California Council for the Social Studies

Welcome to the California Council for the Social Studies!

 Immediate Action Needed
Michael Honda form California's 15th Congressional District and Tom Cole from Oklahoma's 4th District are co-sponsoring HR 3464 the Sandra Day O'Connor Civic Learning Act, a bi-partisan bill with significant importance to social studies educators. Contact your Congressional Representative ASAP. Find out more at along with congressional contact information at http://www.ccss.org/Action
 SLAVERY by Another Name
Visual and video resources for teaching social studies have never been better. Now another recent PBS documentary is just being released for online viewing called SLAVERY by Another Name. It examines the period between reconstruction and World War II when the rapid increase in Jim Crow laws resulted in the criminalization of huge numbers of African Americans. Incarcerated Blacks were then "leased out" to work in mines and factories in a system of forced labor as repressive worse than enslavement. For summer school or end-of-the-year Civil Rights units there is plenty of authentic footage supported by primary source dialogue and lesson material to make this little known story compelling for students and teachers alike. See http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/watch/
Making Sense of the Civil War 

Thanks to the partnered efforts of the California H-SS Project, the American Library Association, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, four libraries in California will host scholar presentation and book discussion on the legacy of the Civil War and emancipation. The books selected for the lectures and discussion include: Geraldine Brooks' March; James McPherson's Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam; and Edward Ayers' America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipated on the 150th Anniversaries. If your liver or work nearby, visit one of these libraries to check-out the books and learn more about the events: June 2, San Diego Public Library http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/; June 10, Sacramento Public Libraryhttp://www.saclibrary.org/;  September 15, Berkley Public Library http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/; September 22, Long Beach Public Library http://www.lbpl.org/.














 What's Happening in Sacramento That Affects Us?

 Under The Dome: Time To Squeeze-Back Social Studies

Fred Jones, CCSS Legislative Analyst

March 2012

During this stubborn recession, national, state and district-level education budgets are significantly contracting. This is why policymakers must re-evaluate the fundamental purposes of taxpayer-funded compulsory education, including many recent education reforms and high-stakes programs. Read what Mr. Jones and CCSS leaders are doing to bring social studies strongly back to the curriculum at http://www.ccss.org/Under_the_Dome

 May Sunburst is in Production
If you want to receive your May Sunburst you need to be a CCSS member and have a correct email in our electronic database that doesn't filter out emails such as CCSS News. Your email address may need updating or your membership may have lapsed. This Sunburst will have important and timely information for every H-SS teacher and administrator. Contact info@ccss.org to update your email or follow the steps listed for membership renewal at Join Us http://www.ccss.org/Join_Us

 



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How Do Appeals Courts Work?
What Every Citizen Should Know

      Just Comment
by
     Judge Curtis Karnow

Everyone who watches TV thinks they know how the US and California courts work. In this article, that is written for high school students, much that most people don't know is explained about the how Appeals Courts works.
Read the article and find lesson plans at Teacher Resources
http://www.ccss.org/Teacher_Resources/Just_Comment

Opportunity for Teachers
Teaching Democracy http://chssp.ucdavis.edu/programs/programs/teaching-democracy/teaching-democracy/teaching-democracy-registration
The California H-SS Project and the California Humanities are partnering to provide a webinar series related to teaching about democracy. May 16 Dr. Jack Rakove What Did the Constitution Originally Mean? Rakove_Flyer.pdf; June 10 Dr. Caroline Winterer Should America Have a King? Winterer_Flyer.pdf; July 18, Dr. Clarence Walker Who is a Citizen? Walker_Flyer.pdf, and August 15, Dr. Alan Taylor No Taxation without Representation? Taylor_Flyer.pdf


 


 
 
© California Council for the Social Studies