Let’s allow the Derek Chauvin verdict this week remind us why we came together in the first place a year ago: our desire for Fullerton to stand with families of color against systemic racism and the white supremacist attitudes still woven into our community.
We know that changes that massive will take time; so let’s not give up now, but keep pushing our district forward in bringing about the change our country needs.
New FSD Pilot History/Social Science Textbooks
by Katie Peckham
Recently the district invited FSD parents to preview and give feedback on the new History/Social Science textbooks currently being piloted in the middle schools.
Last night, at the start of the Collective’s (awesome!) discussion of the podcast Nice White Parents, we discussed our thoughts on the textbooks.
On the one hand, it was noted that the preview itself seemed particularly cumbersome to access, since you have to follow an external link, then enter on that page both a username and password from the previous page. Once you access the material, it’s hard to figure out where exactly to look, as there are lots of links. (See below for some help with that.)
On the other hand, many of us noticed some positive things about the materials:
+ Many of us liked that the content represented diverse voices, outside the typical Euro-centric and US-centric perspectives.
+ Several people noted that the texts drew from original texts. For example the section on Columbus included excerpts from original indigenous documents. There was also a section on the history of the Muslim religion and its major movements.
+ National Geographic had particularly engaging content, with good graphics and stories.
+ Both sets of curricula also address the current CA standards for social studies, which the current FSD curriculum fails to do.
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We want the district to hear our support for this step they are taking, especially knowing they may get pushback from other parents. So if you agree, please do take a moment to drop a positive word or two via the survey before the deadline next Friday April 30. It only takes a few moments, and every response can show the district that this is something their constituents want.
Here is the link to the survey.
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If you want to check out the curricula content, here are some tips:
*For both sets of curricula, the passwords and usernames are complicated and hard to remember. We recommend copy/pasting both username and password as one chunk into the username field, and from there cutting and pasting the information into the appropriate fields.
*McGraw-Hill –
We recommend skipping the video, as it is more technical than anything; instead go straight to the material.
Content is organized by grade, in both Spanish and English for grades K-5; English only for 6-12. (Note that the kindergarten curriculum in English is at the very bottom of the page, out of order.)
*National Geographic –
There is only content for grades 7 and 8.
Previews are impossible to view fully from a phone; view on tablet or laptop/desktop only.
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If you want to dig a little deeper, here are links to brochures of CA standards for social studies so you can speak from that in your response to the district –
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Let’s allow the Derek Chauvin verdict this week remind us why we came together in the first place a year ago: our desire for Fullerton to stand with families of color against systemic racism and the white supremacist attitudes still woven into our community. We know that changes that massive will take time; so let’s not give up now, but keep pushing our district forward in bringing about the change our country needs. These textbooks are a step in the right direction, toward the fulfillment of our original open letter; let’s be sure to let them know. The link again to the survey again is here.
Grateful for your allyship.