1. Deep dive into pacing guide, lesson plans and history labs
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

2. Overview of Website Look for: Current News Pacing Guides/ Lessons
Look for:
Current News
Pacing Guides/ Lessons
Quick link icons
Best Practices Quick Start
Weekly Briefings
Documents
Click the link to go to the social sciences website. Once there, show teachers how to navigate the site. Include:
current news section,
where to locate pacing guides and lesson plans (spend some time on this page to show new teachers exactly where their pacing guides are, year at a glance, timeline, where 7th grade / 11th grade EOC lesson plans are, and other resources),
quick link icons (history labs and digital resources),
best practices quick start (this is where they can access PowerPoints about many of the best practices),
Weekly Briefings (where the district posts official updates every Thursday. Often your department head or principal will share these with you, but sometimes they do not so you should check it yourself)
documents (including documents from workshops, info re: EOC exams, etc.). (approx. 20 minutes)

3. Pacing Guide Overview Course description
Pacing guides for social sciences courses can be found on our website socialsciences.dadeschools.net
Pacing guides include:
Course description
Highlighting to emphasize key benchmarks
General Internet resources
Course themes
History Lab instructions
Breakdown of topics to be taught:
Topic name
Pacing and dates
Essential questions
Essential content
Benchmarks
Links to lesson plans and history labs, if applicable
Instructional tools:
FL Standards activity
Vocabulary
Technology links
Suggested activities
Assessment, ELL, etc.
Links to Discovery Ed. resources by topic
Explain to teachers that the pacing guide is meant to be a guide to help them plan. Each grade / subject has its own pacing guide for each 9 weeks. Take teachers to the social sciences website and show them where to access the pacing guide. Using either the 7th grade (middle school teachers) or 11th grade (high school teachers) as an example, guide teachers step by step in detail through the pacing guide. Some of the main things to point out are listed in the slide:
Course description
Highlighting to emphasize key benchmarks
General Internet resources
Course themes
History Lab instructions
Breakdown of topics to be taught:
Topic name
Pacing and dates
Essential questions
Essential content
Benchmarks
Links to lesson plans and history labs, if applicable
Instructional tools:
FL Standards activity
Vocabulary
Technology links
Suggested activities
Assessment, ELL, etc.
At the end of each 9 weeks are Links to Discovery Ed resources by topic (teachers will need to log in to Discovery Ed through their portal to access these links)
( approx. 40 minutes)

4. Scavenger Hunt Activity
Use the Social Sciences website and the pacing guide to answer the scavenger hunt questions.
Discussion: What are your concerns about planning for the upcoming school year?
Pass out the scavenger hunt activity handout. Encourage teachers to partner up with someone from their own grade level. Tell teachers to access their pacing guides online using their digital device and complete the scavenger hunt questions. If time allows review answers and discuss question.

5. 1. On the Social Sciences website, Where can you find the 6th Grade U
1. On the Social Sciences website, Where can you find the 6th Grade U.S History academy?
2. How many lessons are available under the new 6th Grade U.S. History lesson plans with Alignment to Civics Benchmarks?
3. On what page can you find essential questions for Topic 3?
4. Which skill benchmark requires students to: Analyze charts, maps, photographs, and timelines: analyze political cartoons; determine cause and effect?
5. Describe what you will be teaching for Benchmark SS.6.C.2.1?
6. Which Benchmark are you most confident about teaching? Why?
7. Which Benchmark are you most concerned about teaching? Why? 6.

6. Engaging activities in social studies
Social Science/History Labs
Definition: Social Science or History labs are an engaging and rigorous instructional approach designed to require in-depth learning and thinking on the part of the student guided by an essential question, analysis of primary or secondary source documents, and ending in a rigorous writing assignment or other rigorous learning task.
Video Source:
While watching the video, observe the following:
What are the students doing and saying?
What are the teachers are doing and saying?
Discuss how to be engaging in a classroom, Ask a volunteer to read the definition of a social science lab. Explain that the idea behind “history labs” is to get students DOING history, hands-on like a real historian would DO history, not just reading about history or listening to someone talk about history.
Introduce the video (next slide) by suggesting that participants look for the following while they watch:
What students are doing/saying
What teachers are doing/saying

7. History Lab Basics Whole Group Discussion
Where are District History Labs located? “D” TWO (2) options!
Whole Group Discussion

8. SS.6.A.3.11- Federalist and Anti- Federalists
History Labs 2.0: Introducing Building Blocks
The NGSSS Benchmark that will be used today for all examples is SS.7.C.4.3.
The point of this session is NOT to teach SS.7.C.4.3, but to show how students may use various ways in responding to the Essential Question at the end of a History Lab.
Explain to participants that in order to conduct the lab and have students digging deep into these concepts, background knowledge must be built. Introducing: History Lab Building Blocks. A teacher’s guide to knowledge that should be taught prior to conducting the lab. Go over this particular building block for SS.7.C (screen shot is on the slide but you can also double click on the pdf in the left corner to pull up the entire building block.
District is developing this resource for all labs so please stay tuned…..they will be posted by beginning of academic year.

9. History Lab SS.6.A.3.11
This District created History Lab includes a worksheet with opportunity to analyze four (4) sources (included) that leads to a “Thesis Statement” as a bare minimum.
This slide shows the template- which is a STARTING POINT FOR ANALYSIS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT.

10. History Lab SS.7.C.1.8

11. History Lab: Federalists vs Anti-Federalists
Ways for Students to Build Background or Report Out on Document Analysis
This District created History Lab includes a template with opportunity to analyze four (4) sources (included) that leads to a “Thesis Statement” which is the starting point of taking the lab to a formal writing piece.

12. 1. Where are the District History Labs located?
A. Only in the “Documents” tab at the district SS site.
B. On the “History Lab” icon on district SS main page.
C. In the “Pacing Guide/Lessons” tab on district SS main page.
D. Both B and C
2. How many District History Labs have been created for MS U.S. History?
__________
3. How many District History Labs have been created for 7th grade Civics?
4. District History Labs are BEST conducted
A. as a culminating activity.
B. as an introduction to a new benchmark.
C. as an independent homework assignment.
D. in the middle of teaching a benchmark to check for understanding.
Have participants visit SS website and answer the questions.