FEATURES:
[Instructional Resources] [Awards and Recognition] [Professional Development] [Special Observances] [Message from Susan] [Message from Janie] [Elementary Photo Albums] [Legacy of Giving Events / Resource]
NEW History and Literacy Resources for Thanksgiving in our "Special Observances" section.
Take a Veteran to School Day:
From the Greatest Generation to the Latest Generation, Let's Support our Vets!
On Friday, November 7th, Metz Elementary hosted its 2nd Annual Take A Vet to School Day. Sponsored by the History Channel and Time Warner Cable, Take A Vet to School Day is a national campaign that helps kids learn about history and the armed forces directly from those who have served. This is the second year that 1st grade teacher Jennifer Atkinson has organized this event for Metz. Students welcomed the Veterans with breakfast, patriotic song, and by wearing red, white, and blue. Back in the classroom, students were enthralled as their honored guest spoke to them about their experiences. You can read more about the day on Jennifer's blog on Scholastic!
Celebrate Texas Contest
Elementary Teachers: The Celebrate Texas 2009 Elementary School Art Contest is begging for an Austin ISD winner. Check out the contest rules link below and see how easy it is for your students to enter, participate, and learn about this great state of Texas.
Celebrate Texas student contests 2009
AISD Mock Election 2008
Select the above link for pictures, stories, and resources related to our own 2008 mock election activities from around the district!
Check out what's new in 2008-09:
Lone Star Adventure on the Mississippi River
Follow along on an American adventure as Robert Youens journeys on an exciting 2,300 mile trip down the Mississippi River from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana. Follow the adventure at iboattrack.com, select "cruising boats" and choose "Lone Star". Students can take part in the "Discussion Board" viewforum and ask questions directly to Mr. Youens; he is willing to explore areas along the way and answer student questions. Students can see an aerial photo of Mr. Youens location by clicking on the "Google Maps" link. Mr. Youens shared a pre-journey presentation with students at Gullett Elementary, Pillow Elementary, and Pease Elementary. He plans to share with other students in Austin ISD upon his return. You can also see a video interview of Mr. Youens that aired on the Fox News 7 "Good Day, Austin" program.
INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES
Give kids the power of global knowledge at MyWonderfulWorld.org
Sponsered by National Geographic, there are many resources for teachers and students alike. Especially helpful are the suggested activities entitled: 10 Ways to Give Students the World. Perfect for Geography Awareness Week November 16th through November 22nd.
Materials from Recent Training
List of Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Released
Social Education, the official journal of the National Council for the Social Studies has released its 2008 supplement, "Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People."
[Read more]
Click on the links below for lessons and resources from our recent training for Kindergarten through 2nd Grade teachers: Primary Sources for Primary Grades. Updates will continue to be added!
T.E.A. Resources
Increase Student Geographic Knowledge
Form a NCGE Geography Club on your campus:
Geography Clubs are aimed at upper elementary grades (3 - 5 or higher). Activities can be found web-based on the National Council of Geographic Education website. View a PowerPoint introduction to Geography Club.
Message from Susan: 
We are currently working to add specific lesson plans to our website. Please send us your social studies lessons so that we might include them for others to use! Even though we are a large district, the social studies website allows us to easily share lessons with one another. I'll look forward to working with you in the 2008-2009 academic year. Meanwhile, enjoy your summer!
- Susan
National Geography Awareness Week / Theme Announced
For more than a century, the National Geographic Society has fostered awareness of the world’s diverse cultures and environments. The tradition continues with Geography Action!, an annual awareness program that helps educators promote geographic fluency in schools and communities across the United States and Canada. Geography Awareness Week has been held the third week of November since 1987. The purpose of Geography Awareness Week is to promote geographic education in schools and among the public. Each year Geography Awareness Week has a specific theme, this year's theme is "the Americas", with a focus on North America.
Join schools from across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico in planning celebrations during Geography Awareness Week, November 16-22, and throughout the school year. Download a free Geography Action! Mapping the Americas Toolkit filled with activities, maps, and tips for planning highly interactive, festive events for students, families, and communities to enjoy.
You'll also find the following resource sites for Geography on the Geography Action page:
My Wonderful World is a National Geographic-led campaign -backed by a coalition of national business and non-profit organizations - to expand geographic learning in school, at home, and in communities. We want to give kids the power of global knowledge. In the campaign's first year, more than 55,000 people like you signed up to show their support. Be sure to check out the Educator's Action Kit.
Test your geography smarts right here online. Each day you'll find here ten questions posted from the National Geographic Bee. Some of them are real stumpers, for all of us except our supervisor Joe - and he's always ready to be challenged...any takers? Is your school registered to take part in the National Geographic Bee? Visit the site to find out howMessage from Janie: 
I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2008-2009 school year. We have social studies lessons and activities you can use in your classroom to integrate social studies into the other content areas. If anyone wants to download Austin Past and Present to your school computers, I will be glad to help you, call or email me and I will come to your school. If you have a social studies project going, let me know and I will feature your project and you on our website. We are wanting to feature teachers on our website. Have a wonderful year.
-Janie to register your school.
2009 National Geographic Bee
Resources for Learning About Our Community
Austin Past and Present is an interactive documentary that brings Austin’s history to life.
From its geologic formation to its current urban skyline, Austin Past and Present explores Austin’s past and present in more than 300 multimedia stories and over 2 hours of motion picture documentary.
Students learn new and fascinating things about their community while they use this project in combination with original curriculum that is aligned to state standards.
Check out the collection of local and Texas history through this amazing website! There are many newspapers, photographs, and other information dating back to the 1800s. The Austin Post Card site can be especially helpful in teaching Texas History in an interesting, engaging way!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Discover Education's Day of Discovery Training Comes to Austin ISD!
Nationally recognized trainers from Discover Education will be providing a full-day workshop on using media effectively in the classroom from nine until 4 on December 6th. There will be four different training sessions during the day. The training will be held at Garcia Middle School. Teachers will learn multiple ways to utilize Discovery Streaming videos (formally known as United Streaming) to build assignments, lessons, and even more powerful powerpoint presentations. Register now on E-Campus to ensure your seat at this engaging training.
Texas History teachers at grade 4 will have the opportunity to attend the second half of the "Come and Take It" training on January 27, 2009. It will be after school from 4:00-6:00 PM. Lisa Deland will be the presenter at the Zilker Elementary library. Materials and lessons for the second semester will be provided!
SPECIAL OBSERVANCE
Thanksgiving Lessons and Resources
History Channel has a wide variety of excellent primary source readings, video-clips, and oral "interviews" with the Plymouth residents of 1621. Students can discover the myths and truths surrounding Thanksgiving at the History of the Holidays-Thanksgiving mini-site.
Awards and Recognition
ELEMENTARY PHOTO ALBUMS
- 2008 Mills Elementary Kindergarten Rodeo
- 2007-08 First Day at Pillow Elementary
- Metz Elementary Honors Veterans
- Kiker Celebrates Diversity with International Fair
Resources Provided, Events Planned for Growing A Generation of Givers
Legacy of Giving Announces '08/09 Philanthropic Events
VIEW VIDEO
that chronicles 2007-08 Legacy of Giving events in Austin ISD.
Is it possible to grow a Generation of Givers?
Based on the results of its pilot year, A Legacy of Giving, an Austin non-profit dedicated to teaching the concept of philanthropy to children in school, would offer a resounding "Yes!"
The result of this success is a deeper relationship with A Legacy of Giving and Austin ISD in 2008-09, including the participation of seven schools, grades 4-12, a place in the district Social Studies curriculum and access to an additional staff member to support projects.
2008-09 Teacher Training begins Sept 9th and 10th; 9am - 4pm at the Baker Building.
2008-09 Participating Schools:
- Clayton (4th & 5th)
- Kiker (4th & 5th)
- Perez (4th & 5th)
- Paredes (6th & 7th)
- Webb (6th, 7th & 8th)
-
Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders (6th, 7th, 8th)
- Dobie (6th)
- Martin (6th)
- O.Henry (6th)
- Akins High (12th)
In 2007-08 A Legacy of Giving trained over 75 Austin teachers who then helped their students to understand the meaning of philanthropy, assess community needs, and participate in hands-on student selected projects. Three seasonal events focused on hunger and homelessness, creating art from the heart, and protecting the environment. Local partners Capital Area Food Bank, ZACH Theatre and Keep Austin Beautiful offered resources to raise student awareness and assist in activities.
Over 2,200 students engaged in projects that provided $130,685 in philanthropic value to the community. Among other activities, students collected 22,667 pounds of food, gathered 1,610 pounds of trash and made bracelets for soldiers and schoolchildren in Afghanistan. Several Austin schools ranked in the top ten in The LEAGUE’s nationwide tally by project.
The Social Studies department is grateful for the vision and continued efforts of Linda Brucker, Executive Director of Legacy of Giving, Austin Community Foundation, and the many foundations and corporate sponsors for making possible these important opportunities for civic learning and philanthropic giving. In addition, Sooch Foundation designed "The Empowerment Challenge" to grant $1,000 to five different Title One schools, giving students the power to make things happen in their community.
[VIEW VIDEO of The Sooch Empowerment Challenge in Austin ISD].
The Legacy of Giving is partnered with The League, a national youth service 
organization that provides TEKS compliant philanthropy curricula and metrics to insure continued measurable benefits to Austin ISD students. A Legacy of Giving will facilitate three philanthropic events for the 2008-09 school year in partnership with The LEAGUE. They are:
- The Drive (Nov 5th - 26th)
Focusing on homelessness, hunger, and poverty, A Legacy of Giving last year utilized local non-profit partners Capital Area Food Bank and Lifeworks to make numerous teacher presentations, helping them understand our local needs. This event is scheduled during the Thanksgiving season and, in concert with other LEAGUE schools across the country last year, produced one of the nation’s largest student-run food drives. Pack-Rat, a local pod storage company, provided free pods to each participating school to collect the food. [See Lessons for this event]
- Art from the Heart (Feb 1st -16th)
Scheduled during mid-February, this event offers children the opportunity to lift the spirits of others by creating a gift of original art. Students choose their own art form and recipient. A Legacy of Giving partnered with Zachary Scott Theatre last year to provide material resources, present ideas to the teachers, and make them aware of many local resources. [See Lessons for this event]
- Earth Day (April 8th-29th)
For this event, students are asked: What is each person's responsibility for environmental stewardship? Keep Austin Beautiful will join A Legacy of Giving to answer that question and help with campus cleanups, plant native habitat, and begin campus recycling projects. [See Lessons for this event]
For additional free lessons and educator resources provided by Learning to Give, the curriculum division of The League, please call Courtney at (512) 472-4483.
________________________________________________________
A Legacy of Giving
promotes student-led
philanthropic events
that build upon learning
children have secured
in the classroom.
© AISD, 2008 /