Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history of IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. You can find elementary and middle school teachers’ responses in these earlier posts. Read on for responses from high school teachers with some notes from me, in brackets.
Kim Konen, Dillon HS: “For my gold rush unit this year I used the Mary Ronan story. I love that book and have read it several times! I had students read the 6 chapters that were available and then complete chapter questions. It really gave the students a first hand perspective of someone who lived in Bannack, Virginia City and Helena during the gold boom!” [The questions Kim mentions are from our Girl from the Gulches: The Story of Mary Ronan Study Guide.]
Art teacher Jeri Rittel, Helena: "I used the online art for my virtual museums class. The students were amazed at the art we have in the vaults at the Historical Society."
Betty Bennett, 9-12 English, Missoula: "Normally Blood on the Marias is her favorite lesson (she teaches it in conjunction with Fools Crow.) "It makes the book so much more significant, especially for my NA students." Last year she planned to try to use focus on the newspaper articles to show "how the positions and attitudes reflected the readership between Montanans who felt they were endangered or that their lands were endangered opposed to those in a more distant readership who looked at it as a humanitarian issue. This allows us to discuss the issues of distortion of history, political decisions, bias, use of specific language to influence readers, etc."
Betty also really likes "The Art of Storytelling." The hands-on activities tap a whole new dimension of learning, understanding, and appreciation of the stories that make us see history as relevant and current. I didn't have a way to make that happen on line this year."
Elaine Warn, 9-12 English, Bozeman: "I teach in a collaborative classroom with a history teacher. One of our favorite projects is one that we call 'Then and Now'. We have compiled a collection of interesting historical photos of our local area (most within walking distance of the school). Students choose a photo. They then have to recreate the photo as closely as possible. They write 4-6 paragraph narrative essays exploring the changes and shifts between the original photo and the current one. They can explore historical events, geographical shifts, economical changes, etc. It turns out fantastic! We got the idea from reading William Wyckoff's On the Road Again: Montana's Changing Landscape." [I cannot say enough how much I LOVE this idea! And Bill's book is great too.]
Two teachers talked about how they incorporated Montana history into US history. Alex Rosenleaf, 9-12, Great Falls, wrote: “The Copper Kings of Butte in relation to the Gilded Age and Robber Barons.” Lynn Mason, 9-12 Ravalli, wrote: "I incorporate both [Montana and US history] in every unit I teach to bring the curriculum closer to home. When we discuss industrialization, we examine the impact this had on Montana as a territory with the gold rush and the impact this had on Native Americans. Then we look at how this has helped to shape the world we live in today and how all of us are dealing with the past."
Lori Messenger English teacher at Seeley-Swan High School: "Well, the unit has gotten decimated here at the end of the year, but it's still about Norman Maclean and the Mann Gulch Fire connected to reading Young Men and Fire.”
Bill Wagner of Drummond takes his students on an annual bison hunt.
Do you have a lesson or idea to share? If so, let me know so I can share it out!
P.S. Don't forget to tune into The Great Smallpox Pandemic of 1779-1784 on Thursday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m. In this talk, Dr. Colin Calloway (Dartmouth) will trace the smallpox epidemic that spread across the West, from Mexico to Canada, at the time of the American Revolution and consider its impact on the history of both Native America and the burgeoning United States. One OPI Renewal Unit is available by completing this form by Monday, September 28, 11:59 p.m. Late submissions will not be accepted.
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