Elementary Teacher of the Year Award
Purposes of the Award
To recognize and honor one K-6 classroom teacher who has demonstrated exceptional ability as a social studies teacher, as measured by the announced criteria.
Eligibility
- The candidate must have been a classroom teacher in grades K-6 at the time of nomination.
- The candidate must teach social studies regularly.
- The candidate must have been a member of NCSS for the two years prior to the year of nomination.
Criteria
The teacher shall have demonstrated exceptional ability in all of the following five areas:
- develop or use instructional materials creatively and effectively.
- incorporate innovative and verifiable, effective instructional strategies and techniques.
- utilize new scholarship from appropriate fields.
- foster the development and practice of citizen participation among students.
- show evidence of professional involvement such as sharing expertise in workshops, curriculum development committees, association and council activities, etc.
Application Requirements
Documentation shall include:
- a narrative, consisting of no more than 500 words describing achievements in the five specified areas;
- supporting documents;
- letters of support;
- evaluations, classroom observation, data and other supporting documents not to exceed an additional ten pages; and
- a vita or professional resume prepared by the nominee.
Award
A sum of $2500 and a one-year complimentary membership in NCSS.
Middle Level Teacher of the Year Award
Purposes of the Award
To recognize and honor a classroom teacher from the middle level (5-8) who has demonstrated exceptional abilities as a social studies teacher.
Eligibility
- The candidate must have been a classroom teacher in grades 5-8 at the time of nomination.
- The candidate must teach social studies at least half-time.
- The candidate must have been a member of NCSS for at least two years prior to the year of nomination.
Criteria
The teacher shall demonstrate exceptional ability in five of the following six areas:
- develop and/or use instructional materials creatively and effectively;
- incorporate innovative and/or verifiable effective instructional strategies and techniques;
- utilize new scholarship from history, the social sciences or other appropriate fields;
- foster a spirit of inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills among students, particularly in regard to community, national and international affairs and issues;
- foster the development and practice of citizen participation among students;
- show evidence of professional involvement such as sharing expertise in workshops, curriculum development committees, association and council activities, etc.
Application Requirements
Documentation shall include:
- a narrative consisting of no more than 500 words describing achievements in five of the specified areas;
- supporting documents, such as reproductions of newspaper articles;
- letters of support;
- evaluations, classroom observation data, and/or other supporting documents not to exceed an additional ten pages;
- and a vita or professional resume prepared by the nominee.
Award
A sum of $2500 and a one-year complimentary membership in NCSS.
Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award
Purposes of the Award
To recognize one classroom teacher, grades 7-12, who have demonstrated exceptional abilities as social studies teachers
Eligibility
- The candidate must have been a classroom teacher in grades 7-12 at the time of nomination.
- The candidate must teach social studies at least half-time.
- The candidate must have been a member of NCSS for the two years prior to the year of nomination.
Criteria
The teacher shall demonstrate exceptional ability in five of the following six areas:
- develop or use instructional materials creatively and effectively.
- incorporate innovative and verifiable effective instructional strategies and techniques.
- utilize new scholarship from history, the social sciences or other appropriate fields.
- foster a spirit of inquiry and the development of critical thinking skills among students, particularly in regard to community, national and international affairs and issues.
- foster the development and practice of citizen participation among students in school and community settings.
- show evidence of professional involvement such as sharing expertise in workshops, curriculum development committees, association activities, etc.
Application Requirements
Documentation shall include:
- a narrative consisting of no more than 500 words describing achievements in five of the specified areas;
- supporting documents such as reproductions of newspaper articles;
- letters of support;
- evaluations, classroom observation, data and other supporting documents not to exceed an additional ten pages; and
- a vita or professional resume prepared by the nominee.
Award
A sum of $2500 and a one-year complimentary membership in NCSS.