January 10, 2024
By BARTON HENLEY
Rutherford County Schools
Heather Egan, Shelby Short, and Marjorie Sudberry are all educators at Oakland Middle School.
The three teachers who combine for over 33 years in education, were invited to present their concept to the 103rd annual national conference for the National Council for the Social Studies in Nashville on December 1.
Their presentation was central around the idea that book tasting is not just for English language arts, but it can be utilized in the social studies world as well.
The goal was to share ways that book tastings could be used in a history classroom to give students an opportunity to relate experiences and events through the lens of individuals who are not often the focal point in a textbook while still holding to the state standards.
The main example that the trio used was from World War II.
The group brought examples of several books that students could “taste” and provided examples of which state standards they covered along with a synopsis of the books.
This conference provided the group with an opportunity to connect with people all over the country.
“Taking part in the national social studies conference provided me with an opportunity to interact, collaborate, and learn from educators from all over the country,” Subberry said.
Shelby Short - Instructional Coach at Oakland - is in her second year at the school.
“I was beyond proud to be selected to present to other educators,” Short said. “It was an honor to display our hard work and discuss it with other like-minded educators.”
Heather Egan - Seventh grade social studies teacher at Oakland - said the recognition validated their hard work within their school.
“Being selected to present to other educators is an honor and recognition of our social studies and student literacy expertise,” Egan said. “This validation at the national level is a testament to our commitment at Oakland Middle School and within Rutherford County to the growth and strength of our professional learning community and what we have to offer.”