Join the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies and your colleagues for the annual OCSS Conference. Attendee registration is available here.
Geography Awareness Week takes place November 14-19, 2022. This year’s theme is A World of Possibilities: Celebrate Career Paths in Geography. All Pre-K - 12 public school students in Oklahoma are invited to participate.
The impressive array of career choices might be one of the geography discipline’s best-kept secrets. This year, the American Association of Geographers and OKAGE aim to change that. During the 35th annual Geography Awareness Week, we’re showcasing the work of geographers in strikingly diverse areas, from agriculture and food security to tracking illegal mining; from foregrounding the geographies of health to the work of correlating cancer and air quality and applying Geographic Information Systems to patterns of substance abuse; from assuring the integrity of population counts to safeguarding wildlife ecologies; from advising on climate resilience to protecting fair voting maps. For the 2022 Art contest, students should consider their dream career path and how they might solve a real-world issue they are passionate about as a professional in their selected field. Submissions may convey any aspect of students’ selected profession and illustrate how they will work to improve upon their selected issue. Entries should show the local, state, national, or worldwide impact of their chosen issue – either presently or what they hope to achieve in the future.
Guidelines:
Artwork should be no larger than a standard 8.5’’ by 11’’ sheet of paper.
Each entry should include a title which helps tell the story of the student’s artwork.
Entries should be solely completed by the student and consist of only original artwork. Artwork containing online images, photos, newspaper, magazine clippings, etc. will not be considered.
Illustrations may be completed with standard art supplies including colored pencils, markers, pens, crayons, paint, etc.
Artwork must be submitted by the teacher electronically here or mailed to the OKAGE office at 100 E. Boyd St., SEC 684, Norman, OK 73019. Electronic submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. CST on Saturday, November 19th. If mailed, entries must be postmarked no later than Saturday, November 19th. If submitting artwork by mail, complete this form with each entry to be considered for prizes.
Judging:
Judging will take place in early December, and winners will be announced prior to Winter Break. OKAGE Staff along with our Board of Directors will serve as judges.
Artwork will be judged based on adherence to the theme, creativity and clarity of the title, originality, aesthetic, and expression of the spatial and/or temporal scope of the student’s chosen topic.
Prizes:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be selected in two categories – Elementary (Pre-K – 5th Grade) and Middle/High School (6th – 12th Grade).
1st Place: With approval of the winner’s teacher, the winner’s class in each category gets to participate in an all-expenses-paid field trip with OKAGE during the Spring 2023 semester which may highlight career opportunities in Oklahoma or present an opportunity to learn more about the subject matter of the winning student’s artwork. The individual student who created the winning artwork and their teacher will each receive a $100.00 Walmart gift card.
2nd Place: The individual student who created the winning artwork and their teacher will each receive a $75.00 Walmart gift card.
3rd Place: The individual student who created the winning artwork and their teacher will each receive a $50.00 Walmart gift card.
Contact us at okage@ou.edu or (405) 325-5832 with any questions.
Geography Day is open to any groups of middle or high school students in 6th - 12th grade.
Students will have the opportunity to visit with exhibitors representing college programs in Geography and similar fields as well as those who will be able to provide information on geography and related careers available within the state. All attendees are invited to participate in an art contest. More information about the art contest can be found here. OKAGE will also be leading an interactive Giant Map activity, and will be providing lunch to all students and teachers in attendance.
Schools may request a substitute teacher and/or transportation reimbursement from OKAGE by sending an invoice to okage@ou.edu.
Registration for Geography Day is now closed.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education for a special one-day in-person workshop highlighting how geography can be used to enhance your upper elementary classroom instruction in the four major subject areas - Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, and English Language Arts! Participants will receive classroom-ready lesson plans for the elementary level and are eligible to receive five hours of professional development credit along with a $75.00 stipend to offset any costs associated with attending this workshop. Substitute teacher reimbursements are available to your school upon request. All workshop participants will receive free access to the museum galleries following the workshop from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Register here by Tuesday, October 26th.
A $25.00 refundable deposit is due at the time of registration and is required in order for your registration to be confirmed. Any cancelations or no-shows will result in forfeiture of your deposit. OKAGE accepts checks, purchase orders, and online payments for workshop deposits. Checks should be made out to OKAGE and mailed to 100 E. Boyd St. SEC 684, Norman, OK 73072, and purchase orders can either be emailed to okage@ou.edu or mailed to us. Online payments are accepted here. If you are paying your deposit by check, please email okage@ou.edu when your check has been mailed.
The Sam Noble Museum is a large event space designed to hold hundreds of people - much greater than our typical workshop attendance of 15 - 45 people. As such, there will be socially distanced seating throughout the duration of this event. OKAGE will provide masks, hand sanitizer, breakfast, and lunch for workshop participants. Outdoor and indoor socially distanced dining will be available at the venue. Contact us at okage@ou.edu or (405) 325-5832 with any questions.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education (OKAGE) for a two-day Summer Institute on how to use the Geo-Inquiry process to understand environmental conservation in Oklahoma. The first day of this institute will include a field experience in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, and the second day will consist of a classroom component where participants will learn about the Geo-Inquiry process and how to develop their own Geo-Inquiry projects and lesson plans.
Monday, June 28th 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29th 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m
This workshop is geared towards educators in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area, but educators across the state of Oklahoma are welcome to apply. Participants who complete the workshop will receive sixteen (16) hours of professional development credit and a $100.00 stipend.* Lodging and meals will be provided during the institute and transportation will be provided to and from the field trip site. However, participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Norman, OK prior to leaving for the field trip on Monday, June 28th, and prior to the in-class component at the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday, June 29th. OKAGE will reimburse participants for mileage to and from Norman, OK.
Register HERE by Friday, June 4th. A $25.00 deposit is required at the time of registration but will be refunded upon completion of the workshop. Deposits will also be refunded if registration is canceled by Wednesday, June 9th.
*Participants must attend the full two days to be eligible for the stipend.
This project is made possible through funding from the Kirkpatrick Foundation.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education and the State Department of Education for a professional development session titled “Using Science, Math, Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Geography to Understand What Really Happened to the Grid During the Last Snowstorm!”
We know the snowstorm last month exposed the sensitivities of the grid systems. What happened in Texas can and does happen elsewhere, for various reasons. The public view and the industry view differ. So, the question for us is: "What really happened?" During this presentation, we will highlight how elements from all subject areas can be used to explain the causes of this incident as well as understand implications for future service interruptions due to extreme weather events.
Kylah McNabb is a renewable energy specialist, policy advisor, and educator. She currently is the Principal of Vesta Strategic Solutions, LLC, in OKC. Prior to that, Kylah served as a Renewable Energy Specialist, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, 2008-2017, and as an Energy Policy Advisor, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy & Environment, 2016-2017. Kylah will share her unique insights and data regarding the recent events. Her perspective will not only include what did happen, but also, what did not happen!
Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit and will be entered into a drawing for a door prize!
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, Oklahoma State University, and the State Department of Education for a session on Oklahoma's geography. Steve Stadler, Ph.D. from the Oklahoma State University Department of Geography will be discussing wind power and other sources of renewable energy as an illustration of Oklahoma's unique physical and human characteristics. The following Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies will be covered in this session:
6.5: The student will compare common physical and human characteristics of regions which create identity or uniqueness and influence people's perceptions of the Western Hemisphere
7.1.4: Integrate visual information and apply the skill of mental mapping of the political and physical features of the Earth’s surface in order to organize information about people, places, and environments.
7.1.5: Integrate visual information, draw conclusions, and make predictions from geographic data; analyze spatial distribution and patterns by interpreting that data as displayed on geographic tools.
7.2.2: Describe the distribution of major renewable and nonrenewable resources of each region.
Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit and will be entered into a drawing for a door prize!
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education and the Oklahoma Council for Social Studies for a session on the spread of Democracy and Authoritarianism around the world. This session will be led by National Geographic Certified Educator and OKAGE Teacher Consultant, Cody Sivertsen and the content presented will be aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies and the National Geography Standards. Participants who attend the live session will be entered into a door prize drawing and will receive professional development credit.
Link to session: https://bit.ly/3adYAO8
Meeting ID: 961 8232 1778
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the passcode.
Join the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education for a special online professional development opportunity on Jerusalem. The first session will be led by Rangar Cline, Ph.D. and will provide an overview of Jerusalem then will cover archaeological research related to pilgrimages in the Roman and early Byzantine periods. Following Dr. Cline’s presentation, National Geographic Certified Educator and OKAGE Teacher Consultant Teresa Potter will discuss the significance of Jerusalem in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Participants who attend the live session are eligible to receive a $25.00 stipend, three hours of professional development credit, and will be entered into a door prize drawing. $50.00 stipends are available to participants who attend the live session and develop a lesson plan on Jerusalem to be made available on the OKAGE website following the workshop.
After completing the registration form here, you will receive the link and password for the Zoom meeting. Contact us at okage@ou.edu if you have any questions.
Join us on Tuesday, December 8th at 4:00 p.m. CST for the sixth installment of OKAGE’s online professional development series! This session will cover disaster preparedness and recovery and how these strategies differ across local, regional, and global scales. Impacts upon disaster response as they relate to existing socioeconomic inequities along with complicating factors due to COVID-19 will also be discussed. This session will be led by OKAGE Teacher Consultant Heather Braucher, and Dr. Mark Shafer with the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program. The content presented will be at the middle and high school levels, but educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend. There will be a door prize drawing for five Nystrom Desk Atlases for participants who attend the live session. Attendees will receive one hour of professional development credit.
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
The Middle East produces about one third of the world’s oil which makes the entire world reliant on that oil and natural gas. The goal of this lesson is to use map skills to gain an understanding of the effects of abundant oil supplies in the Middle East. Using maps, students will analyze data from a geographic perspective. They will increase their understanding of conflict and cooperation among specific groups over oil and religious differences, along with the impacts of COVID-19 upon global markets. They will also identify multinational peace-keeping efforts to stabilize relationships in the Middle East. There will be a door prize drawing for five Nystrom Desk Atlases for participants who attend the live session.
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
This year, Geography Awareness Week takes place on November 15th - 21st. The theme for the OKAGE Postcard Contest is “World Geography in 2020”.
1. The postcard should be no larger than 8.5” x 5.5”. A template is available here or you may simply divide a standard sheet of paper in half.
2. Each student may submit only one postcard entry.
3. The student must design both sides of the card (picture and note-address sides) using any medium other than charcoal. Artwork must be two-dimensional and be the original work done by the student. Computer generated artwork will not be accepted.
4. A first, second, and third place winner will be selected in three categories: Pre-K - 3rd, 4th - 6th, and 7th - 12th. Judging will be based on (1) adherence to rules, (2) originality, and (3) content/appropriateness to the theme.
5. On the front, the student should illustrate the 2020 Postcard Contest theme of “World Geography in 2020.”
6. On the back, the student may include a handwritten message to a theoretical recipient that further illustrates the theme. The return address in the upper left must include the student’s first and last name, school name, school address, grade level, teacher’s name, and school phone. Please legibly print this information.
7. Entries with illegible contact information will not be accepted. Entries must be postmarked by Tuesday, December 1st, 2020.
Student Prizes:
• 1st Place: $100.00 gift card
• 2nd Place: $75.00 gift card
• 3rd Place: $50.00 gift card
Teacher Prizes: Teachers of first prize students in each of the three age categories will receive a $100.00 gift card.
All winners may choose between receiving a Walmart, Target, or Barnes & Noble gift card.
The Deadline: Entries must be accompanied by an official entry form and postmarked by Tuesday, December 1st, 2020. All entries become property of OKAGE. Original artwork cannot be returned and reproductions of the winning postcards may be distributed at various events throughout the year. Mail entries with an official entry form to: OKAGE Postcard Contest, 100 East Boyd, SEC 684, Norman, OK 73019-1018. For more information, call the OKAGE office at (405) 325-5832, or email us at okage@ou.edu.
Join us on Wednesday, October 28th from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. CDT for a half-day professional development session. This session will cover writing exercises and activities centered around the Tulsa Race Massacre, and will be led by Quraysh Ali Lansana, who is a Professor and Teaching Artist at Oklahoma State University (OSU) - Tulsa and Taylor Woodard who is a National Geographic Certified Educator and OKAGE Teacher Consultant. Professor Lansana currently teaches a course on Black Wall Street: Greenwood’s Evolution and Reawakenings at OSU - Tulsa and Taylor Woodard currently teaches 5th grade English Language Arts at Moore Public Schools. The content presented will be at the upper elementary and middle school level, but educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend. Participants who attend the live session and complete an evaluation form will receive a $25.00 stipend, four hours of professional development credit, and will be entered into a door prize drawing. Participants who attend the live session and submit a lesson plan on the Tulsa Race Massacre to be added to the OKAGE Lesson Plan Library are eligible to receive a $50.00 stipend. After completing the registration form here, you will receive the link and password for the Zoom meeting. Contact us at okage@ou.edu if you have any questions.
Join us on Tuesday, October 13th at 5:00 p.m. CDT for the fourth installment of OKAGE’s online professional development series! This session will cover strategies for teaching geography online, and will be led by OKAGE Teacher Consultant and National Geographic Certified Educator Clayton Canon. The content presented will be at the middle school level, but educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend. Attendees should come prepared with a resource to share with other participants, or a specific question about online geography instruction that can be addressed in the session. Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit, and there will be a door prize drawing for five Nystrom Desk Atlases for participants who attend the live session.
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
Join us on Tuesday, September 8th at 4:00 p.m. CDT for the third installment of OKAGE’s online professional development series! This session will cover the human and physical characteristics of East Asia, and will be led by OKAGE Teacher Consultant Susan Smith. The content presented will be at the middle school level, but educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend. Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit for this session.
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
Join us on Tuesday, August 11th at 4:00 p.m. CDT for the second installment of OKAGE’s online professional development series! This session will cover Climate Change, and will be led by J. Scott Greene, Ph.D. The content presented will primarily be at the middle school and high school level, but educators of all grade levels are welcome to attend. Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit for this session.
Link to session: https://zoom.us/j/97502983748
Email us at okage@ou.edu to receive the password, or if you have any questions.
In our theme of Overcoming Tragedy through Triumph, we will start the day with a vibrant discussion focusing on the Oklahoma City Bombing and its impact in our state. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Karlos Hill, will speak with us as our state prepares for the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre to help prepare you and your classroom discussion.
Critical thinking, developing curiosity, problem-solving, and practical application are cornerstones in social studies education. There is so much to discuss with our students especially considering the current climate of events and upcoming historical anniversaries.
Breakout sessions in geography, history, economics, and civics will provide you with ready to go tools for the new school year ahead.
Join us on Tuesday, July 14th at 4:00 p.m. CDT for the first installment of OKAGE’s online professional development series! The first session will cover Regions, and will be led by Gary Gress, Ph.D. Participants will receive one hour of professional development credit for each session.
Download the notes prior to the session here.
Watch a recording of the session here.
Breakout sessions include lesson plans and activities designed for Giant Maps of Africa, Europe, and Oklahoma.
Join OKAGE at the National Weather Center as we navigate the changes in Geography.
The 2019 Spring Geography Academy theme is Co-Existing with Animals: Human-Environment
Follow this link to the official site.
The 2018 WGA theme is Teaching Controversial Topics, Past and Present: Culture, Religion, Politics, and Our Environment.
This event is focused on elementary-level/middle-level curriculum but is open to all grade-level teachers.
The 2018 WGA theme is Teaching Controversial Topics, Past and Present: Culture, Religion, Politics, and Our Environment.
This event is focused on middle-level curriculum but is open to all grade-level teachers.
Follow this link to the official site.
