Utah State University – Eastern
Contact: Rachel Turner
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://cehs.usu.edu/teal
Grant Awarded: 5/9/24
The project, led by Utah State University’s School of Teacher Education and Leadership (TEAL), addresses the marginalization of elementary Social Studies in Utah. With the support of TEAL professors Rachel K. Turner, Amanda Deliman, and Marla Robertson, the project aims to enhance teachers’ skills in integrating Social Studies with English Language Arts (ELA) and writing, focusing on culture through primary sources and children’s literature.
Given Utah’s recent adoption of standards emphasizing ethnic studies, the project seeks to assist educators in navigating these new requirements. Through in-person professional development sessions at USU’s Eastern and Salt Lake City campuses, participants will explore culturally relevant topics using primary source sets and select children’s literature.
The project’s objectives include fostering collaboration among educators, designing model lessons, and creating a digital repository for resources. Evaluation methods include pre-post surveys and optional research participation to gauge the impact on teaching practices. By aligning with best practices in professional development and responding to educators’ needs, the project aims to revitalize Social Studies instruction in Utah’s elementary schools.
Jordan School District
Contact: Pam Su’a – Social Studies Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://jordandistrict.org/
Grant awarded May 30, 2017
This project began with a six-day Teaching with Primary Sources Academy in the summer of 2018 hosted by the Jordan School District (JSD). This event was followed by professional development over the course of an entire academic year including the creation of primary source sets, sharing of resources within PLCs (Professional Learning Communities), and classroom observations. The JDS was able to use matching funds to pay teachers a beginning-of-the-year stipend based on teacher use of primary sources and presenting an introductory lesson. The district curriculum team also provided coaching though classroom observations and feedback to ensure successful implementation. While the initial cadre was a group of 17 fifth and eighth grade teachers, Project Coordinator Pam Su’a estimates the reach included 504 plus colleagues and teams. JSD will continue to work with participating teachers to present professional development sessions for the school district and for the Utah Council of Social Studies. This group of teachers will continue to use primary sources in their own teaching.
Granite School District
Contact: Dawn L. Hauser – K-12 Instructional Specialist
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.graniteschools.org
Grant awarded November 30, 2009
Twenty elementary and secondary teachers received additional training on May 22, 2010 on using the LOC and other digital tools to create personal resource sets. By September 2010, 17 Utah teachers created 207 resource sets which aligned with specific indicators of the Utah Social Studies Core Curriculum. The sets and host website were presented to 250 teachers at the UCSS Social Studies Seminar in November 2010. Finalized and approved sets have been disseminated throughout the state via the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) and Utah Education Network (UEN).
Grant awarded April 3, 2009
This grant extended the initial TPS training to five Utah school districts throughout the state and created a consortium of teacher trainers. Activity for the second grant was completed during the fourth quarter of 2009 with a total of 150 teachers reached. Seventy teachers were trained in Murray, Alpine and Granite School Districts during October and November of 2009. Thirty-five teachers were trained on July 7-8, 2009 by UT teacher leaders who had participated in a previous TPS workshop in Salt Lake City. An additional 20 teachers were trained in the Washington School District on July 22-23, 2009.
Grant awarded February 13, 2009
Jordan and Granite school districts worked in partnership with local universities to train teachers on integrating primary sources into their history programs and Teaching American History grants. Peggy O’Neill-Jones traveled to Utah to present the initial TPS workshop on December 9 and 10, 2008. A group of 25 educators learned how to find and organize digital primary sources from the Library of Congress and other digital collections. Subsequent grants extended the initial training to 11 districts throughout the state and created a consortium of teacher/trainers.
The initial grant was completed during the second quarter of 2009 with a total of 25 educators reached with nine completed Annotated Resource Sets. The teachers who completed the initial TPS training in Salt Lake City submitted an ARS on a topic aligned with the Utah State Core Curriculum. Several of these teachers went on to become trainers in their local school districts.
Utah State University
Contact: Cheryl D. Walters – Head, Digital Initiatives, Merrill-Cazier Library
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.usu.edu
Grant awarded February 13, 2009
Utah State University held a 3-day TPS workshop for 27 teachers and school library media specialists from the five school districts in northern Utah on June 10-12, 2009. They also incorporated TPS into the USU course Information Access and Technology. Grant activity was completed as of October 30, 2009 with a total of 136 educators reached. Additionally, ten Annotated Resource Sets were completed and 17 reflection papers submitted to the Western Regional Center. Follow-up included a presentation to 34 teachers at the Utah Education Association on October 1, 2009, a presentation to 55 digital content creators at the Southeast CONTENTdm Users Group on October 13, 2009, a half-day focus group held September 18, 2009 and 20 pre-service teachers reached through methods classes.