Free for all MCSS members and non-members alike, MCSS will be offering a series of webinars to help enhance your teaching including topics to help with effectively teaching during remote learning to how to effectively teach the Armenian Genocide.

Click here to register (will be available soon)

Difficult Decisions in Difficult Times: Hope and Agency During the Armenian Genocide
Sara Cohen, Genocide Education Group
Today's uncertainty and instability provide an opportunity to teach about the profound transformative power of hope and agency - taking individual and cooperative action to effect positive change. Learn to teach about the Armenian Genocide, while providing students examples of personal choices of common citizens they can relate to their own lives. We will also explore the concept of remembrance and its influential role in our personal and public lives.
Tuesday, May 11th, 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Teaching Social Studies to Young Children at Home: Support for Teachers and Parents
Dr. Annie McMahon Whitlock, University of Michigan Flint
What are ways we can engage children ages 4-7 in social studies learning at home? Learn ways parents and teachers can utilize materials that they may already have at home to be intentional about teaching inquiry and citizenship in a play-based way.
Monday, May 11th, 7:00 -8:00 p.m. 

Geography and Geography Integration in Distance Learning
Gabrielle Likavec, Michigan Geographic Alliance
Join us as we take a look at how geography can be a lens for teaching Social Studies in distance learning with suggest­ed adaptations of MGA and other resources.
Monday, May 18th 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Adapting Inquiry for Remote Learning
Dave Johnson, Northern Michigan Learning Consortium
You're spent the school year mired in your content and suddenly you're forced to figure out how to finish it remotely. This session will provide practical strategies both for adapting social studies inquiry for on line and offline remote learning, and finishing your school year with a bang.
Date to be announced

The Second Dimension: Going Where Few Men (And Women) Have Gone Before
Beckie Bush, Ottawa Area Intermediate School District
What does strong skills based instruction look like alongside the content in a social studies classroom? Explore with us, the skill sets incorporated within the History and Geography indicators from the C3 Framework. We'll spend time thinking, reading, and writing like historians and geographers, and analyzing what that really looks like in the middle grades. 
Date to be announced

Rock It, Don't Knock It: Become a Third Grade MVP 
Dr. Matthew Daley, Grand Valley State University; Dr. Phil Gersmehl, Michigan Geographic Alliance; Joy Kooyer, Holland Public Schools. Moderated by Dr. Scott Roberts, Central Michigan University
Join us for a panel discussion on knocking your third grade instruction out of the park. Our guests include a practic­ing third grade classroom teacher, a historian specializing in Michigan history, and a geographer specializing in spatial and temporal thinking.
Monday June 8, 6:00-7:30 p.m. 

Click here to register (will be available soon)

We have rescheduled the conference at Grand Traverse Resort for October 2 - 3, 2020. Registration for the 2020 Fall Conference - The Stories We Tell is now live!  Click here to go to the registration page!

Budget Challenge®, the Michigan Council for Economic Education (MCEE) and the state of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing (CSCL) are pleased to announce a grant that will provide the Budget Challenge® financial education program along with teacher training to all Michigan high school schools at no financial cost. Funding for the program comes from the Securities Education and Training Fund under the guidelines set by the Uniform Securities Act (2002), Section 605(5)(e), MCL 451.2601(5) with grant administration by the Michigan Council for Economic Education. “This is an incredible opportunity for the students of Michigan”, notes Tim Lambrecht, Director of Education for Budget Challenge®. “Having used the program for four years as a classroom teacher, I can attest that the program can be truly life changing for students, setting them on a course to be financially capable young adults”. 

Budget Challenge® is an immersive, ten-week, real-time, real-world financial simulation that has been used by over 750,000 students nationwide. Last year approximately 10,000 Michigan students participated. During the ten-week simulation, students manage their budget like that of a working young adult, making important financial decisions and trying to accomplish key financial goals like setting up an emergency fund, maximizing an employer 401k match for retirement, and paying down debt. 

During the simulation, students create an online account, select vendors for an apartment, banking, cell phone service, auto and renter’s insurance, housing, utilities, and more. They receive a simulated paycheck, set aside some of their income into a 401K account as savings for retirement, and write e-checks to pay household bills. Budget Challenge® helps instill financial behaviors needed in real life, like routine checking of bills and account status, managing cash flow, and balancing near-term and longer-term financial goals. Simulation scoring positively reinforces savings for retirement and punishes mistakes such as missing due dates, bouncing checks and exceeding certain percentages of the credit limit on their credit card. Trophies are awarded for completing key financial tasks such as paying all bills on time, reducing debt, maxing out an employer 401k match and setting up an emergency fund. 

“The Michigan Council on Economic Education listened to what teachers wanted for their students and is pleased to help provide them the resources they need to set students on a path for financial success”, notes MCEE president Derek D’Angelo. “The ‘learning by doing’ engagement provided by the Budget Challenge simulation will give all Michigan students an opportunity not available in any other state in the country.” 

Teachers who have previously used Budget Challenge® will be able to register for simulations beginning Wednesday, September 25. Teachers who are new to Budget Challenge® will complete a free training to become familiar with the program, prior to using it. Teachers desiring to sign-up their classes or sign up for training can do so by emailing Budget Challenge® at: support@budgetchallenge.freshdesk.com. 

Now that your school year is underway..... 

We’ve got your back as you embrace DBQ implementation in your classroom. 

Be sure to connect with us Saturday, Dec. 14th when we meet at the Soaring Eagle Conference Center and Water Park. The cost is only $25 for a full day of new learning, reflection, and networking. Breakfast and lunch will be provided and SCECHs will be available at no charge. Registration deadline is December 6 so sign up today by clicking here!

MCSS Awards will be given out at our fall regional conference.  Nominate a deserving educator today!  

The Olympiad offers students the unique opportunity to creatively apply what they have been learning in their social studies classes. Michigan is the only state to offer this type of state-wide event.  For more information and to register, click on the Olympiad button in the menu bar!

The 2019 Fall Symposium on empowering students in social studies is not to be missed!

Come learn with us about designing engaging learning spaces with and for students, creating a culture that stimulates creativity, and inspiring students to take action in meaningful ways in their schools and communities. The day will feature presentations by education experts and sessions dedicated to strategies and resources around student voice, choice, and taking action.

All educators with passion for teaching and learning in social studies are encouraged to join us.

2019 Fall Symposium Registration

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Do you want to be an advocate for Social Studies?

District representatives from ODD NUMBERED districts are currently up for election, as is the position of President Elect…

The District Representatives in ODD numbered districts shall serve a two (2) year term beginning July 1, 2019.

District representatives shall:

1. attend monthly Executive Board meetings.  These are conducted over the phone.

2. work toward the achievement of MCSS objectives and strategies;

3. serve on one of the Strategic Plan Action Teams;

4. become familiar with  the MCSS By Laws and Policies;

5. assist in identifying community resources in their districts;

6. serve to communicate issues and opportunities to their constituents in their districts;

7. submit pertinent District news article to the council’s official publications;

8. represent their districts in advocacy efforts;

9. attend the MCSS Annual meeting and assist at state conferences;

10. Serve on various State level committees and testify at various hearings on pertinent social studies issues should the need arise.

The President Elect shall serve 1 term as President Elect, 1 term as President, 1 as Past President:

1. submit goals and objectives at the beginning of his/her term which may be carried over into their term as president;

2. assist the president as directed by the Executive Board;

3. perform duties of the President in the President’s absence;

4. fill an unexpired term of President in the event that a vacancy should occur;

5. serve on the State Conference Program Committee;

6. perform such duties and have such powers as are provided in these By-Laws or a directed by the President and/or the Executive Board.

If interested in running for any of these positions, please fill out the brief application at: MCSS Elections 2019 by April 30, 2019

We want to hear from you!  Take the MCSS member survey here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HFNNG59