Dreaming about Summer?

 NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for K-12 educators and higher education faculty to study a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of $1,300-$3,450 for residential programs and $650-$1,725 for virtual programs help cover expenses for these one- to four-week programs. The application period for all programs closes on March 3, 2023.

From everyone I've talked to, these programs are amazingly exciting and invigorating. They are also competitive, so you'll want to give yourself time to pull together a good application. Most programs reserve a few spots for early career educators. They also look for geographic diversity, which gives Montanans an advantage when applying to programs outside our region. 

You can see the full list of opportunities here, but these are a few that caught my eye:  

Buffalo Nations: History and Revitalization of the American Bison
Location: Yellowstone National Park, near Gardiner, MT
Dates: August 2-8, 2023; August 9-15, 2023 (1 week)

Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art
Location: Toledo, OH
Dates: June 19-23, 2023 (1 week)

Centering Youth Agency in the Civil Rights Movement
Location: Clinton, TN and Online
Dates: June 26-30, 2023 (residential phase); July 10-14, 2023 (virtual phase) (2 weeks)

Rethreading the Needle of the Native American History Narrative
Location: Boston, MA
Dates: July 16-28, 2023 (two weeks)

Slavery in the Colonial North
Location: Online
Dates: July 16-22, 2023 (1 week)

“We the people”: Migrant Waves in the Making of America
Location: Tucson, AZ
Dates: July 10-21, 2023 (2 weeks)

 

P.S. Don't forget to sign up to join Dylan Huisken via Zoom on January 9, 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for a discussion about Place Based Learning/Local Studies. Register here.

2023 Online Sharing Sessions/PDs

Join fellow educators for discussions about resources and strategies for teaching social studies, especially Montana history and Indian Education for All. Sessions will be held the second Monday of the month from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. via Zoom.  Attendees may earn one OPI renewal unit. Register through the links below.

January 9: Place Based Learning/Local Studies, led by 2019 Montana Teacher of the Year Dylan Huisken

If we want our students to grow up to be good citizens, we must first teach them how to be good neighbors. This requires perspective and student-led research into their local history.  Place-based education helps students create relevant and tangible background knowledge by looking for history in their own family, backyard, and community. This session will provide ready-to-apply tips on implementing placed-based education with local history! Register here.

February 13: Instructional Strategies You'll Love, led by Teacher Leader in Montana History Jennifer Graham

Join other inspired social studies teachers to discover new ways to increase student engagement and curiosity, including Collaborative Instructional Strategies (CIS). Implementing CIS in the classroom can support your classroom community, SEL skills and bring a level of engagement into classrooms that will keep students coming back for more! Bring your best strategies to share and leave with ready-to-apply techniques that you can immediately put into practice to enliven your social studies classroom. Register here.

March 13: Integrating Montana History across Disciplines, led by Teacher Leader in Montana History Cynthia Wilondek

History supports, strengthens, and enhances the study of all subject areas. Please join us this March for a practical and applicable discussion on how you can integrate Montana history into your subject area. All grade levels are welcome. Register here. 

Two Grant Opportunities from Montana Environmental Education Association

 I wanted to let you know about two grant opportunities from MEEA (Montana Environmental Education Association) that can help Montana teachers and educators get their students outside. The deadlines for these grants are quickly approaching:

The first is the OOK (Open Outdoors for Kids) grant. MEEA partners with the National Parks Foundation and the Montana State Parks Foundation to administer this program which offers $300 travel grants to help teachers get their students out on state and federal public lands. The deadline for this grant is January 6. Find more information and the application here.

The second is MEEA’s mini grants. These $500 grants can be awarded to Montana schools, homeschools, tribal entities, nonprofit organizations and tax-exempt government agencies. These funds can be used for a variety of projects like creating a student-run wildlife habitat or funding a visit to a local state park. The deadline for this grant is December 31^st. Find more information and apply here. 

Both of these grants would pair nicely with a place-based/local studies project. Learn more about how to plan and execute such a project by joining  2019 Montana Teacher of the Year Dylan Huisken for our first online sharing session of 2023: January 9, 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Register here.

Applications are open for NEH Landmark Programs

NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for K-12 educators and higher education faculty to study a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of $1,300-$3,450 for residential programs and $650-$1,725 for virtual programs help cover expenses for these one- to four-week programs. The application period for all programs closes on March 3, 2023.

From everyone I've talked to, these programs are amazingly exciting and invigorating. They are also competitive, so you'll want to give yourself time to pull together a good application. Most programs reserve a few spots for early career educators. They also look for geographic diversity, which gives Montanans an advantage when applying to programs outside our region. 

You can see the full list of opportunities here, but these are a few that caught my eye:  

Buffalo Nations: History and Revitalization of the American Bison
Location: Yellowstone National Park, near Gardiner, MT
Dates: August 2-8, 2023; August 9-15, 2023 (1 week)

Diverse Historical and Cultural Perspectives in Native American and African American Art
Location: Toledo, OH
Dates: June 19-23, 2023 (1 week)

Centering Youth Agency in the Civil Rights Movement
Location: Clinton, TN and Online
Dates: June 26-30, 2023 (residential phase); July 10-14, 2023 (virtual phase) (2 weeks)

Rethreading the Needle of the Native American History Narrative
Location: Boston, MA
Dates: July 16-28, 2023 (two weeks)

Slavery in the Colonial North
Location: Online
Dates: July 16-22, 2023 (1 week)

“We the people”: Migrant Waves in the Making of America
Location: Tucson, AZ
Dates: July 10-21, 2023 (2 weeks)

 

Glenn Wiebe's Hacks for Teaching with Primary Sources

A few weeks ago, I wrote about where to find primary sources relating to Montana history and provided a few ideas about how to incorporate them into your classrooms. 

In that post, I *should* have included a link to this post by my favorite social studies education blogger, Glenn Wiebe. But I forgot to--so now it gets its very own feature.

You'll want to scroll past the part where he talks about Kansas's state standards to the very first bit of bold. That's where the good stuff is. To encourage you to read his entire blog, I'll list the hacks here--but you'll need to go visit Glenn's site to get the whys, hows, and what fors as well as specific strategies and suggestions to get you started.

Hack one: Start with a clear end in mind.

Hack Two: Create a hook, generate some intrigue, ask for predictions, develop a cliffhanger.

Hack Three: Use interesting and provocative primary sources. 

Hack Four: Tamper with history just a little bit. As in . . . modify the sources (especially the textual ones) to make them more accessible for your students.

Hack Five: Turn your kids loose with your compelling question that aligns to your hook activity.

Glenn's got examples. He's got activity suggestions. If you want to improve your use of primary sources, hop over to his blog and read this post. 

 

Planning a Field Trip to Helena?

 First, an apology about last week, when I accidentally scheduled two emails for Monday! One of those was supposed to be this one. The best laid plans....

Second, I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving break. 

Finally, I have both good and bad news for those of you planning to bring your students to Helena during the legislature. The good news first: The Montana Historical Society (MTHS) is resuming guided tours of the capitol to student groups. Tours will be offered Tuesday-Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Contact Anthony Schrillo to schedule: Anthony.Schrillo@mt.gov.  

As many of you know, MTHS is in the process of building a grand new addition, which, when it's completed will contain all new, world-class exhibits. It's going to be amazing, but transitions are never easy. All of this to say that all of our museum exhibits, except for Big Medicine, will be closed beginning January 1. 

Of course, there is still lots do do in Helena. We will continue to offer guided tours of the Original Governor's Mansion (group capacity is 20 people), and provide walking tour booklets for self-guided tours of Helena's historic districts. (Weather permitting, dividing classes into two groups, with one walking the neighborhood and the other touring the OGM, works well.)

Other organizations in Helena who offer tours and school programs include: 

• Montana Wild, whose programs include "Meet the Mammals," "The Science Behind Wildlife Management," "Fish Math," "Science Field Investigations," and more. They also offer travel grants!  
• Montana Jewish Project, whose tour of the historic synagogue focuses on the history of Montana's Jewish settlers. (Although the website says Wednesdays, 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. I have been told they are willing to accommodate school groups at different times.)
• Montana Military Museum, whose displays follow the military in Montana from the arrival of the Lewis and Clark army expedition in 1805, through the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm and various peacekeeping operations. 
• Helena Cathedral, a truly grand building, is available to tour Tuesday-Thursday (ask for a tour focused on the art and architecture).
• ExplorationWorks is a science museum with exciting interactive exhibits. 

 

 

 

 

Primary Sources and Not In Our Town

 I've learned about new resources from folks responding to recent posts.

Not In Our Town

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Montana Jewish Project (MJP) giving away free book kits featuring The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate. (They still have kits available. Learn more and find a link to apply here.) In response, retired Billings high school teacher Bruce Wendt wrote to let me know about an exhibit his American Studies students created in partnership with the Western Heritage Center (WHC) on the twentieth anniversary of the 1993 outbreak of racial violence and the formation of the Not in Our Town movement in response. His students created the exhibit after conducting oral interviews and archival research. Bruce shared an article he wrote for the Ohio Social Studies Review on the project, which presents an exciting model of a museum-school partnership. (High school teachers: Could you work with YOUR local museum to create an exhibit?)

Bruce also said that his students' production "is now a traveling exhibit. If any school/teacher wanted to pair it with the book/lesson [The Christmas Menorahs], I would be happy to facilitate with the WHC (and cover transportation costs). If a teacher wanted, I have plenty of free time to come along with the exhibit." Interested? Contact Bruce to learn more and make arrangements.  

Forest Service History 

Tom Petersen with the National Museum of Forest Service History wrote to tell me that educators have created primary source based lesson plans using materials they found in the Library of Congress and at the Forest Service Museum. The lessons are posted here. 

IEFA Resources

 Mike Jetty, Indian Education Specialist at the Montana Office of Public Instruction, never disappoints. He shared a wealth of information with us at our November online PD last week. I thought I was up to date on OPI resources, but Mike highlighted several lessons that were new to me. Here were two of my highlights: 

Fifth grade: FUN-ology! Seasons Make the World Go 'Round - Earth and Space Science is a series of lessons looking at indigenous scientific knowledge as it relates to weather.

• Lesson One: What can air temperature data tell us about the seasons in Montana?
• Lesson Two: How do seasonal rounds record weather data?
• Lesson Three: Connecting seasonal rounds to seasonal weather patterns and the organisms we observe

High school: Brothers on Three – A True Story of Family, Resistance, and Hope on a Reservation in Montana is a unit plan for high school teachers interested in teaching the book Brothers on Three which focuses on the Arlee Warriors basketball team as it explores contemporary native issues, including racism, suicide, blood quantum, and connection to place and community.

Although she didn't have time to talk about it at the training, a teacher who registered for the workshop, introduced me to http://xwlxwilt.com/.

 Xʷlxʷilt is a tribally-owned business focused on Indigenous integration in education, whose work is rooted in Se̓liš culture. And apparently, you can book them through Humanities Montana's Speakers in the Schools program. 

Do you have a favorite IEFA resource that I didn't mention above? Let me know! And very best Thanksgiving wishes to everyone--however you choose to spend the day.

 

Finding and Using Primary Sources

 One question I'm often asked is "where can I find good primary sources?" Nationally, my first stops are the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and Digital Public Library of America, all of which have exhibits, curated primary source sets, and educator resources to make it easier to find useful material. For Montana, my first recommendation is always the Montana Memory Project, the Montana Historical Society, digitized newspapers, and your local museum, archives, or historical society.  

Montana Memory Project Exhibits

The Montana Memory Project has a huge number of sources--so many that it can be overwhelming. To make it easier for educators to find material, it gathered a group of classroom teachers to create primary source sets. Many of these sets are now posted on their exhibit page. Its own staff has also been creating exhibits, all of which include selected primary sources on a particular topic along with a little bit of contextual narrative. Here are a few titles that caught my eye, but there are many more--and still more being added on the Memory Project's Exhibit Page.

• Bicycles for the Army: The 25th Infantry in Montana
• Construction of the Hungry Horse Dam
• Early Schools in Montana
• Hell or High Water: Floods in Montana
• Logging History in Montana

MTHS Annotated Resource Sets

A few years ago, we created eleven annotated resource sets that include links to photographs, maps, illustrations, and documents relating to Montana history topics from the gold rush and homesteading to World War I and the Great Depression. Many, but not all, of the images linked in these sets were also used to illustrate the textbook Montana: Stories of the Land. We didn't create a set for every chapter, but we did for most of the most popular ones. 

Digitized Newspapers

My colleague, reference librarian Zoe Ann Stolz, likes to say that historic newspapers are the closest thing we have to a time machine. The Montana Historical Society has digitized over a million newspaper pages from over 230 newspapers. These papers are on two different sites: Montana Newspapers and Chronicling America. (There is no overlap between sites so you have so search both.) 

Using Primary Sources

How do you use these sources? An old article published by the Library of Congress (no longer online) suggested four types of activities: Focus, Inquiry, Application, and Assessment.  

Here are a few ideas that could fall into these broader categories:

• Build PowerPoints
• Create DBQs 
• Analyze them using a primary source analysis tool from the National Archives or Library of Congress
• Create Historical Assessments of Thinking
• Create a Question Focus
• Get a feel for what it was like back then (one of my favorite exercises is to have students shop the ads in historic newspapers during a specific time period).

But I'd love to hear more from you! What are YOUR favorite ways to use primary sources? 

P.S. No one has time to build every lesson from scratch. Check out some of our plug-and-play primary-source based lesson plans.

Are you teaching Montana: A History of Our Home?

 

A Favor

I'm reporting back to the funders who helped us publish Montana: A History of Our Home, and am looking for human interest stories to show the impact that the curriculum has had/is having. Has it

• Made your life easier?
• Helped improve your students' learning? 
• Increased the amount of time your spend teaching Montana history?
• Helped you integrate Montana history into your ELA, art, and/or math units?  
• Inspired a student? 

Please let me know by return email. Along with your story, please also include

• your school name
• town
• whether you received books as part of our grants to rural schools
• and let me know whether if it is okay to quote you in my grant reports and/or awards applications.

Don't Forget

There's still time to register for our November 14 PD: Indian Education for All Resources. Join OPI Indian Education Specialist Mike Jetty from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for a grand tour of OPI’s best and newest resources—and learn what IEFA lessons are working for your fellow teachers.

The Montana Jewish Project is still accepting applications for book kits. Each kit includes a copy of Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, a menorah, dreidls, and a lesson plan. Learn more here.  

Professional Development Opportunities

IEFA PD

We'll be having OPI's Indian Education Unit's own Mike Jetty at our November 14 online PD (4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.) and I hope you can come (and earn 1 OPI Renewal Unit)! Of course, there's only so much you can do in an hour, so I wanted to highlight some opportunities for more in-depth study.

The Western Montana Professional Learning Collaborative has a number of in-depth, self-paced IEFA courses. They charge for these, but they also reward 30 OPI renewal units or 2 graduate UM graduate credits--and they look really good.

OPI has several online PDs. The newest one is a seven-part look at tribal sovereignty. You can earn credits by participating in the live sessions or watching the recordings on YouTube. Earlier series cover such topics as boarding schools, ethnobotany, contemporary topics in Indian country, and implementing The Framework (A practical guide for implementing IEFA). You can find links to all of these and more on their website. 

The Rural Experience in America: Community Civics Through Historical Inquiry

The National Council for History Education, in conjunction with the Library of Congress, is offering a series of free, professional development opportunities designed to support K-12 teachers focusing on this year's theme, Rural Lives in Context.

Self-paced course - From December 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, registered teachers will self-pace through two online courses:  the Library of Congress 6-week module course, Teaching with Primary Sources Basics, and the Right Question Institute 4-week module course, Teaching Students to Ask their Own Primary Source Questions.  If you do not have a lot of experience using primary sources in your classroom, want to learn about the Library of Congress’s collection of sources, and/or want to add to your toolbox of strategies using primary sources, this professional learning opportunity is highly recommended!  

Online Colloquia - Registered teachers will participate in three online synchronous Saturday professional development sessions led by historians, educational specialists, and master teachers. These sessions will be held on February 25, 2023, April 15, 2023, and May 6, 2023 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm (EST) and will focus on a variety of topics related to Rural Lives in Context.  During this time, teachers also applying for the onsite colloquium will identify a community partner to assist them with their public history project (NCHE is happy to assist if needed.) 

Onsite Colloquium -  15 teachers (preference will be given to K-12 teachers in rural schools) will be selected to travel to the University of Oklahoma along with their community partners on July 15 – 16, 2023.  During this two-day learning experience, teachers and community partners will build civic connections and develop a plan for their students to create a public history project in their own community. In addition, there will also be some planned tours for seeing firsthand public history in action. Teachers will receive a $750 stipend to defray travel costs and up to $750 to support their community project. The application deadline is March 17, 2023. 

More information here and links to register for one or all here. 

Just in Time for Hanukkah--A Free Resource from the Montana Jewish Project

Longtime readers will remember that I really like Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate. The picture book was based on a 1993 episode in Billings. After members of a hate group threw a rock through a Jewish family's window during Hanukkah, the community organized in opposition. Over 10,000 Billings residents displayed pictures of menorahs in their windows as an expression of solidarity with their Jewish neighbors.

We included the book and a lesson plan in our hands-on history footlocker Coming to Montana: Immigrants from Around the World. (Information on ordering the footlocker can be found here.) 

Now the Montana Jewish Project is offering to send fifty Montana schools a kit that includes a copy of the book, a menorah, dreidls (special tops that Jewish children play with at Hanukkah), and a lesson plan that was adapted (with permission) from the lesson we created for Coming to Montana. And unlike the MTHS footlocker, these kits are yours to keep.

• Preview the lesson plan. 
• Hear the book read on YouTube.
• Apply to receive one of these book kits here.
• Learn more about the Montana Jewish Project.

Teaching Montana: Stories of the Land

 We all know that a textbook is not a curriculum. That's why I was so happy to hear from the two creative teachers who recently contacted me with resources they have created to teach Montana: Stories of the Land.

Escape Room

Robin Miller, a teacher in Hot Springs, created an escape room for Chapter 2 and invited me to share it with other Montana History teachers. "There are 5 locks and they are all textbook dependent. I used it to introduce chapter 2 to my students. I spent some time making sure that the directions were clear for other teachers who might want to use it next year [or next semester]." 

She later sent me a second escape room she created for Chapter 4 and noted "each puzzle for both of these escape rooms are stand alone puzzles.  Teachers don't need to do all of them or do them in any particular order.  Teachers can pick and choose which ones they want.   I did one a day during the first 15 minutes of class." 

• Chapter 2 Escape Room
• Chapter 4 Escape Room

 

Doodle Notes

Carrie Sorensen, a teacher in Fortine, has been experimenting with creating doodle notetaking worksheets for her students. I visited with her at MFPE and she explained her method. She gives students a doodle note sheet and has them use it to take notes on a section of the textbook (notes are short phrases or a sketch). The next day, they discuss that section. She said these sheets have really helped retention and that the most successful sheets she's created are tightly tied to the section (a box for each Plateau tribe to complete when reading the section on the Plateau tribes (p. 45-46 of Montana: Stories of the Land), for example.   

She shared her first attempts for Chapters 2 and 3 and asked if anyone else was using/creating doodle notes. She'd love to share hers and use yours! You can contact her at carrie@fortineschool.net. 

Here are samples she sent me: 

Chapter 2

• People of the Dog Days
• The Early Period
• The Middle Period
• The Late Period
• The Proto-Historic Period
• The Historic Period

Chapter 3

• Society and Culture
• Plateau Tribes
• Woodland Tribes Move to the Plains

 

Kahoot Quizzes

Several people have created Kahoot quizzes for various textbook chapters. Search "Montana History chapter" to find quizzes for most of the chapters in Montana: Stories of the Land.  

Tech and Social Studies

I learned a lot at our October online professional development, "Tech and Social Studies," during which Bainville teacher April Wills led us through several tools. 

I was particularly intrigued by Canva, a free design tool with templates students can use to make professional looking posters, presentations, brochures,  infographics, storyboards, and more using customizable templates.  

April also talked about Wakelet, which she called Pinterest on steroids because it is a tool to organize absolutely every sort of file, from pictures and PDFs to websites to tweets. April uses it to gather reputable sources and safe websites for her students' research projects so they aren't roaming the internet independently.

A few days after class, Billings elementary librarian Ruth Ferris and I were talking about our take-aways and she mentioned another tech tool: World Wall. WordWall.net  offers templates you can use to make educational games. Ruth made this Whack-a-Mole game for her students to help them learn the names of Montana's reservations.

All of these tools have been authorized by Billings School District, so it *should* be relatively easy to get permission to use them at your school as well. If you have other tools that you (and your students) love, let me know and I'll share them 

Our next online PD will feature the remarkable Mike Jetty from the Montana Office of Public Instruction's Indian Education Unit (buckle up for dad jokes) and Indian Education for All Resources. Join us November 14 from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. to hear about the latest resources from OPI and to learn what IEFA lessons are working for your fellow teachers. Register here by November 11 to receive the Zoom link.

Indian Education for All Background Knowledge Building Webinar Series – Tribal Sovereignty

 Coming this November! Register soon!

This free, six-part webinar series is for Montana K-12 teachers and administrators looking for a content-rich professional development experience that builds background knowledge about tribal sovereignty in the United States. Participants will learn about different aspects of sovereignty, such as a basic history of tribal sovereignty, tribal governance, natural resource management, blood quantum, cultural autonomy and more. Each session is 90 minutes long and educators can earn two renewal units for each webinar they attend - a total of twelve renewal units should the educators participate in all six sessions. The sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30, November 1 through December 13, 2022, except for one on Thursday, November 17. A Participant Resource folder will be created and accessible to participants once the series begins. The series sessions will each be recorded and made available on YouTube after the series begins, also.

November 1 - Walter Fleming: Tribal Sovereignty Overview and History

November 8 - no session - Election Day

November 15 - Shane Morigeau: Indian Citizenship and US Federal Policies

November 17 (Thursday) - Lea Whitford: Tribal Governance

November 22 - no session - Thanksgiving Week

November 29 - Wesley Martel: Treaty Rights and Natural Resource Management

December 6 - Mike Jetty: Blood Quantum

December 13 - Casey Lozar: Educational Sovereignty

For registration questions please contact Joan Franke, OPI Indian Education for All Unit Administrative Assistant, jfranke@mt.gov

Registration Link

Your MFPE Checklist

 If you are teach social studies at any level and are attending MFPE, I hope you'll make a point of coming to the MCSS Business Meeting on Friday, October 21, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

The Montana Council of Social Studies is only as strong and active as the teachers who participate in the organization. It is already a force for good, but it can be so much more--if you choose to make it so. Come for the renewal unit and free lunch and stay for the company and the passion for improving social studies education across our state. 

Also at MFPE: Stop by the exhibit hall and the Montana Historical Society booth to say hello. If you teach Montana history in high school, then pick up a free book, Montana Stories, by Paul Ulrich while you are there. See you soon!

Hands-on History Footlockers, a Crow Creation Story, and an upcoming PD

Crow Creation Story on Vimeo

Last week, as part of my IEFA Roundup, I sent out a link to the AWW CREATION STORY on Vimeo that a couple of people said didn't work. Here's the correct link: https://vimeo.com/404626502 [vimeo.com]. 

Elk River Writing Project Workshop, October 19-October 22

If you aren't planning on attending the MFPE Educators Conference (and you should definitely plan on attending) you might want to go to Gardiner/Mammoth Hot Springs to attend "Yellowstone National Park: Cultures, Conversations, and Contemplations," an incredible looking workshop put on by the Elk River Writing Project. Presenters will include Dr. Shane Doyle (Apsáalooke) and Montana Poet Laureate Tami Haaland; Elk River Writing Project teacher-leaders Casey Olsen and Lorrie Henrie-Koski will facilitate writing connections throughout the institute. Learn more, including how to register, here.  

Footlockers from the Montana State Library

The Montana State Library has a small number of trunks available for public libraries and educational organizations to borrow, each with a selection of fun activities that could appeal to a wide range of ages. Here is a list of the trunks with a short description. You can click on each trunk name to get a more detailed list of trunk items, activity outlines, and associated files. 

• Giant Map of Montana Trunk: The Giant Map of Montana Trunk contains a 21’ x 15’ map of the state of Montana that people can walk on (no shoes, please!), explore, and have fun with! This educational tool has endless possibilities for learning opportunities, especially in geography and map-reading.
• NASA @ My Library Sun-Earth-Moon Connections Trunk: This trunk focuses on activities and experiences that better help patrons understand their place in space, and how the Sun and Moon impact our planet. 
• NASA @ My Library Be A NASA Detective Trunk: This trunk focuses on activities and experiences that help patrons be more comfortable with using tools of science and making predictions based on their observations. This trunk focuses on things we cannot see with our normal vision or sense with our normal senses.
• Montana's Aquatic Life: Past and Present Trunk: This trunk contains materials and activities that showcase Montana's aquatic life from long ago up until now! Created in partnership with Museum of the Rockies and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.
• Bat Week Celebration Trunk: This trunk contains activities to help libraries educate Montanans on how cool bats are, and the important role that they play in our environment and ecosystem. Created in partnership with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.

You can find more information on how to request and borrow a trunk, as well as trunk usage expectations, on the state library website. You can also watch the MSL Trunk Program Webinar from 8/26/22 for more details on the trunks and activities available. If you have any questions, please contact Amelea Kim at akim@mt.gov. 

Speaking of Footlockers...

If you aren't using our hands-on history footlockers, you are missing out. 

• Find a list of available Montana Historical Society-created footlockers and view their User Guides here.
• Find out which footlockers are still available to reserve here.
• Then email coordinator Katie White your preferred dates, the title of the footlocker you’d like to order, the school name, the school shipping address, the phone number, and the number of students/teachers who will be using the footlocker.

It's that easy. You get to keep the footlocker for two weeks. There is no rental fee, but schools must pay the cost of shipping footlockers to the next venue (typically between $35-$50). More details on how the program works here.  

IEFA Link Roundup

 I spent the summer reading interesting stories and learning about interesting resources relating to American Indians and thinking "I bet teachers could use this!" So I threw them all into a file, where I recently found them again. I'm sharing them below, along with links that have come to my attention more recently. 

• Educator extraordinaire and Apsáalooke (Crow) tribal member Shane Doyle created a lesson plan for grades 8-12 to go with the Native American Hall of Fame, which  honors "Native American Achievements in Contemporary Society, 1860s-Present Day." Looking through the website, I was interested to see inductees I already knew about (for example, Jim Thorpe, Elouise Cobell, Wilma Mankiller, and N. Scott Momaday) and many I had didn't. 

• Check out this 30 minute documentary: Camas: Sacred Food of the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu).

• Teacher Leader in Montana History Savannah Buckner pointed me to this great video of an Apsáalooke creation story, narrated in Apsáalooke and subtitled in English and Spanish. Teacher Leaders have great resources and are willing to share. Find out more here.

• The Montana Memory Project worked with teachers to create online exhibits of primary sources, which they are posting on their website.  Among them is The Decline of the Bison Population and the Role of the Plains Chippewa in the 19th Century. Written by Craig Clairmont, it looks at the near extermination of the bison in the West, and the role played by the Métis people."

• Do you know about the Native Filmmaker Initiative Film Club? The club offers three films "curated to engage Montana youth" on the topic of self-discovery through sports. "Three modern-day films highlight the strength of Native and Indigenous mover-and-shakers working to push the boundaries of their sport for positive growth and robust change, through skateboarding (JOE BUFFALO), mountain biking (THE TRAILS BEFORE US) and fishing (CONNECTION)." Running October through December, the film club provides discussion guides and the opportunity to participate in a live Q and A. Find more information about the Film Club and how to register your classroom for one or more films here. 

• Montana OPI is offering an IEFA Background Knowledge Building Webinar Series on Indian Boarding Schools. The series will provide an in-depth exploration of the Boarding School era, and its history and implications. Each session is 90 minutes long and educators can earn two renewal units for each webinar they attend - a total of twelve renewal units should the educators participate in all six sessions. The sessions will take place on Wednesdays from 4:00-5:30, September through November. A Participant Resource folder will be created and accessible to participants once the series begins. The series sessions will each be recorded and made available on YouTube after the series begins. Learn more and register for one or more sessions here.

P.S. Join us October 10 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for Tech and Social Studies and come away with new ideas of ways to integrate tech into your social studies classroom. Register here to receive the Zoom link. Attendees can earn one OPI Renewal Unit.

Meet me in Helena for the MFPE Educators Conference

 I’m getting ready for the MFPE Educator Conference, where I’ll be presenting “Social Studies Skills” on Friday, October 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. I hope to see you there—if not at my session at the MTHS booth in the exhibit hall.

I hope you are planning on attending. The conference has a great line-up this year. I'm particularly excited for Denise Juneau's keynote on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. There are a lot of sessions on media literacy/telling truth from fiction, all of which looked great--too many to detail here. And lots to satisfy Lewis and Clark enthusiasts. Check the program! Here are a few other sessions that caught my eye.

Thursday, October 20, 8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Adding Complexity to Literary Analysis and Social Studies Instruction

Presented by: Tamra Stambaugh

Add complexity to your ELA and social studies instruction using evidence supported frameworks to guide questioning and analysis. Differentiate questions and promote higher level thinking. After discussing each framework, be ready to write your own differentiated questions and to apply the strategies.

Digital Storytelling with PBS Finding Your Roots

Presented by: Nikki Vradenburg

Get hands-on training using curriculum and tools from the popular PBS program, Finding Your Roots. Learn to implement digital storytelling with students using clips and lessons from the show. Bring a laptop or Chromebook to get the most out of this session and come ready to be inspired!

Heart Mountain Japanese Relocation Center

Presented by: Armand Lohof

At this overview of the World War II history of the Japanese American Relocation Center in Wyoming, we will cover not only the camp during the war, but also the reaction of the internees.

Thursday, October 20, 9:00 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Teaching Native Literature: Context for Bridge-building

Presented by: Jessica Jones

This presentation lays groundwork for sensitively approaching Native literature via the Essential Understandings. Topics include forced boarding schools, removal and reservations, cyclical trauma, survivance, humor, and celebration. Slideshow overviews creation stories, early songs and testimonies to novels, Native Renaissance, and contemporary poetry. Emphasis placed on tribal specificity and regional diversity.

Thursday, October 20, 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Teaching about Montana’s Chinese Communities

Presented by: Mark Johnson

Middle and High School Social Studies teachers, learn the deep history of Chinese Montanans, their struggles, connections back to China, contributions to the region’s development, and how they kept the culture alive in Montana. This session features new research on the topic with lesson plans for grades 6-12.

Thursday, October 20, 11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Exploring Indigenous Resistance and Resiliency using the Inquiry Design Model

Presented by: Erin O'Reilly

We will use the Inquiry Design Model( (IDM) to explore how inquiry-based learning can shape your social studies classroom. We will use strategies for pairing anchor text with primary and secondary sources to engage in inquiry-based learning, specifically, exploring Indigenous resistance and resiliency to colonization and cultural genocide throughout history. (Material Fee - $30.00)

Thursday, October 20, 11:00 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.

Your Montana Primary Source Resource Montana Memory Project

Presented by: Jennifer Birnel

The Montana Memory Project is a digital repository of thousands of items including many primary source documents. Learn how to use this website to search for relevant content - including teacher-created exhibits, and how to save your favorite items for later use and share this content with students.

Thursday, October 20, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

IEFA & Social Studies Standards K - 5 Resources

Presented by: Mike Jetty & Zach Hawkins

The new Social Studies Standards provide educators with an excellent opportunity to integrate IEFA in K-5 Social Studies instruction. This interactive workshop will provide hands-on demonstrations of instructional materials and methods for meeting the new standards.

Thursday, October 20, 1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.

Russell for Learning: Educational Resources from the C.M. Russell Museum

Presented by: Melissa Werber

Join C.M. Russell Museum’s Education Coordinator, Melissa Werber, as she shares strategies, tools, and resources for arts integration in the classroom. (This presentation is also offered Thursday, 4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.)

Teaching Tough Topics

Presented by: Sandra Oldendorf

Discuss tough topics to teach from U.S. history and current events such as voting rights, racism, sexism, immigration, colonialism, and westward expansion. Explore the rationales for teaching these topics. Participate in engaging strategies (such as PBS Story Corps, adolescent literature, media literacy) that address these topics from multiple perspectives.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Educating for equity and working toward educational justice

Presented by: Denise Juneau

While “equity” has become a scary word for some politicians, educators understand that working toward educational justice is their calling. And that means educators must commit to dismantling inequitable practices and policies, provide culturally-responsive and rigorous content, and ensure quality opportunities for every child. It’s going to take all of us to ensure that the Montana public education system does not retreat from the progress it has made in Indian Education for All, access and opportunity to a quality education in every community, meaningful educator licensure, and more. Public schools have always been political battlegrounds. There is perennial controversy around what content is taught, who is teaching, what types of reform works, who governs, what gets measured and assessed, what books get read, and what words can be said in classrooms. Despite today’s political conflict and strife, it’s time to unapologetically and courageously TEACH.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Q&A with Denise Juneau

Presented by: Alex Rosenleaf & Bruce Wendt

A follow-up to the MCSS keynote session with Denise Juneau where participants can ask questions.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Proficiency-Based Education: The Inquiry Design Model and MT SS Standards

Presented by: Hailey Hancock

The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is one blueprint teachers can use to develop lessons that align to the new SS standards. Teachers will be introduced to the IDM, explore sample lessons, analyze proficiency scales, to see how IDM may align with proficiency-based education, and teachers will create their own lesson.

Friday, October 21, 2022 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.

Socio-Demographic Data Resources for Montana

Presented by: Dave Ritts

The Decennial Census and American Community Survey (ACS) programs within the U.S. Census Bureau provide the most comprehensive sources of socio-demographic data for the State of Montana. This presentation will describe how the data is collected, available geographic areas (ex. county) and tools for viewing and downloading the data.

Friday, October 21, 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

Historical Mashup: Bridging the past to the future.

Presented by: April Wills

In this session we will explore artifacts and primary sources, dive into new technology ideas, and discuss some classroom tested activities that are engaging and fun! We will focus on MT History, IEFA, and American history. Join us for a session built around fun, wonder, and active learning.

IEFA Tools For All Teachers

Presented by: Ronald Buck

Having trouble teaching IEFA in your classroom? Join us to learn about free lessons and resources that are easily implemented into your classroom. You will see how these lessons are implemented in a classroom. Join us for a tutorial on using resources from the Montana Historical Society in your class.

Friday, October 21, 2022 11:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.

IEFA & Social Studies Standards 6th-12th Resources

Presented by: Mike Jetty & Zach Hawkins

The new Social Studies Standards provide educators with an excellent opportunity to integrate Indian Education for All in 6-12 Social Studies instruction. This interactive workshop will provide hands-on demonstrations of effective instructional materials and methods for meeting the new standards.

Friday, October 21, 12:00 p.m. - 12:50 p.m.

MCSS Business Meeting (and food!)

Come join MCSS for a meeting about the business of our organization, the state of Social Studies education, and the consumption of yummy food!

Friday, October 21, 1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.

IEFA in the ELA Classroom

Presented by: Stephanie Swigart & Matthew Bell

The Montana ELA standards include specific requirements to implement IEFA, but it can be challenging to select high-quality, vetted materials and then implement them meaningfully and responsively. Build familiarity and confidence with embedding IEFA into your ELA curriculum.

Friday, October 21, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

What’s a critical Social Studies educator? Standards, Content, and Identity

Presented by: Hailey Hancock & Melissa Walker

“How do we know what we don’t know?” We will provide strategies to engage in teacher self-reflection, activities to guide your students in unpacking challenging Social Studies content, and to foster a culturally relevant Social Studies classroom. Finally, we will connect to the new MT SS standards.

Friday, October 21, 2022 2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Using Historical Documents to Discuss Race

Presented by: Bruce Wendt

Good teachers help students connect themes of yesteryear with current issues and to challenge current perceptions no matter in history, science, literature, or mathematics. Come discuss how ideas of race permeate and affect myriad classroom discussions. A list of sources will guide conversation.

Friday, October 21, 2022 3:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Social Studies Student Researchers: Supporting Student-Led Community Inquiries

Presented by: Marcie Reuer and Scout Sutton

This session describes and provides examples of community inquiries for Social Studies students from 4th grade to graduate level college courses. Community inquiries have students perform research to answer questions of personal curiosity about their communities.

Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 10 is Columbus Day, according to the State of Montana. It is Indigenous Peoples' Day according to many Montana cities. For its part, the federal government recognizes both Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day.

This makes it a good time to consider the history of both holidays, as well as the histories of both Indigenous peoples and Columbus.

Starting with the holidays, here are three proclamations by two presidents:  

• Proclamation 2101--Columbus Day (President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 9/30/1934)
• Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples' Day (President Joseph Biden, The White House, 10/8/21)
• Proclamation on Columbus Day (President Joseph Biden, The White House, 10/8/21)

And here are two articles:

• As some Montana cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, a push to observe the holiday statewide is still ongoing (Yellowstone Public Radio 10/11/21)
• Indigenous People's Day is a federal holiday now. Activists want to drop Columbus Day (National Public Radio 10/11/21)

I can see a good middle or high school lesson that asks students to engage with important questions:

• Does it matter who we celebrate?
• How do we choose who to recognize?
• Can we celebrate both Columbus and Indigenous People or do we need to choose just one?
• What do you think we should celebrate on the second Monday of October?

One approach would be to jigsaw: have students read and analyze one of the three documents in "expert groups." Then reconfigure students into groups of three, with an expert on each document in every group. Have each expert teach their document to the members of their group. 

Here are some other resources:

One of my favorite education bloggers, Glenn Wiebe, wrote a post that includes many links: Resources for Your Indigenous Peoples' Day. 

The Indian Education Division of the Montana Office of Public Instruction created this lesson for grades 6-8: Critical Thinking about the Arrival of Columbus.

Finally, check out these ideas for celebrating American Indian Heritage Days that the Indian Education Division of OPI gathered. They include links to resources, suggestions for virtual guest speakers, and links to professional development that will be useful all year long. 

P.S. Whatever you call the holiday, we're working October 10, so join us from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for the online PD Tech and Social Studies. In this sharing session, Teacher Leader in Montana History and K-6 Tech Specialist April Wills and other tech-savvy colleagues (including maybe you) will offer ways to integrate tech into your social studies classroom. Register by October 7 to receive the Zoom link.

Strategies That Encourage Making Connections

 Looking for new strategies? Here's one from Glenn Wiebe, one of my favorite social studies bloggers (seriously, go subscribe to his blog. You won't be sorry .)

Which One Doesn't Belong

Here's how to play:

• Put kids in pairs. 
• Find four things that have something in common--say the Cardinals, the Eagles, the Ravens, and the Bears football teams--and share it with your students--on a slide or on paper. Pictures are obviously better than words.) 
• Then ask students "which one doesn't belong?" Maybe they'll say the Bears, because the other three teams are named after birds. Or maybe they'll say the Ravens, because they play in the AFC. Or maybe they'll say the Cardinals, because that's the only name that's shared by both a professional football and professional baseball team. Any answer works as long as they have evidence to support their theory.

Glenn suggests doing this a couple of times with things students are familiar with--like foods, movies, etc., before trying it with social studies content--tribal leaders, technology that changed Montana history, etc. Head over to his blog to get more nuance and ideas for deepening the activity. 

Hexagonal Thinking

I first discovered hexagons in 2020. And I still think they are a great way to engage students. Here are the basics:

• Place ideas or topics on hexagon-shaped pieces of paper (or on digital hexagons). For example: drought, Great Depression, New Deal, Fort Peck Dam, 1930s, Indian Reorganization Act, unions...
• Then give those pieces of paper to students and ask them to place the hexagons so that they only touch related topics/ideas.
• Then have students explain their thinking.

Here's the blog post I wrote about this in 2020, with example word lists for both homesteading and the treaty period. 

Here's an old blog post of Glenn Wiebe, who does an even better job of explaining hexagons than I did. (Did I mention you should subscribe to his blog?)

Do you have a favorite strategy to get students thinking more deeply and engaging with the content? Let me know and I'll share it out.

P.S. Join us October 10 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for Tech and Social Studies and come away with new ideas of ways to integrate tech into your social studies classroom. Register here to receive the Zoom link. Attendees can earn one OPI Renewal Unit.

Montana's Economy Story Map

 If you're a fourth-grade teacher, I hope you've started teaching Montana: A History of Our Home. If your school has been able to purchase the book, great! If not, I hope you tap into our website, where we've posted the PDF of the book for download as well as each chapter of the online teachers guide. If you have students with learning disabilities, you can find an audio version of the book through Learning Ally. 

One of the Unit One lessons has students exploring a Story Map about Montana's economy. Unfortunately, I forgot to include the link to the story map in the print version of teacher's guide. It is in Unit 1 of the online teacher's guide. And it's here.

If you come across any other errors as you use this curriculum, please don't hesitate to let me know. (Kudos are always welcome too, of course.)

Title IX Turns 50

 A lot happened fifty years ago, in 1972. Montana adopted a new state constitution (more on this in a later post). Following a grassroots, community effort, the federal government designated the Scapegoat Wilderness, which became the first citizen-initiated wilderness area in the nation. There was also Watergate, the Munich Olympics terrorist attack, and the signing of a treaty with the Soviet Union limiting the numbers of intercontinental ballistic missiles. And Congress passed Title IX. 

This historic piece of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibited "sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity) discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." (HHS.gov) It initiated a sea change for girls and women--and the culture at large--and is a great way to explore how legislation can affect everyday life.

Although Title IX was, and is, about much more than sports, high school sports impact so many students that it is a great starting point for exploring this law.  A few years back, we created a lesson about Title IX, which we called Women and Sports: Tracking Change Over Time.  

I love this lesson: After examining a photo of a women’s basketball game in Missoula circa 1900 using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), students read an essay to learn about the ways that Title IX changed girls’ opportunities to participate in school sports. They then conduct a survey of their community and analyze the data they collect to see how Title IX affected their community.

A few notes: We say it's for grades 4-8--but it requires students to write and think about percentages, so it's really for grades 5 and up (probably grades 6 and up). The lesson plan is EASILY adaptable to high school, especially if you substitute this short article for the simplified version we printed in the lesson plan and jettison the reading comprehension piece.

I've had a hard time getting teachers to teach this lesson--I think because I mis-graded it, but also because some social studies teachers (not you, I'm sure) are a teensy bit afraid of math. But the math is actually very easy, and I'd argue it's important to provide students real life examples of how mathematics can help us understand the world around us. 

So I'm issuing a challenge: On the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX, teach this lesson. Then send me your students' findings. We'll save them and add their research to our collection so future generations of historians can benefit from their work.

Best of, High School

 Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history or IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. Here are what your fellow  teachers said (some anonymously) with comments by me in parentheses. Find elementary responses here and middle school responses here.

• My favorite was this lesson about Deb Haaland, the first Native Secretary of the Interior: Tribal Nations and the Department of the Interior (mt.gov).
• I teach French, and our French book has a culture section on Medieval shields & coats of arms. We then explored the tribal seals of the tribes in Montana. The students created their own personal shield as a concluding exercise. (Here's a link to OPI's high school tribal seals lesson. OPI also created tribal seal lessons for 6-8 and 3-5.
• Students examine the policies of the Indian Removal Act. Students then examine the Tribes of Montana to make connections of the similarities and differences of the U.S. government of handling during the Indian Removal Act and the U.S. governments treatment of Montana Indian Tribes down to policy, treaties, and interactions.--Kaine Berardinelli, North Star Schools
• Using Chronicling America and Montana Historic Newspapers to show our students that Japanese Internment Camp at Heart Mountain, WYO involved Montana and its youth. We examine articles related to sports competitions between a Montana School (Red Lodge) and the Wyoming internees. We have used the basic lesson for sometime, but are fleshing it out more and more each year.  Used in Grade 10 English with the novel Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude.--Pam Roberts, Huntley Project, 7-12 Library, a collaborative unit with Grade 10 English
• Contemporary American Indian Issues: This lesson was easy to implement in my classroom this year. My students researched MMIW/MMIP and created bills (in government) and posters (my other classes) designed to shed light on this issue. (I don't know if this is what the teacher used, but the Indian Education Division at OPI has a lesson plan with the same title.)
• Great Depression images (I'm sure the teacher used these Farm Security Administration images, digitized by the Library of Congress.)
• We have used current events to discuss MMIP and extrapolate our discussions out to other native peoples around the world. Lyn Mason, Corvallis High School, Geography and World History
• The atlatl project. (This teacher may have used Making an Atlatl.)
• Little Big Horn Unit and field trip. (I'm not sure what resources this teacher used, but Stanford History Education Group has a lesson on the Battle of the Little Bighorn that's worth looking into.)
• A buffalo harvest, Bill Wagner, Drummond
• I adore the Mission US interactive lessons for immersive, thoughtful, and playful interactions with historical events. In regards to IEFA, the Cheyenne Odyssey is a particularly intriguing and individualized experience for students (https://www.mission-us.org/games/a-cheyenne-odyssey/). They are asked to take on the perspective of Little Wolf, a Cheyenne teenager who must navigate life on the Plains in 1866. The Battle of the Bighorn is figured prominently in this simulation, and the characters respond to realistic situations with diverse  perspectives. I have used this site with both Middle and High School social studies students and it is always a hit. Check out their lesson plans - they are worth it!--Cynthia Wilondek, Bigfork High School   

It's never too late! If you have a dynamite lesson you think other teachers would like to know about, let me know.

P.S. If you are new to teaching Montana history or just want to learn more about MTHS resources, don't forget to register for "Introduction to MTHS Resources". The hourlong workshop will be held September 12 from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on Zoom. Participants will earn 1 OPI Renewal Unit.

                                                                                                                          

 

Best of, Middle School

 Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history or IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. Here are what your fellow elementary teachers said (some anonymously) with comments by me in parentheses. Find elementary responses here. Stay tuned for high school responses.                                               

• Using pictures associated with the Indian Boarding Schools and having students do a DICE writing activity with it. The pictures and quotes were from a book sent to the libraries from OPI. The students were in groups of 3 or 4 and there were 8 stations. Students had about 5 minutes at each station to observe, read, and discuss what was at the station. Each station also had a single dice and a laminated paper with the DICE questions. Students rolled the dice and everyone needed to write their response in the appropriate square on the grid (numbers on grid match numbers on the stations).--Kathi Hoyt, Library, Castle Rock Middle School, Billings                          
• Investigating First Peoples, Clovis Child Burial - I come back to this every year during our archaeology unit with 6th graders. I also use Montana: Stories of the Land every year when learning about treaties. (Treaties are covered in Chapter 7.) The book's discussion of treaties, plus supplemental materials like Chief Victor's letter to Edgerton, are very accessible to students and make an often neglected topic easy to understand.--Dylan Huisken, Bonner Social Studies, grades 6-8                                                                      
• Playing for the World--Wendy Maratita, 7-8 Social Studies, Harlem Jr/Sr High School Studies (This it a unit built around a DVD about the 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Boarding School girls basketball team that became world champions at the St. Louis World's Fair.)

• In Memoriam. A study of our local cemetery.--Laura Dukart, Wibaux Public Schools, grades 7 & 8 history (I attended a session during which Laura presented on this project and it sounds AMAZING. She's graciously shared her presentation describing the project and says folks should feel free to contact her if they have questions. I hope you consider adapting this for your own community.)    

• I used the Montana: Stories of the Land text this year with several footlockers. (Learn more about our hands-on history footlockers and how to order them here.) The footlockers offered so much to the learning for my students! The fur trapper footlocker was probably my students' favorite.--Sheryl Kohl, Poplar Middle School TRAILS, grades 5-8 alternative education                       

• A lesson on the Butte mining accident before we go on our field trip to the mine. (I'm not sure how this teacher organized her lesson, but you can use these telegrams relating to the Speculator Mine disaster and this article about the disaster.)                                       

• Native American trade (a work in progress). When we cover the Silk Road, I developed a trade game using gold coins and trade items. I'm working on a trade game in Pre-Columbian North America. This one uses 12 different groups from around North America. I have a Google Slideshow if you are interested.--Jim Martin, C.S. Porter Middle School, 6th Grade, Missoula      

• The atlatl project. (I'm not sure if it's what this teacher uses, but here's a lesson plan for making atlatls. Students LOVE it.)                           
• Montana Counties map project. I have students cut apart maps of Montana and then put another student's puzzle together. I find it helps reinforce the locations of counties for students.--Rhonda Lynn Petersen, Chester, Joplin, Inverness, 8th Grade Montana history 

• The Montana and the Great War scavenger hunt.--Carrie Sorensen, 7-8  Fortine (I'm so glad someone is using this! It's one of my favorite things we've created.)

• The Montana and the Great War scavenger hunt.--Carrie Sorensen, 7-8  Fortine (I'm so glad someone is using this! It's one of my favorite things we've created.)                       

It's never too late! If you have a dynamite lesson you think other teachers would like to know about, let me know.

P.S. If you are new to teaching Montana history or just want to learn more about MTHS resources, don't forget to register for "Introduction to MTHS Resources". The hourlong workshop will be held September 12 from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on Zoom. Participants will earn 1 OPI Renewal Unit.

P.P.S. Montana Historical Society Teacher Leaders in Montana History have begun leading twice monthly Twitter chats, every other Thursday from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Next chat is tonight, September 8. Join the conversation using the #MTHistTLs hash tag.

 

Best of, Elementary

Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history or IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. Here are what your fellow elementary teachers said (some anonymously) with comments by me in parentheses. Stay tuned for middle and high school responses in later posts. 

• I printed out the 4th grade book and can't wait to teach it next year!!! (Find more about our new fourth-grade Montana history textbook Montana: A History of Our Home, including links to a PDF of the book and to the Teachers Guide, as well as information about how to order physical copies.)
• "Should I stay or should I go?" I loved the student discussions on what would make them stay or go, and the push/pull factors that influenced them the most. (This lesson is included in both the "Coming to Montana: Immigrants from around the World" footlocker and in Chapter 3, Part 1 of the Montana: A History of Our Home Teacher's Guide.)  
• Sara White, the elementary Native American Curriculum Coordinator in Shelby recommends Napi The Anthology by Jason Eaglespeaker. "It is a great read-aloud during the winter months to focus on the Blackfeet culture, locate or discuss local geographical places or foods/animals that are mentioned in the story along with Napi lessons and comprehension life skill questions to discuss afterwards."
• Grades 3-5 teacher Susan Seastrand from Morin Elementary southeast of Billings recommends Montana's Black Past - 4th Grade. (This was one of six lesson plans we created for Helena Public Schools. It uses the anchor text The Journey of York by Hasan Davis and includes a PowerPoint and a research activity.  Learn more about the other lesson plans we created for K-5 here.)
• The best resource I discovered this year is Native Knowledge 360 (from the National Museum of the American Indian & the Smithsonian). There are endless free educational lessons and resources that include Native narratives in rich layers of learning. The interactive lessons have worked well in my mixed-age classroom (K-7) this year. I will continue to use this quality resource in the future.
• Helena elementary librarian Marla Unruh wrote: "Our fourth grade always does a big unit on Lewis and Clark, so I created a website to guide students through a study of what that life might have been.  I vary the activities each year, trying to improve student engagement. For each of the four pages on the website, after discussion, I usually have them type answers into a padlet." 

It's never too late! If you have a dynamite lesson you think other teachers would like to know about, let me know. 

P.S. If you are new to teaching Montana history or just want to learn more about MTHS resources, don't forget to register for "Introduction to MTHS Resources". The hourlong workshop will be held September 12 from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on Zoom. Participants will earn 1 OPI Renewal Unit.

P.P.S. Montana Historical Society Teacher Leaders in Montana History have begun leading twice monthly Twitter chats, every other Thursday from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Next chat will be September 8. Join the conversation using the #MTHistTLs hash tag.