Oldies But Goodies

 We are in the process of reviewing all of our PowerPoints and PDFs to make sure they are ADA compliant, which means a couple of things: 

1. You may encounter links we've broken inadvertently (particularly to PowerPoints). If you do come across a broken link, please let me know ASAP and I'll get you the information and get it fixed. We are trying to be vigilant, but I could use your help catching things.
2. As I look over our many offerings, I have rediscovered some old favorites I think are worth sharing, particularly as we come to the end of the year. 

For Montana History Classes

• “What Don’t You See? The Historical Accuracy of Charles M. Russell Paintings” (grades 7–12) asks students to evaluate Russell’s artwork to decide how accurately it depicts Montana history. After examining what they do see, students will look at what elements Russell left out and discuss ways in which Russell’s depictions of the “Old West” have shaped our view of Montana history.

Why I like it: It provides a review of Montana history from the early contact period through the 1910s while asking students to think critically about sources and perspective.

• Women at Work Lesson Plan: Clothesline Timeline. This primary-source based lesson asks students to analyze historic photographs to draw conclusions about women and work from the 1870s through the 2010s. Students will discover that Montana women have always worked, but that discrimination, cultural expectations, and changing technology have influenced the types of work women undertook. (Designed for 4-12)

Why I like it: This lesson is shorter and less in depth than the lesson on Charlie Russell, so it should be easier to fit into your schedule. Like the Charlie Russell lesson, it looks at a wide swath of time (from the 1870s through the 2010s) but does it through the lens of women's opportunities. Also, it's just a load of fun. 

For American History Classes

• Reader's Theater: Letters Home from Montanans at War (Designed for 7th-12th). This three-to-five period unit asks students to work in groups to read and interpret letters written by soldiers at war, from the Civil War to the Operation Iraqi Freedom. After engaging in close reading and conducting research to interpret the letters, they will perform the letters as reader’s theater.

Why I like it: I like this for an end of year project because it surveys a large period of time, but it looks at it from the angle of the ordinary people who were caught up in world events. It emphasizes the fact that every one of us is shaping history every day.

For Government Classes

• Resources for Teaching about the Montana Constitution. For the fiftieth anniversary of Montana’s 1972 constitution, we put together a list of resources for teaching about this foundational document. These include videos, lesson plans, readings, and a link to the document itself.

Why I like it: Every Montana student should understand our state constitution. Through the link above you can access everything from a multi-day lesson to a 23-minute video. Re that multi-day lesson, The Montana 1972 Constitutional Convention: Even if you don't have time to do the entire thing, you should have your students do Part 2: Analyzing the Preambles, a 50-100 minute exercise comparing the preambles of the 1889 and 1972 constitutions. 

• Montana Women's Legal History Lesson Plan. (Designed for grades 11-12). In this 1-2 period activity, students will examine sample Montana legislation from 1871 to 1991 that particularly affected women's lives to explore the impact laws have on the lives of ordinary people and why laws change.

Why I like it: This is lesson requires students to contextualize legislation while exploring how laws impact the lives of ordinary people. I'd like every graduating senior to understand that government affects their lives and that they can influence government.

• Women and Sports: Tracking Change Over Time (Designed for grades 4-8) In this lesson, students learn about how Title IX (a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in education) changed girls’ opportunities to participate in school sports by collecting and analyzing the data to look at change in women’s sports participation over time.

Why I like it: It drives home the fact that legislation affects every one of us. Yes--we designed this for grades 4-8 but it would be easily adaptable to high school.

Stand-alone Projects (for ELA or Social Studies)

• Ordinary People Do Extraordinary Things! Connecting Biography to Larger Social Themes Lesson Plan (Designed for grades 8-12) This lesson uses essays published on the Montana Women’s History website to help students explore how ordinary people’s lives intersect with larger historical events and trends and to investigate how people’s choices impact their communities. After analyzing two profiles of American Indian women, students are asked to conduct interviews with people in their own community to learn about how that person has chosen to shape the world around him or her.

Why I like it: This lesson focuses on agency, and conveys the idea that, no matter the larger circumstances, we all have agency. Don't have time for an interview project? Simply stop after Part 1.

P.S. We are holding our last Third Tuesday PD on April 21 at 4:30 p.m. It is on teaching with cemeteries, which is another great end of year project. If you are interested in exploring how to harness your local cemetery to engage your students in community study, you can use this link to register for this session.

 

 

Nominate a Rock Star Montana History Teacher

 Do you know a middle or high school (grades 7-12) teacher who does an exemplary job teaching Montana history?

Please nominate them for the 37th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award by completing this very simple form, which will take less than two minutes to complete. Nominations are due April 13.

Nominated teachers will be asked to submit two one-page letters of support, one from their principal, superintendent, fellow teacher or librarian and one from a student. They will also be asked to submit one to two pages detailing why they enjoy teaching Montana, how they engage their students in learning, how their Montana history course recognizes cultural diversity and anything else they’d like to share about their class or methods.

Nominees will receive instructions on how to submit this material. Deadline for submissions is May 10, 2026.

The winner will receive the 37th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award, which honors the Montana History Teacher of the Year. They and their class will be honored at a ceremony in the State Capitol on Friday, November 9, 2026. The Teacher of the Year will also receive a cash prize of more than $3,000 to put toward classroom materials, field trips, speakers, and anything else that will enhance learning in their classroom.

This program, initially created by Montana television newscaster Norma Ashby, is sponsored by the Montana Historical Society with financial support from the Montana Television Network, the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers, the Virginia City Preservation Alliance, and the 1889 Coffee House.

Good Reads and Gallery of Outstanding Montanans

 

Interesting Articles from the Montana Free Press

Do you subscribe to the Montana Free Press? I've recommended it before and I'm recommending it again. Here are a few of the fascinating articles they've published recently. 

• How the Fort Peck Tribes build a bison blueprint
• Northern Cheyenne Tribe reclaims cultural belongings from UM
• Where does eastern Montana start? Montanans disagree
• Montana ranks 7th for US Olympians per capita
• BLM nominee talks land sales, local management in senate confirmation hearing
• Majority of Montanans say there’s about the right amount of federal land in new poll
• EPA finalizes repeal of emissions rule that could have forced Colstrip’s closure

Interesting Reads from Beyond Our Borders

My brother lives in Seattle and often sends me articles that relate to Montana. Most recently it was this article in the Seattle Times: "Calling It Quits In Coal Country: New Rules Force a Town with Washington Ties to Go Its Own Way."

Nominate Someone for the Gallery of Outstanding Montanans

The Gallery of Outstanding Montanans was established by the State Legislature in 1979 to pay homage to citizens of the Treasure State who made contributions of state or national significance to their selected fields of endeavor while epitomizing the unique spirit and character that defines Montana. Inductees into Montana’s hall of fame are rotated into the gallery on a biennial basis; each is honored for an eight-year period. This program is managed by the Montana Historical Society. 

Every ten years, the Montana Historical Society puts out a statewide call for nominees--and this is the year! Consider having your class nominate a local hero. Learn about current and former inductees and find a link to submit a nomination. Nominations are due by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, May 3, 2026.

Share what you know!

The 2026 MFPE Educator Conference will be held in Great Falls, October 15-16 and the Montana Council for Social Studies is looking for presenters! (I bet other curriculum groups are looking for presenters as well.)

This year's conference is hybrid, so even if you can't make it to Great Falls, if you have information, strategies, lessons, or resources that you think other teachers could learn from, I hope you'll put in a proposal. I've talked to a lot of great, inspiring teachers who were anxious about presenting to adults and I'll tell you what I told them: Be brave!  

The deadline to submit an application to present at the is APRIL 30! 

Will you help make the social studies strands as strong as they can possibly be by sharing your strategies, knowledge or best lessons? Click here to submit your proposal.

March PDs

Social Studies Tuesday

Join MTHS Teacher leaders in History on March 17 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. for a discussion on Engaging Students in Community Study. 

Why is it important to engage students in documenting and studying local history? What are some easy ways to get students thinking about their own lives, families, and neighbors as part of history? Learn about projects, strategies, and resources you can use to have your students research close to home. Register for this session.

IEFA Best Practices Conference

There's still time to register for 2026 IEFA Best Practices, which will be held in East Helena on March 23 – 24. This year's conference theme is "We Are All Related: Planting the Seeds of Knowledge, Growing our Montana Story," which emphasizes the vital connection between culturally responsive education and building strong community relationships.

Prepare for two days of engaging sessions, hands-on workshops, and inspiring keynotes designed to provide you with practical, authentic strategies for embedding the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians across all grade levels and content areas. Come learn, share, and collaborate as we collectively work to ensure every student fully knows the history and identity of our state.

Highlights include a two-hour IEFA experience in the Montana Heritage Center's Homeland exhibit, an evening of Indigenous musicians and comedians, and keynotes by Dr. Shane Doyle (Crow) and Watson Whitford (hippewa Cree and Navajo). Use this link for Best Practices 2026 Registration.

P.S. Have you voted in Montana Madness today?  

Montana's Constitution

 

Bring a Virtual Guest Speaker into Your Class for Montana Constitution Day

On March 22, 1972, all 100 delegates to the Montana Constitutional Convention signed a new constitution for the State of Montana. And just as we celebrate Constitution Day in the U.S. on September 17 to commemorate the September 17, 1787, signing of the United States Constitution, the Friends of the Montana Constitution are calling on Montanans to commemorate our State Constitution every year on March 22 – Montana Constitution Day!

Because March 22 falls on a Sunday this year, they've moved their programming to Friday, March 20, when they will host a livestreamed lecture by the Honorable Anthony Johnstone, Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, wo will present “The Montana Constitution in Time” with an introduction from Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Cory Swanson.

Judge Johnstone’s presentation considers the development of the Montana Constitution over time in relation to the 1889 Montana Constitution, the U.S. Constitution, and other state and national constitutions. Your class is invited to tune in online via Zoom at 10:30 a.m., March 20:  https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/89140933494. 

Resources to Teach about the Montana Constitution

MTHS has a number of resources to help teach about the Montana Constitution, including lesson plans, a chapter dedicated to its creation in Montana: Stories of the Land, and a 23-minute video with discussion questions. You can find links to all of these resources here. 

Not Everyone Is a Fan of Montana's Constitution

I was interested to see this article in the Montana Free Press, talking about a meeting held by Mountain States Policy Center to discuss rewriting the constitution. Voters weigh in on whether to call a new constitutional convention every 20 years. The issue will next appear on the ballot in 2030. 

What Do You (and More Importantly, Your Students) Think?

Montana's 1972 Constitution is relatively short and easy to read. It's also relatively easy to amend. I wonder if, after reading it, your students would support calling for a constitutional convention to rewrite the entire document, passing amendments to change portions of it, or if they think our founding document is fine the way it is.  

Women's History Month Is Just around the Corner:

Webinar on Indigenous Women

Attend the OPI IEFA webinar on March 3^rd at 4:00 p.m. where we will be sharing IEFA resources to support instruction about Indigenous women. Educators can receive one renewal unit for attending the webinar. 

Zoom link:  https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/88561388687?pwd=pyP4AX3RQlPiY1y1v3257utTIkbLS2.1 

Resources from MTHS

MTHS has several lesson plans and other resources on focused on women's history.

Here are a few of my favorites: 

• Montana Women at Work: Clothesline Timeline Lesson Plan (Designed for grades 4-12) This primary-source based lesson asks students to analyze historic photographs to draw conclusions about women and work from the 1870s through the 2010s. Students will discover that Montana women have always worked, but that discrimination, cultural expectations, and changing technology have influenced the types of work women undertook. 
• Women and Sports: Tracking Change Over Time (Designed for grades 4-8) In this lesson aligned to both Common Core ELA and Math standards, students learn about how Title IX (a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in education) changed girls’ opportunities to participate in school sports by collecting and analyzing the data to look at change in women’s sports participation over time.
• Ordinary People Do Extraordinary Things! Connecting Biography to Larger Social Themes Lesson Plan (Designed for grades 8-12) This lesson uses essays published on the Montana Women’s History website to help students explore how ordinary people’s lives intersect with larger historical events and trends and to investigate how people’s choices impact their communities. After analyzing two essays on American Indian women from the Montana Women’s History website, students are asked to conduct interviews with people in their own community to learn about how that person has chosen to shape the world around him or her.
• Girl from the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan Study Guide (Designed for students 6-10). This study guide includes everything you need to teach Girl from the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan. Set in the second half of the nineteenth century, this highly readable 222-page memoir details Mary Sheehan Ronan’s journey across the Great Plains, her childhood on the Colorado and Montana mining frontiers, her ascent to young womanhood in Southern California, her return to Montana as a young bride, and her life on the Flathead Indian Reservation as the wife of an Indian agent. Book One, which provides a child’s-eye view of the mining frontier, is available to download as a PDF (Lexile Level 1180L). Classroom sets of Girl from the Gulches can be purchased from the Montana Historical Society Store by calling (406)-444-2890.

And of course, check out Montana Women's History Website for short essays, PDFs of journal articles and other materials.

P.S. Space is still available for those who want to attend the March 16-17 in-person PD in Dickinson, North Dakota, on Evaluating Student Argumentation in Historical Research. Travel stipends and renewal units provided. Learn more and find link to apply.