The Importance and Value of Challenging Binary Gender Roles in Elementary Education

This workshop is focused on why it is critical to have conversations about gender roles with students in elementary school. In this interactive presentation, we will address the adverse affects that binary gender roles have on children and adults, and we will share our school’s approach to making changes to curriculum and instructional practices. Come learn how to have courageous conversations with your students that will empower them to break the confines of gender expectations.

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Presented by:

Blair Spearn, 5th Grade Teacher at Francis Parker School

Jen Hayman, 2nd Grade Teacher at Francis Parker School

Heather Gray, Assistant Head of Lower School at Francis Parker School

Thematic Touchstones for English Teachers

High School for English, Language Arts, and Humanities

Would you like to track elephants through famous works of English literature, or explore some strange and exotic islands charted by great writers, or perhaps cross the bridge between Romanticism and pop music? Designed for high school English and humanities teachers, this workshop considers opportunities for creative presentation and exploration of literary texts in the classroom which can run parallel to traditional chronological or historical lessons. We will explore cultural and thematic connections to other texts, songs, works of art, maps, films and videos, etc. Teachers will explore some road-tested avenues by which their students can experience famous texts in a dynamic, multi-faceted series of associations which reinforce understanding of the primary text while inviting free association with other cultural touchstones, and provide inspiration for creative projects. The presentation will also include a workshop opportunity where attendees can share ideas and outline similar, possible thematic explorations for students.

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Presented by:

Brednan Rigley, Teacher of English (Humanities-English 10; AP English Language and Composition; Journalism) at San Diego Jewish Academy

Three Scandals/One Lesson

High School for History

At the end of year many US history teachers find many things left and little time to teach them. This workshop showcases a way to teach three potential and actual impeachment events of the late 20th century in a single 45 minute period. The three events are: Watergate, Iran/Contra and the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The presenter uses an easy-to-create graphic and some basic knowledge to compare and contrast all three events in an easy to comprehend lesson.

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Presented by:

Eytan Kollin, Teacher at San Diego Jewish Academy

Student Voice in the Writing Process

Middle-High School for English and History

This workshop will feature using the writing process as an entry point to give students more respect than they think they deserve. We will discuss how to expand this process across other aspects of the yearlong English curriculum.

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Presented by:

Nate Heppner, 8th Grade English Teacher and MS English Department Chair at La Jolla Country Day School

Panel: Writing Effective Letters of Recommendation for College

Hear from a panel of college guidance counselors and former admissions officers on best practices for writing effective letters of recommendation for your high school students applying to college. We will review what colleges are hoping to learn from these letters, how you can best present your students, and how to navigate difficult situations in the letter writing process.

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Presented by:

Emily Moscol, Associate Director of College Guidance at Pacific Ridge School

Danny Irving, Associate Director of College Guidance at Pacific Ridge School

Jasmin Taylor, Director of College Counseling at Francis Parker School

Near - Space Balloons: To the Edge of Space and Beyond in 8th Grade.

In this workshop, we will discuss our journey to the edge of space using large weather balloons to hoist student experiments and cameras above 100,000 feet. We will discuss the origin of the project, logistical considerations, students work on the project, and future plans.

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Presented by:

Brooks Park, Teacher at Pacific Ridge School

Andy Wright, Teacher and Head of Middle School at Pacific Ridge School

Librarian's Round Table

All Levels for Librarians and Middle School Specialists

Round table discussion/sharing/brainstorming session over various topics including current trends, great books, and ideas/cool happenings that work for you.

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Presented by:

Carlie Davis, Librarian and Teacher at Santa Fe Christian School

Independent, Collaborative Approach

Grades 6-12 for Humanities

Educational experts are advising teachers to offer students choice and make the material relevant. Given electronic access to sources, especially primary artifacts, students can investigate topics and ideas that intrigue them while contributing to an overall classroom lessons. Teachers design a challenge, coach students through the steps, and the class "publishes" the results. In this manner, many courses become student-centered while also "covering" the time period or topic. This workshop will work through an example from an American Studies course with examples of student work.

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Presented by:

Jane Healey, Humanities Faculty at La Jolla Country Day School

How to Organize and Implement a Grade 3-5 STEM Competition

Grades 3-8 for STEAM

We will provide a step-by-step guide for implementing a multi-challenge STEM competition for grades 3-5. This exciting year-long competition includes events that showcase overall science knowledge, building and racing a car, and deconstructing a household item where students analyze the function and structure of each part and present their analysis to the judges.

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Presented by:

Emily Fritz, Spanish and Hands-on Science Teacher at Del Mar Pines School

Irene Lerner, Science and STEM Specialist at San Diego Jewish Academy

Jeremy Bank, Science Teacher at La Jolla Country Day School

Historical Fact vs. Historical Fiction: Helping Students Determine the Validity of Sources in Social Studies

Grades 3-5 for Educational Technology and Social Studies

With the proliferation of different online media outlets of varying levels of quality, it is more important than ever to give our students the tools to navigate information and distinguish truthful information from false. Many students struggle with this, but social studies can be a fantastic subject with which to give students these tools. In this workshop, we will discuss how to use historical fiction books like Scott O'Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins to help students understand how historical narratives are formed, where reliable information about history comes from, and to help them write their own historical fiction using a mixture of reliable historical facts and fiction. We will also discuss how to talk with students about the ways that stories and historical narratives have been shared in different societies, and how we can determine what is reliable information or not.

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Presented by:

Emmanuel Parello, 5th Grade Teacher at San Diego French-American School

Dual Enrollment: A Partnership between Cathedral Catholic High School and MiraCosta Community College

High School for Counseling, Academic, and College

Dual Enrollment is becoming a viable option for private schools to augment their curriculum. It offers students a college transcript while satisfying honors level graduation requirements; it offers options for offering courses beyond the normal high school curriculum for the most advanced students; it can also be used to replace or augment AP offerings in a variety of disciplines. This presentation will chart the relationship Cathedral Catholic has fostered with MiraCosta - covering the challenges, successes, future potential, and technical details of our Dual Enrollment program.

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Presented by:

Ashley Bascom, Dean of Counseling/Wellness at Cathedral Catholic High School

Jeffrey McMurtry, Dean of Academics at Cathedral Catholic High School

Cross-Pollinating Narrative Nonfiction with Elements of Film

Middle-High School for English and History

Frequently, our student writers become ensnared in formulas that restrict imagination on their part and make for dull reading on ours. However, by bending modes of writing, young authors can borrow elements from the movies to kickstart a more creative approach towards their own prose. In this hands-on session, participants will discover short-form techniques for teaching students to transform their informational writing through the imaginative use of narrative.

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Presented by:

Wendy Schramm, Teacher Middle School Humanities and Film at The Rhoades School