Kansas Council for the Social Studies

Geography Awareness Week

The theme for the 2012 Geography Awareness Week, November 11-17, explores the idea that we are all are connected to the rest of the world through the decisions we make on a daily basis, including what foods we eat and the things we buy. 

Download the Kansas Geography Alliance poster to find out more information. The National Geogprahic Society also has a poster to download and print that will help you find global connections with students by investigating the geography of the pencil or doing a hands-on version of the global closet game. 

Have your students investigate their own interdependence by completing the Global Closet Calculator - an interactive game that aggregates the contents of their own closets by origin to generate a map showing their unique global footprint. 

National Assessment Governing Board
NAEP results released

"Eighth-graders earned the highest NAEP U.S. history scores to date. Still, only 17 percent scored at or above the Proficient level. In fact, on the seemingly easy question shown here [below, right], only 32 percent of all eighth-grade students who took the assessment provided a complete response. Among students who scored at the Proficient level, however, 72 percent answered the question correctly."

Kansas 150

The Kansas State Library has launched the KANSAS 150 SLK blog, a two-year journey through Kansas history, culture, society and natural wonders. New entries appear every two weeks, and the most recent are Kansas and the Wizard of Oz and Kansas and Carry A. Nation.

The Kansas Historical Society has its own version of a Kansas 150. You'll find great resources and links.