Worth a Second Look

I've been writing Teaching Montana History for a long time now (over ten years!) so I guess it shouldn't be surprising that I don't remember every idea I post about. But I always am surprised--and delighted--when I stumble on a good idea from past years that had completely slipped my mind. That happened recently when I was scrolling through the Teaching Montana History blog, looking for something else. Here are two strategies I think deserve to be remembered--and implemented!--both of which align to Common Core ELA standards while engaging students deeply in content.

 

Transforming Textbook Text into a Found Poem

Master teacher Jim Schulz turned me onto the brilliant idea of asking students to create found poems from short sections of their textbook or other complex text.  Why brilliant? Because it requires students to read and reread the complex informational text to discern and then summarize the main ideas. Jim says students will need a guiding question. Inspired by Jim, I created a a sample assignment for the section "The Dawes Act: Allotments Subdivide the Reservations," from Chapter 11 of Montana: Stories of the Land:

• Using the text (including sidebar quotations, posters, image captions, etc.), on pages 219-222 of Montana: Stories of the Land, create a found poem that answers the following question: What conclusions can you draw about the policy of allotment?

Looking for more ideas about how to integrate poetry into Montana history (or Montana history into a poetry unit)? Check out the original post.

Time Travel: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I'd also forgotten about the time travel assignment I found on history teacher Russell Tarr's fabulous site, Tarr's Toolbox. This is a classic RAFT* writing assignment, with a twist: "have students consider multiple viewpoints, first by selling the positives of a certain time or place in the brochure, and then, in a complaint letter about the vacation from hell, by highlighting all the problems." I thought, and still think, this would be a great assignment when studying the cattle frontier, to encourage students to analyze both the realities and romance of the Old West.

Do you have a favorite strategy--a slightly out-of-the-box way of engaging your students? Let me know and I'll share it out.

*RAFT stands for Role, Audience, Format, and Topic. Here a more detailed explanation and a model RAFT writing assignment about Montana and WWI. 

P.S. Don't forget our upcoming online Professional Development (for which you will be able to earn one renewal unit). We'll gather via Zoom on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, to share our best ideas and resources for integrating Montana history into U.S. history. Sign up for the session here. And best wishes to all for a joyous and healthy 2021.