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NTA logoNEW TEACHERS:
It was a pleasure meeting each of you during New Teacher Academy Week. Below you will find the informational powerpoint shared during our time with you on Day 3. Should you not find an item here that you would like to have in electronic form or should you have further questions, please don't hesitate to email us.

Day 3
- "Curriculum".ppt

A very special thank you goes out to our veteran teachers Andrea Ramirez from Bowie HS; Ian Grayson from the International HS; and James Fulbright from Crockett HS for graciously accepting the call to be our presenters this year and for sharing their knowledge and experience with us.

Speaking of our newbies...
Akins High School Social Studies teacher Lindsay Perlmutter is the featured teacher in a video associated with the Statesman.com article, Austin's New Teachers Prep for First Day.

VIEW VIDEO.

 

FALL 2008 SECONDARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

District-Wide Staff Development Report:

High School Social Studies Teachers met at Akins High School on Wednesday, August 20.

Sessions on this day focused on the day's theme "Planning for Success: Closing the Achievement Gap in Social Studies with Rigorous & Engaging Instruction." Those in full attendance received 3 hours G/T credit in addition to Professional Development credit.

 

Our thanks again to T.C.I. for our door prizes, the Akins campus for hosting us (Ski - you're awesome!), and to our Guest Presenters:

Christopher Rose; Assistant Director at the U.T. Center for Middle Eastern Studies

  • Introduction to the Middle East.ppt
  • Mr. Rose graciously provided his other resources on a DVD - feel free to contact us for specific additional requests from his presentation
 

David Courreges from the Texas Young Lawyer's Association

You may download several of the items presented below.

Thanks everyone, again, for sharing with your colleagues throughout the day, your commitment to bringing the best Social Studies education to our Austin ISD students and your partnership with us in meeting the challenge of 70% on TAKS in 2009!

 

T.C.I. Helps Bring Learning Alive!

TCI

The Social Studies Department in Austin ISD's Bureau of Curriculum & Instruction is committed to fulfilling the district's vision of professional learning and proud to bring to our Austin teachers the quality coaching, materials, and strategies developed by our long-time friends at the Teacher's Curriculum Institute.

From their beginning in 1989 to present TCI’s mission has remained the same: "to create, disseminate, and put into practice instructional strategies and accompanying social studies curricular materials so that educators can engage all students in the diverse classroom."

We're exited about our continued relationship with TCI and are looking forward to seeing you at one of the following professional learning experiences in the 2008 Fall semester.AUSTIN ISDapple
Professional Development
Vision Statement:

Professional learning in the Austin Independent School District advances student learning by enhancing the knowledge, skills, and performance of all individuals to create a strong and effective district learning community committed to the philosophy that
all children can learn.

History Alive

LEVEL 1: September 16 - 18, 2008


Austin ISD Professional Development Center

If you are a Social Studies teacher who has yet to experience TCI's Level 1 training, contact our office now about registering for this 3-day workshop, one jam packed with strategies that, when implemented with fidelity, have the power to transform your classroom into a truly engaging learning environment.

TCI Academy
LEVEL 2: October 7 - 8, 2008

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
In 2007 TCI added TCI Academy to meet the demand for high quality professional development. This innovative approach allows a school district's curriculum support staff to work closely with TCI Academy Trainers, who are classroom teachers and education experts with years of experience helping their peers become highly successful and effective teachers. We are thrilled to announce that this year Dr. Bert Bower, one of the founders of TCI will be conducting the 2-day TCI Academy for our advanced teachers in the TCI approach to learning. Contact our office now to ensure your registration.

Field Trip Recommendations

Check out these two great field trip opportunities below and don't forget to browse through all the great extended learning opportunities available in the Austin-area found on our Museum / Field Trips page.


To the Moon:

The American Space Program

in the 1960s

LBJ SpaceTo commemorate the 100th anniversary of President Johnson’s birth, the LBJ Library and Museum is presenting a major exhibit on space entitled To the Moon: The American Space Program in the 1960s. The exhibit opens on August 27, 2008, and ends on July 20, 2009, the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. As Senate majority leader, Johnson co-sponsored the legislation creating NASA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008. To read more about the exhibit, please click here.

 

"Fighting For Democracy:
Who is the 'We' in 'We, the People'?"

Traveling Exhibit Comes to Texas


UTSA Inst of Tx CultTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO
INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES
JULY 29, 2008 - JANUARY 18, 2009

Fighting for Democracy traces the real-life stories of seven young men and women whose lives were forever changed by the events of World War II. Denied their fundamental rights, each of them, in his or her own way, chose to fight for equality, freedom, and justice overseas and at home. The exhibition features Hector Garcia, along with individuals who served in segregated units such as the Tuskegee Airmen, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Navajo Code Talkers, and Women's Air Force Service Pilots.

Aimed at middle and high school students, Fighting for Democracy is an experiential exhibition that uses World War II as a case study to begin discussion about how women and minorities have expanded the meaning of “we” in “we, the people.”

The purpose of this interactive exhibition is to provide a teaching tool and discussion piece for educators and their students. When visiting Fighting for Democracy, teachers and group leaders facilitate their students’ experience in the exhibition space, allowing educators to custom-tailor an educational experience to meet their curricular goals and to deepen their students’ understanding of democracy. Unlike a traditional museum exhibition, Fighting for Democracy is designed to engage youth participants in the content and to provide a safe space for them to vocalize their opinions through a facilitated experience. This exhibition offers a multimedia resource for educators, presenting information in photographs, pull-out cards, quotes, oral history clips, educational activities and discussions.


Awards & Recognitions


Three Austin High School Teams
Finish 1st, 2nd and 4th

In National Junior Achievement
Banking Competition

July 7, 2008; New York, NY
Anderson BIA winners Christopher Borders, Edward Balaguer, and Burns Healy - students from Anderson High School in Austin, Texas - devised a winning strategy and were crowned the champions of the 2008 JA Banks in Action North American Competition. The competition was held in New York on June 30 to July 1 by Citi Foundation and JA Worldwide. Team "Anderson Financial Center" bested sixteen other regional semi-finalists from Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, Texas, and Canada for the North American title.

Three Austin-area teams of students finished in first, second and fourth places at an international Junior Achievement (JA) competition here earlier this week. Two teams from Anderson High School and one team from Bowie High School traveled to New York City for JA’s North American Banks In Action (BIA) competition on June 30th and July 1st. The Anderson High students - who came in first and second in North America - are part of their school’s business club, and students from Bowie High - who finished fourth - were taking a personal finance class as an elective. Banks_In_Action











Click image to view a video about Banks In Action on the national JA website. The first place team of Burns Healy, Christopher Border and Edward Balaguer will split $1,500 in prize money. While Daniel Jones, Jessica Tsing and Jae Lee finished a close second and will share $900. Bowie's team - Ryan Walker, Amaris Ortiz and Jarom Hulet - was barely edged out of third place in the final round on Tuesday.


Banks In Action is a new JA program that demystifies finance by explaining how a bank works. Over the course of seven weeks during the school year, community volunteers visit classrooms to discuss with students the basics of banking, operations and history, while exploring various career paths available in the financial services industry.

BIA teaches students about the banking industry and introduces them to the challenges of successfully operating a bank in a competitive environment. A computer simulation allows competitors to role play in high-level positions such as CEO and CFO, challenging them to successfully operate a bank where decisions will make or break "their" bank. Students face off in an exhilarating game of financial know-how and skill, where good money management instincts are the key to survival.

Students from four local high schools (Anderson, Bowie, Reagan and American Youthworks) participated in the Banks In Action curriculum this spring. The top two teams from each high school competed against one another on April 23rd at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Austin, an event that was the culmination of the Financial Literacy Summit. The Financial Literacy Summit was the capstone event of Financial Fitness Week Greater Austin - an awareness and education initiative of Senator Kirk Watson, the Alliance for Economic Inclusion, the Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas, and more than 25 organizations in the Austin area.

JAJunior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. JA uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life.In partnership with business and educators, JA brings the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential.During the 2007-2008 academic year, JA of Central Texas reached nearly 15,000 students in public and private schools throughout the Central Texas area. For more information about Junior Achievement of Central Texas please visit our website: http://centraltexas.ja.org