2016 is shaping up to be a difficult year for Civics and Social Studies teachers interested in teaching about the Presidential election. Ainsley O’ Connell recently wrote Have Politics Become So Ugly that Educators are Afraid to Teach Civics? for Fast Company magazine. The article claims that schools wary of Clinton v. Trump minefields are avoiding teaching Civics altogether. Further, as the language on the campaign trail polarizes voters, even the driest of lessons can prompt parent complaints or stoke bullying. Indiana high school students chanted "Build a wall!" at a basketball game in March, an ugly jeer aimed at Latino students on the rival team.
A survey published by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that 43% of K-12 educators are "hesitant to teach about the election," and more than half have "seen an increase in uncivil political discourse" in their schools. Other teachers have been prohibited from discussing the subject. One middle school principal in Portland, Oregon, instituted a "gag order" on election topics, according to the survey.
In Tennessee, a Latino child was told by classmates that he will be deported and trapped behind a wall. He now asks his Kindergarten teacher every day, “Is the wall here yet?” Many children are using the political discourse they hear on TV to gang up on others. Muslim kids are being called terrorists. “Students are hearing more hate language than I have ever heard at our school before,” says a high school teacher in Helena, Montana.
Thanks to generous sponsorship from the Arasyln Foundation, our speakers: Anthony Pennay, Becky Valbuena, Rebekah Harding and Gregorio Medina will help Southern Californian educators sift through the rhetoric and Teach The Election on October 1st in Burbank. Sign up to Join us at Pickwick Gardens.
Resources
http://www.fastcompany.com/3061993/most-creative-people/have-politics-become-so-ugly-that-educators-are-afraid-to-teach-civics
https://www.splcenter.org/20160413/trump-effect-impact-presidential-campaign-our-nations-schools
http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_let_s_make_voting_fun_again
​http://chssp.ucdavis.edu/programs/election/issues-briefs-and-results 

A group of SCSSA members met in Alhambra to see Snowden Live and view the Oliver Stone film. We would like your opinion about our next History teacher movie night. Denial or The Birth of a Nation? Leave your opinion in the comments section and we will poll those interested for convenient dates and locations.

On Monday, September 12, 2016, SCSSA President Scott Petri is hosting #sschat on Twitter at 7:00 pm EST and 4:00 pm PST.  Join us by following the hashtag #sschat and numbering your answers (A1... A2... A3...).

Q1 Describe a recent speaking assignment from your class? Or what prevents you from assigning speaking tasks?
Q2 How would you characterize the academic conversations that occur in your class?
Q3 How do you measure the quality of the academic conversations in your class?
Q4 When teaching speaking skills, do you focus more on building a speech or performing a speech?
Q5 How do you assess your students listening skills in Social Studies?
Q6 Poll Question: https://goo.gl/forms/fTP6JgMIQu2DcfVu2 What listening objectives are most frequently used in your class?
Q7 How do you prepare your students for listening activities?
Q8 What resources do you use to improve your students’ listening skills?

Resources
https://www.stenhouse.com/content/well-spoken
http://pvlegs.com/
https://www.stenhouse.com/content/academic-conversations
http://www.jeffzwiers.org/
https://www.amazon.com/Controversy-Classroom-Democratic-Discussion-Critical/dp/0415962293
http://teachinghistory.org/issues-and-research/research-brief/25748
http://www.procon.org/
http://blog.listenwise.com/2016/09/how-do-teachers-use-listenwise/
Interested in Social Studies learning experiences in Southern California? Follow @SCSSA_Prez. 

This summer, after seeing the exceedingly well-made Anthropoid, about the assassination of Hitler's third-in-command, some of us started talking about creating a History Teacher's Movie Club. We will rotate it around the greater Los Angeles area, pick a theater and a time, view the movie together, then collaborate on how the film could be used in Social Studies instruction. Our first viewing party will be the Oliver Stone directed Snowden on Sept. 14 in Alhambra. Fathom Events will broadcast a conversation between Oliver Stone and Edward Snowden via satellite, then teachers can view and discuss. 

Other movies we are considering are: 
Denial (Sept. 30)
Rachel Weisz

The Birth of a Nation (Oct. 7)
Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Hacksaw Ridge (Nov. 4)
Andrew Garfield

Loving (November)
http://www.focusfeatures.com/loving

Allied (Nov. 23)
Brad Pitt & Marion Cotillard

Land of Mine (Dec. 19)
German POWs digging up landmines in Denmark
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/land-of-mine-review-toronto-film-festival-1201591015/

Hidden Figures (Jan. 13)
True story of African American female engineering team at NASA.
http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/hidden-figures

Papa: Hemingway in Cuba (April 29)
Cuban Revolution

Dunkirk (Jul. 21 2017)

If you are interested in attending or organizing one of these events, tweet us @SCSSA_Prez, post your interest on our Facebook page, or leave a comment below.