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Welcome to WCSS 25 - MAKING SOCIAL STUDIES MATTER! We are excited to host a powerful two day conference in our state capital, sharing countless ideas and methods to continue making social studies relevant to our students.  Get ready to learn, grow, and have some fun in the process!
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Saturday, March 15
 

9:15am CDT

Unlocking the Bill of Rights Using QR Codes
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
UNIV AB
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Join us as we share our unique approach to bring the Bill of Rights to life for today’s students. From engaging infographics to captivating lessons, along with interactive poster puzzles and beyond, we’ve got all the tools to make the Bill of Rights unforgettable.
Speakers
PC
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
UNIV AB
  Civics/Government, Middle School 6-8

9:15am CDT

Hands-on Econ: Bringing the Dismal Science to Life
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
CONF 4
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Economics doesn’t have to be the dismal science! Participate in hands-on lessons and activities on key economic concepts of unemployment, inflation, GDP and trade and learn about free resources, from infographics and online courses to videos and podcasts, designed to engage students and spark learning in your economics classroom.
Speakers
LM

Lesley Mace

Economic Education Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank
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Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
CONF 4
  Economics, High School 9-12

9:15am CDT

Using the FIELD Guide to Engage Your Learners and Create Powerful Learning
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
ASSEMBLY
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Powerful learning happens when we share powerful evidence, ask compelling questions, and integrate edtech tools into lesson designs! We’ll showcase beginner, moderate, & veteran-level exemplar lessons based on the FIELD Guide, all guaranteed to engage students with primary sources, inquiry, and tech tools. Leave with ready-to-use materials and planning strategies.
Speakers
JS
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
ASSEMBLY
  General Pedagogy, All Social Studies Educators

9:15am CDT

What Fires Together Wires Together: The Science of Simulations
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
CAUCUS
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Discover how simulations engage students in active, meaningful learning by combining physical movement, creativity, and problem-solving with real-world applications. Explore the neuroscience behind simulations, learn how to design and implement them effectively, and leave with practical tools to make social studies truly matter in your classroom.
Speakers
BN
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 11:15am CDT
CAUCUS
  General Pedagogy, Middle & High School

9:30am CDT

Teaching Civil Discourse: building skills and attitudes for civility
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
UNIV AB
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Civil discourse is a core skill to support civic engagement and democratic decision making. It also helps create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable sharing their ideas, and can productively navigate disagreement. We will dig into how to define civil discourse, and how teachers in all subject areas and grade levels can teach the skills for civility.
Speakers
AT
Saturday March 15, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CDT
UNIV AB
  Civics/Government, All Social Studies Educators

10:30am CDT

Citizen Nation: Civics Resources for Dialogue and Inquiry
Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 10:30am CDT
UNIV AB
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How can students be a model for civil dialogue? How can teachers build student capacity through inquiry and discussion? The new PBS show Citizen Nation takes a behind the scenes look through the eyes of students participating in the “We The People” program to help build civic knowledge and skills.
Speakers
avatar for David Olson

David Olson

Director of Education, Retro Report
Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 10:30am CDT
UNIV AB
  General Pedagogy, All Social Studies Educators

10:30am CDT

Your Own Backyard: Using Place-Based Learning and Field Trips to Meet Standards and Increase Student Civic Engagement
Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT
UNIV CD
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Emphasize student-led inquiry and civic engagement through place-based learning! Learn how educators from organizations around the state built a template for teachers and historic sites to use field trips to meet social studies standards. How could you use this customizable template to increase student inquiry in your own backyard?
Speakers
avatar for Kris McDaniel

Kris McDaniel

Social Studies Consultant, WI Dept of Public Instruction
I am the DPI Social Studies Consultant. My main work is to provide quality PD and resources to teachers and to connect organizations and districts. My main focus and passion, though, is helping social studies teachers in whatever they may need to provide amazing, rockstar instruc... Read More →
Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT
UNIV CD
  Civics/Government, All Social Studies Educators

1:15pm CDT

Contemporary Antisemitism
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
CONF 2
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Join HERC as we discuss the impact that rising antisemitism is having on students and school culture. Using Echoes & Reflections materials and data from Wisconsin, this session will provide educators with the tools they need to identify and respond to antisemitism in a classroom setting.
Speakers
SG

Sam Goldberg

Holocaust Education Resource Center
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
CONF 2
  General Social Studies, All Social Studies Educators

1:15pm CDT

Human Impacts on Land and Sea: Hands-on Geography Activities
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
SENATE A
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Discover hands-on approaches to teaching the dynamic interrelationships between people, places, and the environment. Themes include global population trends, natural resource use, and how human activities have changed our landscapes and oceans over time. Engage in modeling, simulations, and lively debate that make course topics come alive.
Speakers
avatar for Kaela Swanson

Kaela Swanson

Social Studies Teacher, School District of Ashland
I am a 8thgrade Social Studies teacher in Ashland, WI. By utilizing my adaptive teaching style, I connect lessons to the local area to help convey my learning objective. Incorporating local history into my lessons also helps educate my students about the original cultures and communities... Read More →
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
SENATE A
  Geography, Middle School 6-8

1:15pm CDT

Elevating Civil Rights Movement Voices from Past to Present
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
UNIV CD
Feedback Survey
Explore teaching the impact of the Civil Rights Movement’s milestones and their influence on social dynamics and justice efforts. Leave with resources to foster meaningful civil discourse and critical thinking on historical reform and current challenges, like the role of AI in perpetuating biases. Empower students to connect the fight for civil rights to better engage in today’s social issues.
Speakers
avatar for Allan Carey

Allan Carey

Allan Carey is the Director of Sphere Education Initiatives at the Cato Institute where he leads the organization’s efforts to engage grades 5-12 educators, including the annual Sphere Summit, on civic education, civil discourse, and the institutions of civic culture. Prior to his... Read More →
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
UNIV CD
  US History, High School 9-12

1:15pm CDT

Getting Nast-y with Political Cartoons in your classroom!
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
SENATE B
Feedback Survey
Help students understand history through political cartoons. Explore techniques for interpretation and analysis, opening a new world of primary documents. Empower students to grasp historical concepts effectively.
Speakers
LR
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:15pm - 2:15pm CDT
SENATE B
  US History, All Social Studies Educators

1:50pm CDT

Tackling Tough Dialogue
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:50pm - 2:20pm CDT
CONF 1
Feedback Survey
In this session, attendees will experience a simulated lesson revolving around engaging in difficult conversations. Teaching today requires educators to navigate the complexities of diverse learners with a plethora of backgrounds. This can make discussion-based lessons a challenge for educators as well as students. Teachers will leave this session with ideas, strategies, and confidence.
Speakers
avatar for Cassandra Brooks
Saturday March 15, 2025 1:50pm - 2:20pm CDT
CONF 1
  General Pedagogy, All Social Studies Educators

2:30pm CDT

Bridging Divides Through Civil Discourse: Empowering Students to Find Common Ground
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
CONF 2
Feedback Survey
Discover practical tools and strategies to foster meaningful civil discourse in your classroom. This session explores methods to help students engage with diverse perspectives, navigate controversial topics, and build skills for constructive dialogue. Empower your students to bridge divides and cultivate understanding in history and social sciences education.
Speakers
avatar for Shawn McCusker

Shawn McCusker

Senior Director of Professional Development, EdTechTeacher
Shawn McCusker is an author and Senior Director of Professional Learning at EdTechTeacher. He has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader in public, private and alternative schools. Shawn is the author of Becoming Active Citizens, winner of the 2022 Foreword INDIES Gold Award... Read More →
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
CONF 2
  General Pedagogy, All Social Studies Educators

2:30pm CDT

Use AI Now!
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
SENATE B
Feedback Survey
Embrace AI and learn simple ways to use this powerful technology in your classroom now. This interactive session will demonstrate introductory ways you can use AI to create unique lessons, modify resources for special education students, and strategies to save you time. The time to use AI is NOW!!
Speakers
avatar for Dan Hoppe
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
SENATE B
  General Pedagogy, High School 9-12

2:30pm CDT

Visual Literacy: Democratic Principles Matter
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
CONF 4
Feedback Survey
Images project the stories histories (of past and present) related to civic virtues and democratic principles. This session employs an interactive, three-step process for students to de-familiarize images from a single meaning and address the complexities of visual narratives. No art experience needed.
Speakers
DN
Saturday March 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
CONF 4
  General Social Studies, All Social Studies Educators

3:00pm CDT

Empowering Young Learners to Access Difficult Histories: Lessons From a Collaborative, Interdisciplinary Fourth Grade Holocaust Unit
Saturday March 15, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
CONF 3
Feedback Survey
This session will take elementary educators through two teachers’ collaboration around an interdisciplinary fourth grade Holocaust unit, addressing co-planning, social-emotional learning, content accessibility, and text accessibility as necessary pedagogical components. We will also offer teachers resources and time for reflection about how they might teach difficult histories to young learners.
Speakers
EG
IA
Saturday March 15, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
CONF 3
  Elementary, Elementary K-5
 
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