Good News, Professional Development Opportunities, and Miscellaneous Information
Send us your good news!
Send us your good news!

If you have good news to share about yourself or a social studies colleague, please let us know and we'll be glad to publish it on our website. Contact Darla Mallein for more information.

Meet the 2007 Judy Cromwell Excellence in Teaching Award Winners

L-R: Staci Nelson, Merriam-Park Elementary School, Shawnee Mission School District

Martha Howard, Indian Hills Middle School, Shawnee Mission School District

James Robb, Hillsboro High School, Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh School District
Check out the Kansas Summer Geographic Institute
Click on graphic to access KGA Summer Institute website.
The Kansas Summer Geographic Institute will be held June 8-12 at the Mid America Nazarene University in Olathe, KS. For more information, access the KGA website by clicking the graphic on the left.
Kansas Council for History Education Fall Conference Information
FTE Sponsors "Economics for Leaders" Program for High School Students
The Kansas Council on Economic Education (KCEE) would like to encourage high school students in Kansas to attend "The Economics for Leaders" camp. This weeklong residential program combines lessons in economics and leadership development to teach young leaders an economic way of thinking about decision making. For more information, click on the link on the right to download the FTE press release.
Click here for more information.
Attend Carleton College's 29th Summer Teaching Institute
Click here for website.
Carleton College will offer its twenty-ninth annual Summer Teaching Institute, June 23-26, 2008. Nineteen workshops will be offered including European History, Government and Politics: Comparative, Human Geography, Macroeconomics and Psychology. All classes are designed to introduce teachers to new materials as well as to allow them to develop materials for a variety of teaching situations, including AP courses. Each workshop carries three graduate credits, which is equivalent to two semester credits. Tuition is $675 and Room and Board is $285 for a double and $350 for a single (limited availability).
In the News: U.S. Consitution Day and Civics Lesson Plans
The Youth Leadership Initiative, the largest program at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, is a FREE K-12 civics and government resource for educators. Upon visiting the YLI website, teachers can access over 50 lesson plans that are aligned to the curricular standards of Kansas. More lessons are always being added! Educators can also participate in simulations such as a mock election held every fall, a mock legislative simulation, and a campaign simulation CD-ROM called “A More Perfect Union.” YLI is your source for civic education all year, every year!
For information on what YLI is planning on doing this fall for Constitution Day, be sure to check www.youthleadership.net periodically for updates.
Click here to access YLI website.
Wanted: Teachers to Pilot UNICEF Lesson Plans
Click here for information about the pilot.
The US Fund for UNICEF is looking for US teachers to pilot its new "TeachUNICEF" online curriculum materials for grades 6-8 and 9-12.
 
The “TeachUNICEF” lesson plans are based on UNICEF's 2006 "State of the World's Children Report". They examine how issues of poverty, armed conflict, child labor and disability impact the lives of children in developing countries, and what UNICEF is doing to overcome these challenges to children's survival and development. Each lesson plan is aligned to national curriculum standards, and contains ideas for interdisciplinary curriculum work.
Click here for link to UNICEF lesson plans.
Check out this Primary Source for Teaching the Vietnam War
Click book cover for ordering information.
With Love Stan: A Soldier's Letters from Vietnam to the World

Karen Ross Epp’s book, With Love Stan: A Soldier’s Letters From Vietnam To The World, about her brother, SGT Stanley D. Ross, caught Bob Neymeyer’s attention. Neymeyer is the curator for “The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Grout Museum District,” in Waterloo, Iowa. The new wing, named after the five Sullivan Brothers who died together while serving on the USS Juneau during WWII, will feature Iowa military veterans from the Civil War through the current Iraq conflict.

Karen’s book, a primary source, is a compilation of her brother’s letters from basic training through his tour of Vietnam in 1969. It also contains recollections of the men who served with him from the 199th LIB Charlie Co, 2/3, and other well know authors, Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried, Bernard Edelman, Dear America, and Michael L. Lanning, The Only War We Had, as well as many photographs.

Bob Neymeyer, of the Grout, interviewed hundreds of veterans and civilians for this project. He states, “Sgt Ross’ movies and artifacts are being used with the family’s permission. They want his story told.” SGT Ross will represent the “grunt/ foot soldier” of the Vietnam War. Artifacts donated by his family will be on permanent display in that section of the museum. Sergeant Ross was killed in action on October 20, 1969.

Karen’s book will be available in the museums gift shop when it opens in November of 2008.
Click here for link to Karen Ross Epp's website.
NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR TEACHING ABOUT ASIA
Click here to access the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia website.
NCTA is a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in world history, geography, social studies, and literature courses. Since 1998 NCTA has supported seminars on East Asia for an average of 1000 teachers per year across the country. Participants who complete the seminars can also apply for NCTA study tours to China, Japan and Korea and benefit from NCTA-sponsored enrichment activities.