Missouri Council of the Social Studies Annual Conference: Full Schedule

Welcome to the 2025 Missouri Council of the Social Studies Conference

8:30am CST

Crime Scene! Foster Student-Based Inquiry with a Primary Source Mystery

Friday February 21, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am CST

Inquiry-based activities and primary sources, necessary for social studies standards but also a teacher favorite! Join us for a fun way to challenge your students in the classroom with a primary source crime scene mystery! The activity shared in this session will build the foundation for primary source analysis throughout the year. Students commonly misunderstand the nuanced nature of primary source documents, images, and artifacts. They want a group of primary sources to fit together perfectly, like a jigsaw puzzle, to tell a single, “true” account. Students want primary sources to be true or false, right or wrong, but historical research is never that easy.

Speakers

Kimberly Fudge

Friday February 21, 2025 8:30am - 9:20am CST
Windsor

Middle School

9:30am CST

Conference Welcome and Keynote Speaker

Friday February 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CST

Windsor

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https://dredscottlives.org/
Free teaching materials

Speakers

Lynne Jackson

The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation

As the great-great grandaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott, Lynne Jackson has worked tirelessly to maintain the legacy of Dred Scott’s eleven-year fight for freedom. Ms. Jackson founded the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation which raised the funds for the Dred and Harriet Scott statue... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am CST
Windsor

All

10:40am CST

Using AI to Teach Traumatic History: Balancing Sensitivity and Depth in the Classroom

Friday February 21, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am CST

Windsor

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Teaching traumatic history, like the Holocaust, can be tough. This presentation will show educators how to use AI, like ChatGPT and other AI models, to help. We’ll talk about strategies for using AI to make lessons engaging and how to navigate the ethical challenges of using this technology.

Speakers

Bill Edney

Using AI to Teach Traumatic History Balancing Sensitivity and Depth in the Classroom pdf

Friday February 21, 2025 10:40am - 11:30am CST
Windsor

High School

11:30am CST

Lunch and Teacher of the Year Awards

Friday February 21, 2025 11:30am - 1:00pm CST

Windsor

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The techniques shown during this presentation are directly applicable to assisting educators in complying with the State of Missouri's Holocaust education mandate. This presentation will show how the guidelines produced by the Missouri Holocaust and Education Awareness Commission can be used to inform AI models to assist educators in the classroom.

Speakers

MCSS President Brian Keller and Past President Linnet Early

Friday February 21, 2025 11:30am - 1:00pm CST
Windsor

All

1:00pm CST

What Fires Together Wires Together: The Science of Simulations

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 1:50pm CST

Windsor

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Learn how simulations that involve physical movement, creativity, and problem-solving enhance student engagement, recall, and learning. This session will explore the science behind simulations and provide practical strategies for designing and implementing them in social studies classrooms. Avoid common pitfalls and discover how simulations can connect cultures, ideas, and histories to create dynamic, real-world learning experiences that foster critical thinking and deeper understanding.

Speakers

Bill Norton

Friday February 21, 2025 1:00pm - 1:50pm CST
Windsor

Middle School High School

2:00pm CST

Armenian Genocide: Then and Still Today

Friday February 21, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm CST

Windsor

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The Armenian Genocide was committed by the Ottoman Turks during the midst of World War I from 1915 to 1917. Not only did the genocide include the murders, the remaining people were enslaved, abandoned in the desert, “reeducated,” or became refugees in other countries. The genocide continues as Turkey still has not acknowledged the event even occurred and is assisting Azerbaijan to systematically wipe Armenia from the map. Although this is a historical topic on the surface, it impacts our world today despite the lack of media coverage.

Speakers

Derek Frieling

Friday February 21, 2025 2:00pm - 2:50pm CST
Windsor

High School

3:00pm CST

Keynote Speaker: Brent Trout

Friday February 21, 2025 3:00pm - 3:50pm CST

Windsor

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Speakers

Brent Trout

Manager, St. Louis County Library

Brent Trout is the manager of the Emerson History & Genealogy Center at St. Louis County Library Clark Family Branch. With a background in museums, Brent previously served as the executive director of museums in Oklahoma and Florida. His interest in genealogy developed while in Oklahoma... Read More →

Friday February 21, 2025 3:00pm - 3:50pm CST
Windsor

All

4:00pm CST

Holocaust Composer Stories Screening

Friday February 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CST

Windsor

Join us for a screening of the first installment of Holocaust Composer Stories, a free, digital education program from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Holocaust Composer Stories offers middle and high school social studies and music teachers a new entry point for teaching about the Holocaust. Each story in this series features a composer with a different experience of the Holocaust. Students will listen to their music, hear their stories, and deepen their own understanding of historical events.
Created in partnership with the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

Friday February 21, 2025 4:00pm - 5:00pm CST
Windsor

All

8:15am CST

Registration; Breakfast

Saturday February 22, 2025 8:15am - 8:55am CST

Windsor

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Kerri Flynn

Executive Secretary, Missouri Council of the Social Studies

Before becoming the Education Director for The Genocide Education Project, Kerri Flynn was a high school social studies and English teacher in Missouri for 25 years. She taught dual credit Psychology and Sociology, Modern U.S. History, and Human Rights and Genocide, a course she developed. Flynn received the University of Chicago Outstanding Educator award... Read More →

Saturday February 22, 2025 8:15am - 8:55am CST
Windsor

8:15am CST

How Travel Develops Teachers: A Roundtable Discussion

Saturday February 22, 2025 8:15am - 8:55am CST

Windsor

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Speakers

Rhett Oldham

Saturday February 22, 2025 8:15am - 8:55am CST
Windsor

All

9:00am CST

Inquiry Through Time: Exploring History's Untold Narratives

Saturday February 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CST

Windsor

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With a strong emphasis on ethnic studies classes and resources, educators often find it challenging to find materials that truly engage their students. Students are eager for lessons that bring value and impact to their lives. I invite you to join me and learn about resources that are ready to use in your classroom and have the potential to make a significant impact on your students.

Speakers

Erin Conklin

Saturday February 22, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CST
Windsor

All

10:00am CST

When Good Laws Go Bad: Unintended Consequences in History

Saturday February 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CST

Windsor

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Throughout history, legislation has been crafted with the intent of solving an economic, political or social problem. History courses usually focus on the intended effects of those policies. In this session teachers will share with students examples throughout history that unintended consequences are more consequential and, in an active learning lesson, conduct basic cost-benefit analysis of decisions government makes every day.

Speakers

Mike Kaiman

Saturday February 22, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CST
Windsor

Middle School High School

11:00am CST

Keynote Speaker: Jody Sowell and Closing Remarks

Saturday February 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm CST

Windsor

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Speakers

Jody Sowell

President, Missouri Historical Society

Jody Sowell is president of the Missouri Historical Society. He is, in fact, only the 7 th president in the 158-year history of the institution. MHS operates the Missouri History Museum, the Library and Research Center, and Soldiers Memorial Military Museum downtown. Jody has worked... Read More →

Thomas Herron

Saturday February 22, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm CST
Windsor

All