Geographic ConnectionCGAlog02012

News of the California Geographic Alliance





April 2015- Vol 7, Issue 4
In This Issue
Children's Geographies
Summer Opportunities
Resources for the classroom
CCSS Learning Modules
ArcGIS Online FREE for Schools
Upcoming Events
Quick Links

Join NGS for the Great Nature Project in May

 

gnp logo Wherever you will be  May 15-25 , we need your help putting biodiversity on the map!

 

Contribute to a global snapshot of biodiversity for National Geographic's Great Nature Project by sharing photos of plants, animals, and fungi. 


 

To learn more and help spread the word, check out the media toolkit with pdfs of flyers, banners, postcards, and a guide explaining how to use the resources.

 

Email greatnatureproject@ngs.org with questions.

FREE Bee? Special offer for First Timer Schools in 2015-16.

Has your school ever participated in the National Geographic Bee? 

For the first time ever, grades 4-8 can experience the Bee for free - a Free-Bee! National Geographic is offering a free trial of the Bee for educators and students to experience the contest. 

Engage students in learning geography through an exciting contest by requesting the National Geographic Free-Bee here.



GEEO Summer Travel Opportunities

airplace-takeoff-sunset.jpg Global Exploration for Educators Organization is a non-profit organization that runs professional development travel programs for teachers. Educators have the opportunity to earn graduate school and professional development credit while traveling to places such as the Peruvian Amazon, Morocco, China, and many more.  

 

Trips last anywhere from 8 to 21 days and are designed to be interesting and discounted to be affordable for teachers. GEEO also provides educational materials to better prepare educators to bring their experiences back into the classroom.

 

The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and university educators and administrators, as well as retired educators. Educators are also permitted to bring along a non-educator guest. The registration deadline is June 1, 2015, but space is limited and many programs will be full well before the deadline.

 

Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates, and more can be found at  www.geeo.org  or by calling 1-877-600-0105.


Summer Opportunities for Teachers
plane3.jpg

Québec Dimensions:Historical, Geographic and Cultural Explorations

Summer Institute for K-12 

 

Begin and end in Montréal with travel to Québec City
 
June 28-July 3, 2015

 

  • Registration fee: $649 includes double-occupancy at 4-star hotels, transportation when in Québec, site visits, some meals.
  • Graduate Credit Option: pay an additional $263 plus complete a project to receive one graduate credit, offered through Plymouth (NH) State University.
  • Informational Flyer

Description
 

Quebec Dimensions Summer Institute for K-12 Professionals, is based in the North American birthplace of New France and led by the Northeast National Resource Center on Canada.

 

This invitation is open to all teachers, curriculum coordinators, and administrators of social studies, geography, history and French to experience Canada's largest province and gain preparation for teaching about Canada in your state's curriculum.


 

Québec Dimensions provides foundations in history and geography with contemporary cultural insights through first-hand experiences. The Canadian and Québec content taught by Institute academic specialists is designed to support educators of  Social Studies, World History, Comparative Cultures, AP History, North American Geography, and all levels of French language curriculum.

 

Institute content is designed to meet Common Core, C3, and state standards with Canadian content.

 

Take advantage of in-depth briefings, site visits and walking tours in Montréal, the world's 2nd largest French-speaking city, and in Québec City, a UNESCO world heritage site.

 

Online Application can be found here.

 

For more information contact:

 

Betsy Arntzen

 

Amy Sotherden

 

Resources for the classroom

From the CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECT (CHSSP)


Current Context: Cuba and the U.S.

      Check out the latest from CHSSP that addresses the changes in the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. Get the documents and links here.

 

Current Context: Ukraine Conflict

      A recent CHSSP Current Context is on the Ukraine Conflict.  The pdf contains articles, timelines, maps, and teaching suggestions.  


 

Current Context: California Drought
      Check out CHSSP's newest free teaching resource, Current Context: California Droughtwhich includes a short background article, a map, a timeline of important events, and links to more great resources.

 

Current Context: Boko Haram/Nigeria

        Are you looking for a resource that helps you put current events in their historical context for your students? Check out their newest free teaching resource,  Current Context which includes a short background article, a map, a timeline of important events, and links to more great resources.  Their recent edition, Boko Haram/Nigeria, is ready for download here .  Check back for more resources in this occasional series, and let them  know what topics you'd like covered in future installments!
New CCSS Professional Learning Module Available from the CDE
The CDE is pleased to announce the release of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English/Language Arts (ELA): Content Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades Six through Twelve, online professional learning module.

This module provides secondary history/social studies teachers with resources to implement the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy to deepen students' understanding of historical/social studies content, improve critical thinking, and develop literacy. The module contains information, strategies, lessons, videos, and resources to aid teachers in integrating reading and other literacy activities into history/social studies instruction to support all students' success.

Additional professional learning modules will be available in the coming months. For more information, please visit the CDE CCSS Professional Learning Modules for Educators Web page.
ArcGIS Online Organization available now
ESRI announced last summer that ArcGIS Online Organization subscriptions will be available at NO COST to schools around the country. This subscription level service offers much more than the basic public account, including " more control of sharing, access to more data, engaging much more powerful analyses, supporting apps like Collector or Explorer, integrating with ArcMap and Microsoft Office, enabling login to Community Analyst, and lots more."

For more information and to get the latest materials, including the ArcGIS Online Skillbuilder, visit  http://connected.esri.com.
Upcoming Events
CGAlog02012

National Council for Geographic Education
Annual Conference
JW Marriott Hotel
Washington, D.C.
August 6-9, 2015
 
http://www.ncge.org

CGA Email Address and Phone Number
Contact us via email at  cga@geography.sdsu.edu

Need to get in touch with us by phone?
Call:
619-594-7932

General Contact Information
CGA Director:
Thomas Herman
Communications Coordinator
Natalie Wojinski 
natalie.wojinski@gmail.com