WA State Elementary Education Teacher Endorsement Competencies
Common Core 1.6 : Social Studies Self-Evaluation and Professional Growth Plan Assignment
Directions: Evaluate your knowledge base using the following symbols:
+
GREAT! I am very confident in my understanding, ability, and/or
knowledge base.
√
–
OK!
My understanding is not as strong as it could be, but it is adequate.
Oops! I am not confident in my knowledge base or understanding with regard
to this expectation.
Please write the +, √ , or – next to the item on your hard copy. Also, compare the list of WA
Competencies to the test framework for the WESTe, which includes examples. Ask yourself, how
complete is my understanding? Am I ready to teach these concepts?
Moving Forward: Dealing with the OK! And the Oops!
Consider a variety of pathways:
1. Course work – If you have room in your educational at CWU to take courses which
would address the content in these competencies, identify potential courses from the
catalog and indicate which quarter(s) you can fit them into your schedule.
2. Independent study – Are you an avid reader of non-fiction who enjoys the research
process? Find a couple of resources that would be helpful and cite them.
3. Travel – Planning to travel (not just hoping to travel)? Where, when, and how would
travel help?
4. Site visits – Do you enjoy museums? Take a look at www.wscss.org and check out the
WA State Museum list. There are also other types of sites to visit: local dams have tours
and information kiosks ( geography), historical sites, memorials, etc.
5. Web-based research – Visiting some web sites requires packing a picnic lunch because
you could stay all day. www.loc.gov is a good examples (U.S. Library of Congress. Want
to hear/see ALL of the Coke commercials made? This is the place!!)
6. Videos – Maybe these videos won’t show in the local theater but there are many good
videos readily available to help you expand your knowledge base. We will use
www.learner.org during this course. It has web-based courses for teachers on teaching
economics, geography, using primary sources, math, reading, and more. It is funded by
the Annenberg Foundation, which also funds PBS. The resources are free AND credible, a
major issue for web sites.
7. Speaking of PBS – check out its website www.pbs.org and the films they create. CWU
Library has an amazing collection of PBS films which are indexed so you can find just the
right clip!
As you encounter social studies content, BIG ideas, etc, utilize an interactive notebook format and
record your ideas for improving your understanding on the left hand page while you
capture/summarize the essential concepts on the right hand side.
Interactive notebook resources:
Why use interactive student notebooks? This teacher shares a powerful story!
Overview of Interactive Notebooks
Wiki site with many examples
Examples of organization; in, through, out
Blog of interactive notebook uses for social studies