Crisis in Ukraine Teaching Resources
“On February 24, Russia deployed its military into Ukraine. Bombs and shelling have continued to escalate as people flee their homes and desperately seek safety.
War has been steadily waging over the last eight years in Ukraine, leaving more than 850,000 people internally displaced and almost 3 million people in need of humanitarian aid. The current escalation in conflict will have devastating consequences for the civilian population and humanitarian needs are expected to rise.
Ukraine officially declared itself an independent country in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. Since then, the country has been forming closer ties with the European Union and with NATO. Russia, however, sees these ties as an economic and strategic threat to its own security. In 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula and began backing pro-Russian separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine that want to separate from the country.”
The following are resources for teachers interested in teaching the conflict in Ukraine.
Women’s History Month
It’s March and that also means that it is Women’s History Month. Women’s History Month has its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed an act which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed another additional legislation which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.”
Below is a list of resources for Nebraska Educators to access and use lessons relating to Women’s History Month.
The Executive Board of the Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies is seeking nominations for the 2022 Social Studies Teacher of the Year awards for Congressional Districts 1, 2 and 3 as well as the Carter service-learning award and the prestigious Paul Beck award. There is also an award for an outstanding clinical practice teacher. All public and private school teachers who teach social studies at the elementary or secondary levels are eligible.
We hope that you can assist us in soliciting nominations of deserving teachers. Each year we encourage administrators and teaching colleagues to nominate teachers for these awards. If you would be so kind as to spread the word and/or make an online nomination.
The posted deadline is March 11. We appreciate your help with this endeavor. Social studies teachers are encouraged to attend the annual conference at the UNO Center for Community Engagement (pre-conference workshops June 2, conference June 3).
Teachers, are you interested in a way to incorporate more geography into your classroom? This app, inspired by Wordle, presents a new and entertaining way to introduce students to different countries around the world!
Worldle was inspired by Wordle, according to its creator, Antoine Teuf, a 31-year-old Web and video game developer who lives in Montpellier, France — but it is not the same game.
Wordle and Worldle are, of course, similarly named, which has some social media users confused. But Teuf, in an interview with The Washington Post, said he doesn’t want Worldle to be seen as “a copy of the original Wordle game” but rather a “tribute” to it.
Where Wordle gives players six chances to guess a daily word, Worldle users have six tries in which to guess one country or territory based on an outline of its shape alone.
When Worldle players guess a country that is not correct, they are told how far and in which direction it is from the correct country on a map.
Worldle users can make the game more challenging by choosing to either hide the image of the country or territory, or to rotate the image in a random direction.
Like Wordle, Worldle can be played once a day, and users can share their results on social media in little green, yellow and black square emoji that symbolize how quickly they got the correct answer.
Players from around the world have shared their Worldle results on Twitter under the hashtag #worldle, showing the game’s global reach, along with jokes and memes comparing the two games.
The Flip Side is on a mission to help bridge the gap between liberals and conservatives.
We’re a one-stop shop for smart, concise summaries of political analysis from both conservative and liberal media. Our goal is to become a news source for liberals, moderates, independents, conservatives, and even the apolitical.
It’s hard to convince liberals to watch Fox or conservatives to watch MSNBC. But if everyone takes 5 minutes a day to read The Flip Side, we’ll have a starting point when talking to our friends and neighbors.
I know this newsletter is sent to secondary social studies teachers, but if you know an excellent educator in grades K-3, please share this amazing opportunity with them! Application deadline is March 15, 2022.
Personal Finance Institute Opportunity for Teachers (2 Locations)
Registration for University of Nebraska at Omaha
Registration for University of Nebraska Kearney
Any full-time educator of grades K–12 who teaches American history (including state and local history) is eligible for consideration. American history may be taught as an individual subject or as part of other subjects, such as social studies, reading, or language arts.
The 2022 award will honor exceptional elementary and secondary school teachers. Eligible generalist and specialist teachers in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and US Territories are encouraged to apply.
IMPORTANT CALENDAR DATES:
- Deadline for 2022 nominations: April 30, 2022
- Deadline for 2022 nominees to submit supporting materials: May 30, 2022
Admissions are Now Open!
The FPA is proud to announce that the 14th annual Great Decisions Teacher Training Institute is now accepting applications from teachers across North America.
If you apply today, you will have the opportunity to join a top-tier group of fellow educators for one week of intensive international affairs workshops with policy makers and experts in New York City.
Participants will receive travel stipends and free hotel accommodation during the institute, as well as visits such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Federal Reserve, and the United Nations.
If you or educators you know are looking for a way to integrate new techniques, materials, and perspectives into the classroom, do not pass up this opportunity to join the Great Decisions Teacher Training Institute!
Register or by emailing [email protected] and requesting an application form.
Applications are due Friday, March 11th, 2022.
LAW-RELATED EDUCATION TEACHER OF THE YEAR $3,000 AWARD
For the past sixty years, the American Lawyers Alliance has been active in its support of public education, citizenship awareness and various service programs. Recognizing the vital role that teachers play in law-related education, the ALA began in 1985 to sponsor Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Awards. 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of these four awards is to honor public and private High School teachers who have made significant contributions in law-related education and have developed programs that meet the following criteria.
- Furthered the understanding of the role of the courts, law enforcement agencies and the legal profession
- Helped students recognize their responsibilities as well as their rights
- Encouraged effective law-related education programs in their schools and communities
- Increased communication among students, educators and those involved professionally in the legal system
NOMINATIONS:
Nominations for the 2022 Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Awards may be submitted by the applicant, school administrators, other teachers, students, lawyers, judges, professional members of the community, or any other interested parties by March 15, 2022.
The American Lawyers Alliance is a charitable, educational and nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of the law and the American legal system.
Visit the ALA website for an application and information about this award, including information about previous winners.
MyImpact Challenge is a civic engagement contest hosted by the Bill of Rights Institute. Our goal is simple: foster a robust understanding of citizenship and get students active in their communities now!
Submission is open to US citizens and US based young people between the ages of 13 and 19 years old on January 1, 2021. Submission must be received by 11:59 pm PT on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Only submissions entered through MyImpact Challenge’s online portal will be accepted for the contest. The contest is designed for one student per entry, but groups of up to five students may submit as a single group entry. Prizes awarded to group entries will be split evenly between entrants.
Each submission must include the following:
- An essay of up to 1,200 words expressing the student’s a) understanding of the ideal of “E Pluribus Unum” and how their project furthers that ideal in their community b) How their project furthers at least one Civic Virtue and one of Founding Principle as defined in the Bill of Rights Institutes “Principles and Virtues.”
- A report of up to 2,000 words detailing a student’s completed or in-progress civic engagement project. Report must include the following components.
- The inspiration for the project.
- The project plan.
- Details of the project’s execution
- At least two examples of the project’s demonstrated impact on the community.
- How the student(s) grew in understanding of the role of Civic virtue, knowledge of their communities, and their ability to support or impact them.
- Visual documentation of the student’s project and its results in one of the following formats:
- Photographic Only: No fewer than ten and no more than twenty high-resolution still photographs, submitted in either JPEG or PNG format.
- Video Only: One video of no more than five minutes, submitted in MP4 format
- Mixed Photographic and Video: No fewer than five and no more than seven high-resolution still photographs as well as one video of no more than two minutes. Photographs must be in either JPEG or PNG format, and video must be in MP4 format.
This document was compiled by the Council of State Social Studies Supervisors as a way to communicate the wealth of professional development opportunities available to social studies educators. A special thanks to all of the organizations who helped contribute to this work and to the many organizations who are offering high quality social studies professional development for social studies teachers across the country. Many of the opportunities below are offered free or low cost, but some opportunities do have a cost. When opportunities are highlighted in yellow, it means there are not yet 2022 updates for that particular program. The document will be updated through the spring of 2022. Please email Stefanie Wager at [email protected] with any questions, comments, or to add programs to this list.
Historical scholarship and perspective to help make a better world.
The Lepage Center brings historical scholarship and historical perspective to bear on contemporary global issues and has created different activities and funding opportunities to promote the importance of historical scholarship, methods, and inquiry for the public interest.
Our 2021-22 essay competition invites students to reflect upon the following question:
How can the study of history help us understand contemporary challenges we face in the world today, such as COVID-19, migration, and climate change?
What are the essay requirements?
- The essay should be a maximum of 500 words.
- The essay should be framed by an argument and supported by evidence.
- All sources (including internet-based sources) must be cited appropriately
How to submit an essay?
Participating teachers will collect essays from their students and submit them to [email protected] by May 1st, 2022. The best essays will receive an award.
