Education News for January 2023

Women Working in an Experimental Food Processing Barge

World War II changed the gender roles women held in American society. Because of the labor shortage created by men joining the armed forces during the war, women were encouraged to take jobs in nearly every industry. Women extended the boundaries of traditional roles by working in factories and building munitions, trains, planes, and ships. Women also worked in construction, drove trucks, and performed other jobs typically held by men in the 1940s. This primary source shows five women working on an assembly line of a food processing barge in 1944 in Spring City, TN, located in Rhea County.

This source meets the 5.49 and US.52 Tennessee social studies standards.

Visit our website for more primary sources about World War II.

Tennessee Talks: Piecing Together Tennessee History

"Tennessee Talks: Piecing Together Tennessee History” is a webinar series presented by the Tennessee State Library & Archives. Each month, beginning in November 2022 and running through April 2023, teachers will have an opportunity to listen and engage with Library & Archives staff and history teachers from across the state. Teachers can expect to explore innovative ways to teach primary sources that keep students engaged with the Tennessee Social Studies Curriculum Standards. These hour-long sessions will be at 4 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Eastern.

Participants must register for each webinar individually.

Click here for a description of each webinar and to register.

Questions? Email Lindsay.Kovach@tn.gov.

This webinar series is funded in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a division of the National Archives. Learn more about NHPRC at www.archives.gov/nhprc.

Civics Lesson Plans and Resources

The Tennessee Secretary of State's Civics Lesson Plans were created by Tennessee teachers for Tennessee teachers. These lesson plans help teachers, especially social studies teachers, to easily incorporate civic engagement and citizenship into their current curriculum.

The Secretary of State’s office encourages teachers outside of the social studies subject matter to use aspects of these tools in their classrooms as well. Teachers can adapt these lesson plans to fit their classroom needs.

These lesson plans focus on seven (7) topics:
1) Citizenship
2) Roles of Elected Officials
3) Campaigning
4) The Voting Process
5) State & Local Government
6) The Constitution
7) Colonial Government

Click here to access these civics lesson plans and other resources available through the Secretary of State’s civic engagement education efforts.

Trailblazing Tennesseans: People Who Made History in the Volunteer State

Please join us for our 2022-2023 teacher workshop series, Trailblazing Tennesseans: People Who Made History in the Volunteer State. This workshop series will feature activities and primary sources corresponding to the Tennessee Social Studies Standards.

Visit our website for registration information.

Discover Tennessee History Webinar Series

The Discover Tennessee History Consortium is offering a seven-part webinar series for the 2022-2023 school year. Each month from September 2022 to March 2023, one of our partner organizations will offer a one-hour session exploring topics in Tennessee history with related primary sources and educational resources that you can use with your students.

Recordings of this series and last year's are available. Attendees can earn PD credit for each session.

Click here to register for the 2022-2023 webinars.

Session 5: Jan. 10, 2023, at 4 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Eastern

Webinar: Power of Place-Based Experiences

Presenting Organization: East Tennessee Historical Society

2023 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Conference

The Tennessee Council for the Social Studies (TCSS) will host their annual conference as an in-person event on March 3, 2023. Virtual sessions will also take place on Feb. 27, Feb. 28 and March 1.

“Fostering Civic Engagement & Participation,” an in-person clinic presented by the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History, will take place on March 2, 2023 from 1-4 p.m. A President's Reception will be held later that evening.

The conference will take place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton (Cool Springs) in Franklin, TN.

Click here for registration and hotel information.

Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) and PebbleGo

The Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) has added PebbleGo to its resources effective Jan. 1, 2023. This online encyclopedia is geared to K-2 students in the subject areas of social studies and science, providing interactive lessons and beginning research skills. PebbleGo has resources available in English and Spanish!

PebbleGo is packed with ready-made activities, informational articles, and literacy support for students of all abilities. Check out the Social Studies content map to learn what's covered in PebbleGo.

Visit www.tntel.info or www.tel4u.org to explore PebbleGo!

Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our customers, the taxpayers, by operating at the highest levels of accuracy, cost-effectiveness and accountability in a customer-centered environment.

sos.tn.gov/tsla/education