WCSS 25: Full Schedule

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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9:15am CDT

The Pizza Impact – Cross-curricular connections through the context of food, fiber and fuel.

Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

CONF 1

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Discover how frozen pizza can unlock conversations around communities, jobs, food security, and economies. Join us for real-life examples and lessons that utilize the rich context of food, fiber, and fuel. Leave with classroom-tested and student-approved lessons and activities that will put some pizazz in your social studies curriculum while building upon ELA, science, and EE standards.

Speakers

Beth Schaefer

Coordinator, Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom - Wisconsin Farm Bureau Foundation

I am passionate about food, farming, and people. For the past 22 years I have worked in both formal and informal roles related to agriculture literacy and education. I spent five years as an Agriculture Educator and Biology teacher in both rural and urban schools and for the past... Read More →

Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
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Elementary, Elementary K-5

Host Organization Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom
Company Local & Global Connections, It’s Elementary!
Audience 60 minute General Presentation

9:15am CDT

Bringing AAPI and Hmong Stories to Life: A Teacher's Guide to Implementing Act 266

Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT

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Join Wisconsin Historical Society's workshop led by AAPI and Hmong educators! Learn effective strategies for implementing Act 266 through interactive demos and primary sources. Discover ways to integrate AAPI and Hmong histories into your curriculum. Includes hands-on activities and Q&A to help you confidently bring these important stories to your classroom.

Speakers

Kate Van Haren

Kate Van Haren teaches upper elementary school in Pittsville Wisconsin. She teaches social studies and reading. Kate is a board member of the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies and has worked on curriculum development for the Wisconsin Historical Society, Minnesota Historical... Read More →

Saturday March 15, 2025 9:15am - 10:15am CDT
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General Social Studies, All Social Studies Educators

Host Organization Pittsville Elemetnary School/Penn State
Company Sharing Untold Stories, It’s Elementary!
Audience 60 minute General Presentation

10:30am CDT

Creating History Labs for Elementary Social Studies

Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT

CONF 2

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History Labs are powerful tools for engaging students in meaningful historical inquiry and developing critical thinking skills using primary sources. With careful planning and implementation, they can transform social studies instruction at the elementary level. Learn to curate inquiry boxes to make elementary social studies matter.

Speakers

Kevin Podeweltz

Saturday March 15, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am CDT
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Elementary, Elementary K-5

Host Organization WCSS
Company It’s Elementary!, Learning Through Inquiry
Audience 60 minute General Presentation

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

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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

Elyse Grothaus

Irene Anne Resenly

Saturday March 15, 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
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Elementary, Elementary K-5

Host Organization Park Elementary/Middleton Cross Plains Area School District
Company Engaging Pedagogy, It’s Elementary!
Audience 60 minute General Presentation