We’re getting excited about the upcoming MEA-MFT conference. We hope to see you on Wednesday night for our Open House and on Thursday for our Institute, “Bring History Alive.” To attend either the Open House or the Institute, you must register at the MEA_MFT Educator’s Conference registration portal. And, while you are there, you might want to check out these other great-sounding sessions.

On Thursday:

Bring History Alive, 9:00 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
This daylong exploration aims to help you integrate primary source text, art, and artifacts into their teaching practice as well as to provide you an opportunity to explore behind-the-scenes at the Montana Historical Society.

Montana: From the Trenches to the Homefront, 9:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

Prepare for Veteran’s Day and the upcoming World War I centennial (U.S. entered WWI on April 6, 1917).

Montana Women: Raising Babies, Cattle, Suffrage, 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.

Examine the unique culture women developed during Westward Expansion to understand political, social, and economic advantages Montana held for women. 

Fire on the Mountain: Montana's Fire Ecosystems, 11:00a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Explore Whitebark Pine ecosystems and how managers are using fire to bring it back. Also delve into the Indian Education For All 'Fire on the Land' curriculum for social studies and science as well as the Fireworks Trunks available throughout Montana at Forest Service locations.

Montana National History Day, 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Learn how you can get your 6-12 grade students engaged independent research and meet Common Core standards through this exciting program.  

Touring the Montana Legislature Website, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Government teachers: learn about the resources available on the Montana Legislature website, from following bills, watching committee and floor sessions, the MCA and Montana Constitution, and other resources of interest to classroom teachers.

On Friday

Global Urbanization in Eastern Montana, 8:00 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.
Discover how global urbanization has affected eastern Montana a result of the oil and gas industry.

Key Turning Points: 20th Century American History, 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m.
This is the joint keynote of both MCSS and MCHCE and it should be great. Professor Robert Swartout will focus on three crucial events in twentieth-century American history that usually receive only minor attention in U.S. textbooks: the National Origins Act of 1924; the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (the GI Bill) of 1944; and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Dr. Swartout will explain how these three events represent major turning points in American history, connect these historical changes to events occurring in contemporary American society, and explain how this national story relates to Montana.

Northern Cheyenne Odyssey, 11:00 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.

Explore powerful texts (tribal history, poetry, media coverage, online interactive game) that can pair with Homer’s Odyssey or enrich US/ Montana history. Developed in partnership with Billings’ Western Heritage Center and Northern Cheyenne people, these texts are rich in IEFA Essential Understandings and Common Core opportunities, documenting the Northern Cheyenne’s courageous return to Montana after forced removal. 

Hutterite History, 2:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Participants will learn about the history of the Hutterites and their culture.

Using Visual Thinking Strategies in the Classroom, 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
You know how much I love Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). If you haven’t had a chance to explore this technique, here’s a session for you.