Take the Survey and (maybe) Win a Prize

As the school year winds to a close, I’d appreciate getting your feedback. I’d also like to gather information on what has worked for you in the classroom, so I can share it with the list next year.

Would you be willing to take a short online survey? If so, click here.

Need a little incentive? I’m offering prizes to the fifth, fifteenth, and thirty-first person to complete this survey.

P.S. Don't be confused. The survey refers to the listserv because the way the information on this blog is delivered to most people, but the Montana History and Heritage Education Listserv is the same as the Teaching Montana History Blog.

Redd Center Teaching Award and More Professional Development Opportunities

 

Have you ever wanted to attend the Western History Association Conference?

The Western History Association and the Charles Redd Center is pleased to announce the that the Charles Redd Center Teaching Western History Award for K-12 Teachers is open for application. The award will enable four teachers to attend and present at the Western History Association Annual Conference, held this year in Tucson, Arizona, October 9th-12th. The award includes conference registration, award banquet ticket, ticket to the opening reception, and $500 towards conference related costs such asa hotel, travel, conference tours, or Continuing Education Credits. Selected teachers will present their lesson at the panel "Teaching the Vital Signs: K-12 Teachers and the Western Environment." More information will soon be posted on the Awards page of the Western History Association website. You can find links to past winners’ lesson plans here.

Questions can be addressed to Leisl Carr Childers, Visiting Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University at lcarrchilders@gmail.com.

Looking for Professional Development closer to home (and with renewal units)?

Consider joining Dr. Gregory Cajete and many other dynamic speakers at the First International Native Games Conference. It is sure to be an exciting and enjoyable experience with plenty of hands-on activities you can bring back to your classrooms. June 26-28, 2013, hosted by Salish Kootenai Tribal College and the International Traditional Games Society, Pablo.

 

This is a unique conference intended to offer both a historical perspective of cultural values and purpose of the traditional native games, as well as explore the importance of restoring the games as relevant tools for social development for today's youth and family. Register and more information here.

Jim Bruggerman of Montana Council for History and Civics Education alerted me to an upcoming free Civic Education Institute for middle and high school social studies, history, and government teachers, sponsored by the Montana Office of Public Instruction, in Helena, August 5-6, 2013. The workshop will include training on iCivics (a web-based interactive program supported by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor); incorporating the role of Montana tribal governments into civics education; additional civics education resources from Projet Vote Smart, Mission US, and We the People; and aligning civic engagement with the Montana Common Core Standards and Indian Education for All. OPI is offering $50 travel stipends for out-of towners. You can register here or contact Terry Kendrick, tkendrick@mt.gov for more information.

My FREE workshop in Miles City on June 21 still has some room. Additional information and registration information here.http://mhs.mt.gov/education/2013SummerEDWorkshop.asp 

Other great opportunities here.

p.s. Don’t forget to apply for your scholarship to attend next year’s Montana History Conference, September 19-21 in Sidney.

• Learn more about the conference.
• Learn more about the scholarships.
• Submit your scholarship application.

Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. September 4, 2013. Awards will be announced Monday, September 9.

 

P.p.s. My recent post on fake facebook resources garnered several responses. Marla Unruh pointed me toward Fakebook. Via the Montana Council on History and Civics Education Facebook page, I learned about this review of several other fake facebook templates. 

How Do You Use Biographies in Your Classrooms?

Bryan Pechtl from Scobey sent this idea in response to my recent post on the resources we gathered for Montana student biography projects. 

“Great info! I'm passing along an activity I do with my kids. It's, obviously, a play on Face Book. The poster templates are from Teacher’s Discovery and can be ordered online. Kids love them because they're fun, and I like them because it drives the research of their subjects. I try to pair up people and have students' subjects chat with each other, Custer and Sitting Bull, for example.”

How do you use biographies in your classrooms?

Summer Professional Development Opportunities: From Miles City to Missoula...Plus: Apply Now for Fall History Conference Scholarships

Eastern Montana 6-12th grade teachers: Come spend the day with me on June 21 in Miles City. I’ve just finalized the details for the workshop "Literacy in Social Studies: A Common Core Approach Using Homesteading as a Case Study." Cosponsored by PESA, this hands-on workshop will focus on the use of primary sources in the classroom, teaching historical thinking, and best practices for meeting the new Common Core Standards. More information (including how to register for this FREE workshop) is here. 

Looking for Summer Professional Development opportunities further to the west? The date of the NCCE Teaching with Primary Sources Library of Congress Workshops has changed. The Level 1 (Introductory) training will be held in Missoula July 25-26. The Level 2 (Advanced) training will be held in Helena July 22-24 (with July 23 spent with me and my colleagues at the Montana Historical Society). Register here.

OPI’s Indian Education Division has been creating a useful list of other PD opportunities, many of which look fabulous. And they keep adding to the list, which you can find on their program page under “Hot Topics.”

Looking toward next fall? I just found out that, thanks to the generosity of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation in Missoula, we will once again be able to offer scholarships to teachers and students wishing to attend the 40th Annual Montana History Conference in Sidney at the Richland County Fairgrounds Event Center, September 19–21.

• Learn more about the conference here.  
• Learn more about the scholarships here. 
• Submit your scholarship application here.
• Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. September 4, 2013. Awards will be announced Monday, September 9.