop for AP Economics teachers with author of
AP Economics Microeconomics, Dr. Gary Stone. Learn how to prepare for the AP exams,
common questions that are missed, and review relevant economic concepts. Email concepts
you'd like covered to sccee@moore.sc.edu. We will adapt the workshop to your
needs. Registration now open.
2. First Freedom Student Competition
The First Freedom Center announces its 22nd annual First Freedom Student Competition.
This national essay and video contest offers 9th - 12th grade students an opportunity to
compete for $2,500 awards as they examine the First Amendment and history and
implementation of freedom of religion and conscience in American democracy and the world
today. Students then present their evaluation in written essay or video format.
This school year, students will select a religion or belief group from their local community, state
or region that was or is a minority group. They will research and analyze its history as it
encounters issues of religious freedom and equality, and then, by written essay or video
production, present their evaluation of how this group's local history compares to the broader
narrative of U.S. history and First Amendment law. For the complete topic, essay and video
guidelines, registration, classroom poster, student flyer and other details, visit
www.firstfreedom.org, and then click on the First Freedom Student Competition button.
Student online registration is required on or before Monday, November 17, 2014, and the
postmark deadline for students to mail their essays or videos with the accompanying entry
materials is Monday, November 24, 2014. Winners will be announced on Thomas Jefferson's
birthday, April 13, 2015.
Please forward this email to your social studies, English, media, library, guidance and other