Cool Stuff (Link Roundup)

Normally I try to have a theme for these posts, but it's April, and snowing as I type, and I have a list of cool stuff that I haven't gotten around to sharing so today is Teaching Montana History's equivalent of leftovers night, which hopefully provides a little something for everyone.

Sue Reynolds is the founder of the new free Everyday Native 4th-12th grade teacher's resource. It's listed on OPI's website because it meets the Essential Understandings, is multi-subject and and includes the voices of Montana and other Native youth and their families and Victor Charlo's poems about his life. You have to register but it's free and worth exploring. 

Against the Darkness, a film serving in tribute to the Montana coal miners, is available on YouTube!

I recently read Abaki Beck's report, "Ahwahsiin: The Land Where We Get Our Food, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Contemporary Food Sovereignty on the Blackfeet Reservation." It's fascinating and I can imagine high school teachers using it as part of an interdisciplinary Geographic Inquiry. OPI's Indian Education Division Health Enhancement web page has more information on food sovereignty.

Speaking of geography, I was intrigued by this post by Larry Ferlazzo, an education blogger I follow: "Now This is Very Intriguing: Students & Teachers Can Now Create Their Own Google Virtual Reality ‘Tours’.” If any of you have used Tour Creator with your students, I'd love to hear from you!

Spring means baseball, and my Cardinals are at the top of the NL Central Division! And baseball, like football, still struggles with the issue of Indian mascots. Here's a good article to spark discussion around the issue: "Redface, like blackface, is a sin of white supremacy." And here's an article from the Missoulian that reports on research conducted by a UM professor, which empirically demonstrated that "Mascots Can Reinforce Stereotypes."   Finally, OPI Indian Education Specialist Mike Jetty recommends the website Change the Mascot, which he called his "go-to site for all things mascot related."

P.S. High School Teachers: If you are interested in helping improve history education in your schools, districts, and regions (particularly the teaching of Montana history), apply to attend our June Teacher Leader Summit and become a Montana Historical Society Teacher Leader in History.