BY JOSH ROBERTS, NBCT TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN A COLLEGE AND CAREER READY WORLD!

MAKE LEARNING FUN: Music- Play various genres of music in class when students enter the room. Throw soft football, basketball, baseball to students when getting questions right. Story Time. Skits that bring historic people to life. Light Saber!

PROVEN WAYS TO ENGAGE LEARNERS: Have students repeat verbally on a three- count important vocabulary. Hot Seat Treatment-3 seconds to answer a quick question. Verbal Exit Slip each class. Visual Primary/Secondary Sources and Body-Kinesthetic. Practice an explore type multiple choice question each day first 5 minutes.

CITIZENSHIP/CAREER READY Principal For The Day Contest. (8 years) 1. Primaries are from each of my 5 classes without students knowing what they are voting for. (integrity, good character, respect, engaged in learning) 2. Run on a platform decided by class, picking an issue with the school to improve. 3. Meet with campaign managers of elected officials and elected officials to learn about their job and how to be successful in their election. -Learn about Running For Office = County Clerk, Sheriff, Judge Exe., Mayor, City-Council, etc…

PRINCIPAL CONTEST- 4. Give about 2-3 weeks to campaign using slogans and promoting platforms. 5. Collaborate with Lang. Arts teacher on speeches for the candidates and on election day have students read speeches to entire school. 6. Invite elected officials, community, parents to hear the issues. 7. On speech day, vote using a real voting machine with real election rules. (entire school votes/teachers, aids too)

VOTER REGISTRATION DAY Students examine the statistics of voting on a national level, state, and local. Students then volunteer and obtain community service hours and register voters. Must have an adult present and work with county clerk. Students encourage adults to vote and interact with community.

COMMUNITY PROBLEM Each year I work with our local county government to find an issue that our students can analyze and effectively solve a problem. Having a raised median between two businesses that causes traffic hazards and is illegal to turn on. Get a turn lane put in.

COMMUNITY PROBLEM Students propose multiple ideas/ways to solve the problem in groups of 5-6. I use our team of teachers to decide which proposal is best. Next, I have the top two groups specialize on how to obtain evidence that will prove the problem needs to be fixed.

COMMUNITY PROBLEM-CAREERS Students have to meet with the following government/business officials this past year to learn about their career and how their govt. position and/or business has been or could be harmed by the problem in the community. Mayor, sheriff, police chief, county judge-executive, county attorney, dollar general manager, independence bank manager, economic commerce president of county, highway engineers for the state dept.

COURT CASE Work with circuit court clerk to prepare a mock trial with students. Every student in the 8 th grade, 130, have a duty. (Some are lawyers, judges, bailiffs, sheriff, variety of normal charged offenses for several kids, and the rest are jurors) Almost all jurors have a potential reason to not have the duty, assigned by the teacher, and can be called up to the stand by the judge.

COURT CASE Students get to work with real prosecutors, defense attorneys, judge, court reporter, bailiffs, sheriffs, circuit clerk to see if they want to pursue that career. Students learn about jury duty by having it come to life in a real experience. Collaborate with circuit clerk to get volunteers for the mock trial and make it a local field trip.

FACTS ABOUT SOCIAL STUDIES AT HANCOCK MIDDLE SCHOOL: #1 Social Studies scores in Kentucky , , As well as in the top 10 the past 10 years. Josh Roberts Please contact us to start Civic Programs in your school to prepare your students for the future in the real world!!!