The teachers will share at the NJ Council for the Social Studies’ spring conference
Fifth-grade teachers Donna McGough, Wedgwood Elementary, James Cho, Bells Elementary, Mary Byatt, Birches Elementary and Laura DiPietro, Hurffville Elementary, have been selected to share their presentations at the spring conference of the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies at Rutgers University on March 14. The spring conference, for educators in grades K-6, is entitled “Teaching Time, Place and Citizenship.”
“We are very proud and excited that our teachers have been selected as presenters,” Elementary Education Supervisor Christine Gehringer said. “They each exhibit expertise in the area of social studies and present material in an enthusiastic manner. They are recognized leaders in Washington Township who support their colleagues with instructional strategies. This conference provides an opportunity for teachers across the State to share their knowledge and grow as practitioners in the field.”
Through their presentation, “Infusing Literacy and Technology in Social Studies Content,” McGough and Cho will show conference participants how to infuse technology in a social studies lesson seamlessly to enhance instruction and learning. They will share strategies and the interdisciplinary practical tools of “Edmodo” for blogging, “Blendspace” for informal assessments, “Emaze” for presentations, “Edpuzzle” for video presentations, and “Todaysmeet” for interactive discussions.
Byatt and DiPietro will team to present “A Closer Look at Close Reads.” Their interactive workshop will explore the close reading strategy with social studies texts and primary source documents. Participants will see the effect on student motivation and learning when using complex texts and identifying the author’s purpose, perspective, and applying evidence to support a position or form an opinion. Strategies will be modeled that encourage student engagement and reflection.
