Overview of Institute
The Integrating Geography and Reading Standards Institute will prepare teachers to integrate strategic reading strategies into authentic geography and social science curriculum in order to help students achieve required levels of reading. The institute is organized around Geographic Foundations, Immigration Origins and Settlement Patterns, Authentic Pedagogy, and Reading Strategies. As a result of the institute:

• Participants will incorporate authentic lessons into their curriculum.
• Participants will construct authentic geography lessons with strategic reading strategies available to teachers statewide via the MAGE website.
• Participants will utilize this curriculum in their classrooms and present results of their students’ learning to colleagues during a professional meeting.

Goals of Institute
The purpose of the institute is to enable teachers to develop an authentic curriculum focused on integration of reading into geography lessons that deal with the origin regions of immigrants to the Twin Cities and the Twin Cities neighborhoods that house large numbers of immigrants.

The major goals of the institute are:

• To enable teachers to put into practice the principles of authentic pedagogy in their classrooms
• To expand teachers’ knowledge of geography’s fundamental concepts and the geography of major world regions to understand the linkages of students’ lives and the origin areas of recent immigrants to meet the social studies standards
• To enhance teachers’ understanding of strategic reading strategies

As a result of the institute, teachers’ impact on students’ learning should be significant. Their students will think more deeply and engage in substantive conversations of geography through critical reading and literacy learning activities to make meaningful connections beyond the classroom. Furthermore, the dissemination of learning could potentially impact hundreds of students.

Objectives of Institute
The Integrating Geography and Reading Standards Institute has several objectives for the participants:

1. Develop a lesson that incorporates geography content, reading strategies, and authentic pedagogy to meet the social studies and reading standards
2. Attend four follow-up sessions
3. Present the lesson and the results of students’ learning of the lesson to colleagues at a professional meeting

Lesson
Complete a lesson for your content area using authentic pedagogy and a reading from a nonfiction, fiction, or informational text. The lesson template serves as a guide to construct a lesson that incorporates information from lectures, strategic reading strategies, and authentic pedagogy to meet social studies and reading standards. Microteaching will occur on Friday, July 23.

Follow-up Sessions
Two follow-up sessions will complete the institute. The review and renewal sessions will focus on sharing institute results, preparing a presentation, participating in a book talk and learning new topics about world regions. An email will be sent prior to each follow-up session outlining the day’s events. Follow-up Session #1 is Saturday, September 18 from 9:00 to 3:00 at Macalester. Follow-up Session #2 is Saturday, November 6 from 9:00 to 3:00 at Hamline.

Additional follow-up sessions may be selected from several opportunities which are posted on the MAGE website (www.macalester.edu/geography/mage/index.htm). You may register for the sessions as information becomes available:

• October 9 ( noon) – October 10: Regional Geography of Southern Europe—Concordia Language Camps (fee required)
• October 29: GeoTech Minnesota (Middle/HS Teachers Only) and/or follow-up November 13
• October 30: ACTC Pre-Service: BASIC Skills for Teaching Geography— Hamline University

Professional Development Presentation
Share the Integrating Geography and Reading Standards Institute with your colleagues at an in-district or out-of-district professional meeting. The presentation may be given to a subject area, grade level, or heterogeneous group of colleagues. It may be given to colleagues in your school, school district or at MCSS or a subject-area workshop. You may present your lesson individually or collaboratively. Document your presentation using the form provided and submit all materials listed by March 15.

This “action research” will validate your effective teaching, meet the institute goals, provide you with course credits or CEUs, and encourage a vision for your future teaching.