A Note on Links: When reading back posts, please be aware that links have a short half-life. You can find working links to all of the MHS resources on our Educator Resources Page.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Not in Our Town

This weekend, 150 Billings residents rallied in a local park to show support for local Muslims, who have been receiving threats. (Article here.)

This act of solidarity reminded me of Billings' response to anti-Semitic violence in December 1993, when thousands of families posted pictures of menorahs in their window as a visible rejection of prejudice. The movement became known as Not in Our Town.

Facing History has created a reading and discussion questions about Not in Our Town.

Elementary students can learn about this history through the picture book The Christmas Menorahs. If your school library doesn't have this book, it should. More resources for teaching about Not in Our Town are here.

On an entirely different note, TPS-Barat is offering a free professional development workshop in January. From their website:

The virtual workshop will feature independent work at school/home, including work before the first of three one-hour synchronous sessions held Tuesdays January 5, 12, and 26 at 6:30 pm CST online. The workshop will be capped at 10 participants but must have no less than 5 to run it. 
Prior to each online session, participants will be asked to investigate resources on the Library of Congress and the TPS-Barat Primary Source Nexus and to prepare materials to share in the synchronous discussions. The online meetings are designed for participants to share their findings and experiences and receive advice, feedback, and additional information from the TPS-Barat master trainers as well as their cohort colleagues. 
Who: K-12 teachers; 5-10 participants 
What: Teaching with Primary Sources from the Library of Congress Level 1 
When: January 5, 12, 26, 2015; sign up by December 22 using an email address you will check during winter break 
Where: School, Home & Online
Why: Enhance your ability to find and access Library resources as well as create and implement primary source activities

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