Social Studies
| Title of Presentation(s) | Grade Range |
|---|---|
| Archaeology in Connecticut Archaeologist Bill Farley teaches about the archaeology of Connecticut including hands-on experiences with artifacts from real archaeological sites (including some that are thousands of years old). We'll try to answer a few questions including: What is archaeology? How long have people lived in the New Haven area? What is an artifact and what is an archaeological site? And what kinds of things can we learn about the past from the trash they have left behind? This scholar is currently overbooked and not taking new requests. |
Any |
| Help is in the House - School Psychologists Are Here in Your Schools and You May Not Even Know It! School Psychologist Natalie Starling, in partnership with your school’s school psychologist, will team up to offer students an engaging overview of the efforts and rewards of being a school psychologist. Students will have opportunity to share what they like about school and what they might do to make school better for the next generation. Students will be able to hear about the exciting things that school psychologists can do to help students and schools, from working one-on-one with children to helping schools grow “behind-the-scenes”! Students will gain an understanding of the profession as a blend of psychology and education. |
3-8 |
| Help is in the House – If you like psychology and want to make schools better, School Psychology could be for you! School Psychologist Natalie Starling, in partnership with your school’s school psychologist, will team up to offer students an engaging overview of the efforts and rewards of being a school psychologist. Students will have opportunity to share what they like about school and what they might do to make school better for the next generation. Students will be able to hear about the exciting things that school psychologists can do to help students and schools, from working one-on-one with children to helping schools grow “behind-the-scenes”! Students will gain an understanding of the profession as a blend of psychology and education. |
9-12 |
| Why Groups Fight Wars Professor Kevin Buterbaugh uses maps and charts to show why groups fight wars. In particular, he shows how geographical and historical factors lead to wars around the world. |
9-12 |
| How Our Elections Work Professor Kevin Buterbaugh describes how US Presidential Elections work using a variety of visual aids – maps, graphs and the students themselves. By the end of the demonstration students will understand how the US nominates candidates and elects them for president. They will also understand some of the issues and challenges created by the US election system. |
6-8 |
| Social Thinking - Non-verbal Communication Speech-Language Pathologist Barbara Cook will provide students with an overview and examples of how we use non-verbal communication to think socially. Students will engage in simulation activities to experience the impact of sensory related challenges that can interfere with being able to use and under non-verbal communication. Students will gain a deeper understanding of their own social interaction styles and ways to improve their interactions with each other and others. |
6-12 |
| What Makes Wise Quotes Wise? Developmental psychologist, Patricia Kahlbaugh, offers students an overview of models of wisdom, including Erikson’s psychosocial theory and Jeffrey Webster’s HEROE model. Students will be able to explore what wisdom means to them by searching for wise quotes (e.g., on google or another search engine) and then evaluating why they feel the quote is wise. They will share their quotes with other students and will engage in a perspective taking exercise designed to increase their wisdom. Students will also take a look at a questionnaire on Wisdom to see how psychologists measure individual differences in peoples’ wise reasoning. |
9-12 |
| Oh the Places You'll Go Dr. Erin Heidkamp the Director, Office of International Education will show students the benefits associated with studying abroad. By exploring different regions of the world she will help students learn how gaining an understanding of a different culture will provide them with the opportunity to discover more about themselves as well. |
k-8 |
| School Psychology as a Career | 9-12 |
| Die Wissenschaftliche Methode – an Exemplary Lesson for Students Interested in Teaching in the United States and Beyond. Teacher educator Marisa Ferraro demonstrates how to effectively engage non-native English speaking students in the classroom. It is challenging for English learners who must do double the work – learn the subject matter and simultaneously learn English. Students will experience first-hand the challenges for language learners during an inquiry based science lesson as well as the successes through the implementation of sheltered strategies. Ferraro’s presentation exemplifies how to make school subjects accessible to all students, including struggling readers and English learners. All teachers are currently faced with the task of how to teach those students in their classrooms who aren’t yet proficient in English, e.g. immigrants, refugees, and first-generation Americans. The demand for teachers who are capable of teaching English learners is great in Connecticut. SCSU is among Connecticut’s top programs in preparing teachers to meet these through our Elementary Bilingual Education and TESOL (Teaching Speakers of Other Languages) certification programs. |
10-12 |
| The Story of Varian Fry, a Holocaust Rescuer Who was a Connecticut Resident Professor David Pettigrew offers students the story of Varian Fry (1907 - 1967), who travelled to Marseille, France in August 1940 to attempt to save Jewish refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution. Before he was arrested and expelled in 1941, thirteen months later, he had saved over 2,000 artists, writers, and intellectuals, including Marc Chagall, Jacques Lipchitz and Hanna Arendt. Fry was a resident of Connecticut and the first American to be recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad VaShem. |
5-12 |
| Understanding the Genocide in Bosnia 1992-1995 Professor David Pettigrew offers students an understanding of the causes and the effects of the genocide that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1992-1995. Professor Pettigrew’s presentation, drawing on his field research and human rights activism in Bosnia, will help students think critically about the causes of other genocides and humanitarian crises in the 20th and 21st century, and to brainstorm about genocide prevention. |
7-12 |
| Introduction to the Holocaust Professor David Pettigrew offers students the opportunity to learn and discuss detailed aspects of the Holocaust, leading to critical thinking about the causes and effects of the Holocaust and other genocides. |
7-12 |
| Wherefore New Haven ‘Apizza? Food culture, language, and identity in an immigrant community. Erin Larkin teaches modern Italian culture and language, and in this session works interactively with students to examine what the beloved New Haven institution of ‘apizza can tell us about intersections between public and private histories and questions of identity, language and community. Students learn about Italian Unification and its connection to the Great Arrival—the thousands of immigrants who came to the US between the 1880s and 1920s—, while exploring New Haven history and food traditions as locus of cultural hybridity and formation of community. Issues related to immigrant communities, integration, and social justice—examined through the case study of Sacco and Vanzetti—will also be considered in the light of contemporary social questions of today. |
9-12 |
| Rewilding la Patagonia: Nature, ecology, and conservation in southern Chile Jesse Gleason teaches Spanish through the cultural lens of ecological preservation in southern Chile. In this session, students will examine the rewilding efforts in the Chilean Patagonia, specifically examining the flora, fauna, and ecosystems that were/are endangered and the conservation efforts currently underway to "rewild" this part of the world. Students will learn about Chile's unique history of biodiversity and conservation, the development of the Patagonian Route of Parks, and the tremendous efforts by Tomkins Conservation over the past three decades to counter climate change and species extinction in the Southern Cone. This presentation could be offered in English, Spanish, or a mixture of the two. "You can only protect the things that you love, if you identify with them." Kristine Tompkins, Rewilding Chile |
9-12 |
| Rocks, Rock Cycle, and the Ridges of New Haven New Haven and its surroundings is full of geological wonders of the past eons. Geologists and Earth Science Professors at SCSU, Jennifer Cooper-Boemmels and Nicholas Fedorchuk will highlight how local rocks, their minerals, and the ridges of West Rock and East Rock hide the enigmatic geologic history of our state, including its volcanic past, in plain-sight. The presentation will provide students the opportunity to examine and describe rock and mineral samples, observe rocks and minerals under a microscope, and explore geological maps and the geological history of the state. Students will discover the connection between the geologic processes that shape the Earth and the landscapes of New Haven today. |
6-12 |
NOTE: Teacher must be present in class during visiting scholar presentation. Presentations are subject to scholar availability. Any specific needs (media projectors, open tables, sink, etc.) for presentations must be available in the classroom. Specific needs will be provided to teachers prior to scheduling. Redundant presentation in a morning or afternoon are possible if there is an interest from the school and faculty time is available.