Kentucky Teacher

The Kentucky Literacy Leaders Academy for History and Social Studies, provided in partnership by the Kentucky Department of Education and the Kentucky Historical Society, will be June 19-21 in Frankfort.

This event will kick off a year-long project designed to train history/social studies literacy leaders who will focus on the integration of Common Core literacy standards/skills into history and social studies.

The academy will consist of the three-day session; two virtual academy sessions in the fall; and one virtual academy session and one face-to-face academy meeting in the spring of 2013.

Only 24 teachers will be selected statewide (preferably an elementary, middle and high school teacher from each of the eight educational cooperative regions in Kentucky) to participate.

Teachers will be required to train other teachers within their districts and education cooperative regions. Travel expenses, hotel accommodations, meals, stipend and books/resources will be provided to all participants selected. Read the full story

The Heritage Institute, in conjunction with Antioch University and Project Amazonas, Inc., is offering a summer travel study course called Hands-on Amazon.

The course runs from July 20-28 and is limited to 15 participants.

Based in the Upper Amazon near Iquitos, Peru, the course is available for graduate credit, undergraduate credit or continuing education credit for educators or students in all disciplines. It is particularly well suited for science, social studies, sustainable agriculture or Spanish language specialists.

The course will give participants first-hand experience with the flora, fauna, people and culture, which they can bring back to their classrooms. Participants also are encouraged to volunteer in a service project in rainforest preservation or in helping local communities.

For more information and to see if this course is right for you, visit http://ptonline.org/hol/amazon/.

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Shauna Phillips helps 4th-grade students Ripley Martin and Nick Curran measure angles using pizza slices as a reference at North Middletown Elementary School (Bourbon County), a Blue Ribbon School, Oct. 20, 2011. Photo by Amy Wallot

North Middletown Elementary School (Bourbon County) Principal Greg Ramey credits a new arts program and changes in science and social studies alignment with helping transform the school into a highly successful Blue Ribbon School.

And then there is the larger, overriding contributing factor.

“It’s our culture,” said Ramey, who has been principal at North Middletown Elementary for nine years. “I believe we are about as close to being self-actualized as a school team as one can get. We are truly in it for the right reasons.”

North Middletown was one of 10 state public schools that recently received the inaugural Distinguished Winners Circle Award at the Kentucky Safe Schools, Successful Students Conference. “To me this means culture,” Ramey said. “I love the Winners Circle Award because it recognizes great school culture, the key to any successful school.

“This is not just a great school,” Ramey said. “(This is) a great school getting better.” Read the full story

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

Donnie Wilkerson talks with his 5th-grade history class at Jamestown Elementary School (Russell County). Wilkerson was recently named the 2011 Kentucky History Teacher of the Year. Photo by Amy Wallot, Sept. 2, 2011

Walk by Donnie Wilkerson’s 5^th grade social studies classroom at Jamestown Elementary (Russell County) and you might think that his students are just eating ice cream.

But what they’re really doing is learning about the War of 1812 – by way of U.S. President James Madison’s favorite sweet treat, strawberry ice cream.

Wilkerson’s students may spend 25 minutes doing traditional work and five minutes eating ice cream, but it is the five minutes they remember, he said.

“My students ask, ‘Are we going to do any work today,’ and I tell them, ‘You’re working every day; you just don’t know it sometimes,’” said Wilkerson, who is in his eighth year of teaching.

“You can’t have strawberry ice cream every day.”

In recognition of his creative and engaging approach, the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) announced in June that Wilkerson had been named the 2011 Kentucky History of the Year. The award is co-sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, HISTORY (History Channel) and Preserve America. Read the full story

The American Museum of Natural History’s “The Horse” will be on exhibit at the Kentucky Horse Park Oct. 22, 2011, through Apr. 6, 2012.

The comprehensive exhibit aims to educate classes on all aspects of the horse, from its biology to its impact on society.

This exhibition is ideal for 3^rd- through 12^th-grade science teachers and directly correlates with much of the Core Content for Assessment. Social studies themes, such as history and world cultures, and art also are covered. The exhibit can make an informative and entertaining trip for students in middle and high school. Read the full story

Alex Tumey and Kacie Clements research the Empire State building during Amanda Caudill's class at Harrison County Middle School. Photo by Amy Wallot, April 5, 2011

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

Even as Kentucky teachers are implementing new national English/language arts and mathematics standards this year, two national groups are working to create new standards in social studies and science.

 When, and if, those standards will be adopted for use in Kentucky schools still remains to be seen, but educators from the commonwealth are involved in their development. Read the full story

The Kentucky Council for the Social Studies annual conference will be in Bowling Green on Sept. 21-22. The theme this year is “Social Studies for the Citizens of Tomorrow.” The keynote speaker will be Berry Craig, a local historian and journalist. For more information about the conference and registration, go to www.kcss.org.

A State Divided: Exploring the Civil War Through Images includes 15 images related to the Civil War in Kentucky, ranging from medals and photographs to portraits and weapons. This sampler was produced as a partnership of the Kentucky Historical Society and KET. The goal is to provide images of artworks, artifacts, photographs and source documents that can be used to teach social studies and arts and humanities.

This also will go along nicely with the second mission in Mission US, which will be released in January 2012. In Flight to Freedom, students will play the role of a runaway slave, as they explore events leading up to the Civil War. This game is partly set in Kentucky.

Flemingsburg Elementary School (Fleming County) teacher Lindsey Moran, left, and Garden Springs Elementary School (Fayette County) teacher Lanora Long dance the Sir Roger de Coverley during the Next Generation Academy in Lexington. Photo by Amy Wallot, June 16, 2011

By Matthew Tungate
matthew.tungate@education.ky.gov

During the last school year, 8th-grade social studies teacher Robyn Hetman did something different with her classes at F.T. Burns Middle School (Daviess County).

Hetman said she emphasized primary sources, including using pictures from Kentucky Educational Television (KET) taken in Louisville during a unit on Civil Rights. Students couldn’t get enough, she said.

She had a student tell her, “I love this class. When did I start loving this class?”

Hetman said using the photographs made all the difference, and she wanted to find additional ways to integrate visual arts and other art forms with social studies. Read the full story

The Kentucky Council for the Social Studies annual conference will be in Bowling Green on Sept. 21-22. The theme this year is “Social Studies for the Citizens of Tomorrow.” Session proposals are being accepted for those interested in presenting. More information about registration and submitting a proposal are available at www.kcss.org.