A Change is Coming!

Over the weekend I attended a GREAT social studies conference in Topeka, KS. Not only did I get to attend workshops that gave me new ideas for my classroom, but we also got to look at the proposed new state social studies standards for Kansas. I am SO happy that we are going to be moving away from multiple choice tests and "teaching to the test" to having more freedom in our curriculum. There are so many hands-on activities for social studies to really get students interested in learning, but when we are stuck teaching to a test it is hard to have time to implement them. The future looks much brighter! However, I know it will be a HUGE change to our students who are used to filling in bubbles. They are going to have to think much more critically and actually apply information they are learning and figure out ways to write it correctly. I know my 7th graders really struggle with writing so I know this will be a huge challenge for them. I plan on trying to find more activities to get their minds ready for this new way of testing and I am excited about the challenges ahead!