Come Spend a Week in the MHS Research Center

 The Montana Historical Society is pleased to announce the availability of the 2022 Dave Walter Research Fellowship.  The Fellowship will be awarded to Montana residents involved in public history projects focused on exploring local history. The award is intended to help Montanans conduct research on their towns, counties, and regions using resources at the Montana Historical Society. Research can be for any project related to local history, including exhibit development, walking tours, oral history projects, building history or preservation, county or town histories, archaeological research, and class projects. Awards of $1,250 each will be given to up to two researchers annually. 

Recipients will be expected to:

• travel to the MHS to conduct research
• spend a minimum of one week in residence conducting research
• provide a copy of their final product or a report on their completed project to the MHS Research Center 

Applications are evaluated on:

• suitability of the research to the Society's collections
• potential of the project to make a contribution to local history
• experience in conducting local history research 

The application must include the following:

• project proposal, not to exceed 3 pages, describing the research including the specific MHS Research Center collections you intend to use
• cover letter
• 1-2 page resume
• letter of recommendation 

Applications must be sent as one PDF document to mhslibrary@mt.gov no later than March 15, 2022. Announcement of the award will be made in mid-April. Questions should be directed to Roberta Gebhardt at rgebhardt@mt.gov.  

 

MentorMT

Usually, I post Mondays and Thursdays, but I just learned about this exciting new program, the MentorMT Initiative. Since the deadline to apply to be a mentor teacher is January 30, I thought it was worth changing the schedule to get the word out.

 

The goal of MentorMT is to improve rural education and teacher retention by providing expert mentoring for classroom teachers who lack full preparation and/or a teaching license. MentorMT is recruiting and training experienced Montana educators to  provide mentoring, instructional guidance, and curricular support for this audience. Are you interested in becoming a mentor?

 

What are the benefits of MentorMT mentorship?

1. Earn $500 for training plus up to $3000 for mentoring
2. Gain leadership/mentoring skills (with OPI renewal units)
3. Inspire and support a new teacher with your expertise
4. Build new networks to counter professional isolation
5. Contribute to retaining essential Montana teachers
6. Stimulate and strengthen your own practice

 

What is expected of an MentorMT mentor?

Mentors complete training via OPI’s Teacher Hub and build personal, supportive relationships with mentees by

• Maintaining consistent contact via virtual meetings, phone, email, and other means
• Helping mentees discover and take advantage of existing networks and resources
• Monitoring mentee well-being; submit biweekly updates and report concerns

Mentors also participate in MentorMT’s online mentoring/induction program by

• Contributing to an ongoing mentor-mentee virtual community
• Completing “Partners in Practice” activities each semester
• Attending a summer MentorMT retreat if possible.

The ideal MentorMT mentor is an active or eligible retired Montana K-12 teacher with 

• a minimum of three years full-time classroom teaching experience
• demonstrated expertise in content and pedagogy within a grade band
• experience with and empathy toward rural education issues and concerns.

That sounds like many of the members of the Teaching Montana History community. Learn more  about the program and find a link to apply here. 

National History Teacher of the Year

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking nominations for the 2022 National History Teacher of the Year. The award is open to anyone who teaches K-12 American history (including but not limited to state and local history.) 

Each year Gilder Lehrman recognizes first-rate K-12 teachers who find creative ways to bring history alive in their classrooms. Winners are selected from each state and US territory and become finalists for the national award.

• State winners receive a $1,000 prize, an archive of classroom resources, and recognition at a ceremony in their state.
• The national winner, chosen from among the state winners, receives a $10,000 prize presented at a ceremony in their honor.

Nominate an outstanding history teacher here. The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2022.  If you have questions, please email nhtoy@gilderlehrman.org. 

Looking for Recommendations from High School Teachers

 I received this question from a high school teacher who's new to teaching Montana history: 

I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for teaching the course as one semester to high school students. Specifically, I'm curious about what text(s) are used at the HS level. Between the students who used the Montana: Stories of the Land text in Middle School and the upper class people taking the course (some of whom have mentioned that the book seems geared toward younger students), I'd like have other options available.

She continued: 

I see that there have been some Montana magazine articles that have been developed into lessons. I like this idea. Additionally, there are so many fantastic, and accessible, books from the likes of Ellen Baumler and Dave Walter (and many others). Do you know of anyone who has used these types of resources at the HS level?

I pointed her to the resources MHS has developed for high school, and also suggested organizing the course by topics instead of chronology, but I don't have anything to share that even resembles a syllabus, so I want to crowd source the question. 

So--high school teachers: What resources (and/or strategies) do you use specifically for semester-long courses focused on Montana history/studies or Native Studies? And if you are willing to share your syllabus, all the better! I'll compile your answers and share them out. 

 

Finding Your Roots with Montana PBS Media Lab

 Montana PBS Media Lab is hosting a free series of 10 virtual workshops for middle and high school teachers focused on digital storytelling and using the themes from the popular PBS program, Finding Your Roots. 

These two-hour virtual workshops will run every Monday, from January 24 to April 4, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Taught by the top technology integration trainers in the state of Montana, the sessions provide teachers across the state with free, high quality, hands-on training. 

 

The digital storytelling tools that will be shared during the workshops include Storymaker, Adobe Spark, We Video, Do Ink Green Screen, Stop Motion Studio, Pixton Edu and more!

 

In addition, state-wide partners, Humanities Montana, and the Montana Historical Society will share their resources for teaching about storytelling which will provide teachers with a rich and diverse set of tools to support their lesson planning. Montana PBS Media Lab workshops will be free to all teachers and will be held after school using Zoom. Participating teachers will have the opportunity to win prizes that will support them as they implement digital storytelling with their students for attending. All teachers who attend the live workshops will earn OPI credit for participating. Teachers who attend the workshops live will get 2 renewal units for each workshop; attend all of them to earn 24 renewal units.

 

Register for this exciting opportunity here.

 

For more information, contact Nikki Vraderburg at nikki@montanapbs.org. 

IEFA Professional Development

Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions Online Course

The Right Question Institute is once again offering a free, online course that will introduce you to the Question Formulation Technique and discuss how it it can be used with primary sources.

 Teachers have raved about this monthlong, self-paced course that will help you teach the essential skill of formulating questions and meet the new social studies standard--SS.K12.1 is Develop questions. And if you email me a copy of your certificate at the end of the course, I'll be happy to issue a certificate for 12 OPI Renewal Units. The course runs February 1 through March 1 and the registration deadline is January 27. Learn more and register here.

January 19, 2022: Indian Education for All

Join Indian Education Specialist Mike Jetty to learn more about resources to integrate IEFA into your classrooms--and bring your own favorite resources to share. Register here before January 18 to receive a link to the Zoom meeting.

 

K-5 Black History Lessons

What do you do for MLK Day or Black History Month? When I was growing up, every year in elementary school we learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and George Washington Carver. And that was it. My Black history education was repetitive, limited, and, frankly, uninspiring.

Today's students make similar complaints. My friend's children have had repeated lessons on Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges. Great women, but there is SO MUCH MORE!

I believe that we should integrate Black history all year long, not just in February. If you are doing that, kudos! Still, I was happy to help when the Helena Black History Month Education Initiative asked me to work with them to create lesson plans to accompany the picture books they planned to purchase for the district's elementary schools. 

I thought the lessons we came up with were interesting enough to share statewide--even though only one of them is connected to Montana history. Want to teach one of these lessons but can't get your hands on the anchor text? You can find videos of someone reading all of these books on YouTube. 

Note: The grade level designations are flexible (so the first grade lesson can easily be adapted to second or third grade.)

Finally, if you have a great Black History resource or lesson, send it along and I'll share it out. The more the merrier.

Kindergarten: Music

Time: 50 minutes

Anchor Text: Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will explore different types of musical instruments, hear clips from many different African American musicians, and listen to the story Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!, by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, illustrated by Paul Rogers. Finally, students will draw a picture of themselves playing their favorite instrument.

First Grade: Rodeo

Time: 50 minutes

Anchor Text: Let ’Er Buck! George Fletcher, the People’s Champion, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will learn about rodeo cowboy George Fletcher. They will discuss the importance of being fair to everyone and what they can do when they see someone being treated unfairly. 

Second Grade: Inventors

Time: 1-3 hours

Anchor text: Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super Soaking Stream of Inventions, by Chris Barton

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will learn about inventor Lonnie Johnson by listening to the book Whoosh! They will then create their own invention using scrap materials and their imaginations.

Third Grade: Mathematicians and the Space Race

Time: 1.5 hours

Anchor Text: Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker 

Students will listen and discuss a book about Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who worked at NASA. They will also do a math exercise and watch a video about trajectories and discuss how they relate to Katherine Johnson’s work.

Fourth Grade: Montana's Black Past

Time: 1-5 hours

Anchor text: The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Hasan Davis

Part 1: After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will complete a “quick write” about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Corps of Discovery member York, and then listen to a picture book about York, pausing to discuss how the expedition told through the eyes of York is similar to and different from the stories of the expedition from other viewpoints. 

Part 2: Students will use the Montana’s African American Heritage Resources website to investigate the history of other African Americans in Montana, while interpreting primary source material and sharing what they learned with others. 

Part 3: Students will watch the Profiles of African American Montanans PowerPoint to learn more about African American contributions to Montana. Note: This PowerPoint is integrated into the Part 2 lesson--it is highlighted as Part 3 for teachers who don’t have time to teach all of Part 2.

 Fifth Grade: The Civil Rights Movement

Time: 1-4 hours

Anchor Text: Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker, by Patricia Hruby Powell

Part 1: Students will listen and take notes on a read-aloud about civil rights activist Ella Baker and consider how they can apply her philosophy to their own lives.

Part 2: Students will research a civil rights activist, create a poster for the class civil rights museum, and then tour the museum to see their classmates’ work.

Want help implementing IEFA?

Indian Education for All Specialist Jennifer Stadum sent me information about an upcoming, exciting IEFA learning opportunity, brought to by School Services of Montana and facilitated by three amazing IEFA instructional coaches on the OPI Teacher Learning Hub. Enrollment opens January 9, 2022, and the online, facilitated course runs January 24, 2022-March 3, 2022.

Here's more from Jennifer: 

Introducing…

Building Your IEFA Mindset: Unpacking the Essential Understandings Teacher Learning Hub Course

Mark your calendars! Enrollment opens January 9 and is limited to 30 participants.

Course Dates & Description: 1/24/22 - 3/31/22

Join us for this engaging, complimentary course through the OPI Teacher Learning Hub, facilitated by Indian Education for All Instructional Coaches with extensive experience teaching and supporting others with implementation of the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians. During this course, you will unpack the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians to understand the spirit of the law and why implementation is essential. Make personal connections, discover biases, and discuss common misconceptions in a safe and supportive environment.  Resources provided include video clips, primary source documents, and more. To further support you with successful implementation in your specific teaching situation, you will receive additional, personalized follow-up support. This course is best suited for K-12 educators currently teaching in Montana schools. 

Course Objectives:

1. Unpack the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians, deepening background knowledge and making personal connections.
2. Learn strategies and gain resources, including primary source documents, to help authentically incorporate the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians into instruction.
3. Develop a network of support for continued enhancement to your Indian Education for All implementation.

Course Facilitators:

• Jacie Jeffers, Billings Public Schools, IEFA Instructional Coach
• Jordann Lankford Forster (Bright Trail Woman), Great Falls Public Schools, IEFA Instructional Coach
• Miranda Murray, Great Falls Public Schools, IEFA Instructional Coach

OPI Renewal Units: 15 hours

Enrollment Opens: 1/9/22; First Come, First Served

Note: Enrollment closes the first day of the course or when the cap is met.

For questions about this course, please contact Jennifer Stadum.