The Outstanding Social Studies Teacher Award for the year 2009 will be presented to three Missouri teachers at the Missouri Council for the Social Studies Spring 2008 Conference February 2009 in the Lake of the Ozarks. The awards will be presented to an elementary teacher (K-6), a middle school teacher (5-8), and a secondary teacher (7-12).

Each winner will receive the following:
1. a complimentary MCSS membership for one year
2. a complimentary NCSS membership for one year
3. a $150 cash Honorarium
4. full payment of the MCSS Spring Conference Registration Fee
5. a plaque honoring his or her achievement

Additionally, each winner will be asked to present a workshop at the Spring MCSS conference.

To be eligible, a teacher must be a practicing teacher in the category for which he/she is nominated and must be teaching social studies at least half time. In addition, the nominee must demonstrate successful performance in at least five of the following six categories:

1. Develop or use instructional materials creatively and effectively.
2. Incorporate innovative or verifiably effective instructional strategies and techniques.
3. Utilize new scholarship from history, the social studies, and other appropriate fields.
4. Foster a spirit of inquiry and the development of skills related to acquiring, organizing, processing, and using information and to making decisions related to both domestic and international matters.
5. Foster the development of democratic beliefs and values and the skills needed for citizen participation in classroom, school, and community settings.
6. Show evidence of professional involvement through participation in such activities as workshops, curriculum development, and association activities.

Nominations for the award must come from supervisors, principals, fellow teachers, or other individuals who can provide credible evidence of the nominee’s achievements.
State award winners must submit their own credentials to the National Council for the Social Studies for consideration at the national level. The nominee does not need to be a member of MCSS or NCSS to be a state winner. However, for a state winner to be considered for a national award, he or she must be an NCSS member for two years prior to the nomination.

*We are currently not accepting nominations for the MCSS TOY award, check back soon for the 2009 nomination form.*