We're coming to a town near you!

 The Montana Historical Society is very excited to be sending veteran teacher and workshop leader extraordinaire Jim Schulz back on the road this March and April with the workshop Making It Real. Jim will be traveling to Great Falls (March 23), Butte (March 25), Missoula (March 28), Bozeman (April 4), Billings (April 6), and Miles City (April 7). 

The free, one-day workshop (which can be taken for 6 OPI Renewal Credits) is designed to

• Introduce the new fourth-grade Montana history curriculum Montana: A History of Our Home.
• Provide teachers to specific lesson plans that they can use to teach Montana and U.S. history.
• Highlight the benefits of interdisciplinary teaching.
• Introduce teachers to Civic Online Reasoning, a curriculum created by the Stanford History Education Group to help teach students how to evaluate online information. 

If you've attended a Jim Schulz-led workshop in the past, you know how great he is, and you won't want to miss out. If you've never attended a Jim Schulz workshop, you are in for a treat.  

Here's what teachers have said about previous workshops Jim has taught for us: 

• “One of the most productive and informational PIR workshops I have ever done…”
• “Jim's workshop inspired to me reflect on my teaching practice."

You can find the detailed agenda and links to register on our website.  

We hope you can come! And we hope you'll help us spread the word. Please share this information and the registration links with colleagues you think may be interested. 

Register for the Great Falls workshop. 

Register for the Butte workshop.

Register for the Missoula workshop.

Register for the Bozeman workshop.

Register for the Billings workshop. 

Register for the Miles City workshop. 

In addition to the six "Making It Real" workshops Jim is giving, I'll be joining Teacher Leader in Montana History Jennifer Hall in Kalispell to present "New Standards? No Problem!: Resources for Fourth Grade Social Studies" for the Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. on March 15. The coop has opened the class to all fourth-grade teachers, regardless of whether your school is in the coop, so if you teach fourth grade and are within an easy drive of Kalispell, I hope to see you there! Problems registering through PIRNet? Contact the coop at 406-752-3302.

 

Elementary Teachers: Apply to become a Teacher Leader in Montana History

 The Montana Historical Society is soliciting applications from K-5 teachers interested in helping improve elementary history education in their schools, districts, and regions by becoming Teacher Leaders in History. 

Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to history education, interest and experience in teaching Montana history, excellence in the classroom, experience in sharing best practices with their colleagues, and familiarity with the Montana Historical Society’s work and educational resources. 

In addition to the criteria above, up to eight program fellows will be chosen to reflect Montana’s geographic and educational diversity, assuring representation from different regions and both small and large schools. 

Those accepted as Teacher Leader Fellows will be brought to Helena for a two-day Teacher Leader in History Summit, to be held at the Montana Historical Society, July 27-29, 2022, at the conclusion of which they will be certified as Montana Historical Society Teacher Leaders in History.

Throughout 2022-2023, this select group of Teacher Leaders in History will join current Teacher Leader Fellows to 

• Serve as a members of the Montana Historical Society Educator Advisory Board, providing advice and classroom testing of lesson plans on an as-needed basis.
• Work to increase the Montana Historical Society’s visibility in their schools and communities.
• Promote Montana Historical Society resources (especially the new fourth-grade curriculum, Montana: A History of Our Home) to teachers in their region.
• Assist teachers in their schools in finding appropriate resources/implementing lessons that reflect best practices in elementary history education.

• Communicate with Montana Historical Society staff throughout 2022-23, documenting the outreach they have conducted and participating in up to three one-hour virtual meetings (scheduled at mutually agreeable times).

Teacher Leader Fellows will be expected to 

• Share Montana Historical Society Resources

• through a formal presentation at one or more regional or statewide conferences (for which they may earn OPI Renewal Units)

• within their own school or across their district through informal outreach and/or formal presentations
• Communicate with Montana Historical Society staff throughout 2022-23, documenting the outreach they have conducted

In return, the Montana Historical Society will provide the following (valued at more than $500):

• Full travel scholarships to attend the free two-day July 2022 Summit.
• An honorarium of $100 to cover travel expenses to one regional conference, at which the participant is presenting or up to $100 to your school to pay for a substitute teacher so you can present in a nearby district.
• Ongoing support and consultation, including model PowerPoint presentations to use and adapt as in presentations to fellow educators.
• A certificate designating the participant as an official MHS Teacher Leader in History.
• A scholarship to attend the Montana History Conference in Red Lodge, September 29-October 1 (attendance is optional)
• Free shipping for one MHS Hands-on History Footlocker during the 2022-23 school year.
• Up to 15 OPI Renewal Units or 1 graduate credit (at the cost of $150/pending course approval from MSU-Northern)   

Only eight teachers will be selected for this special program. Apply online here. Applications are due March 27 April 11. (Deadline has been extended.) Awardees will be notified by April 11 April 25.   

Questions? Contact Martha Kohl at mkohl@mt.gov or 406-444-4740.

 

Montana Memory Project Photo Prompt Contest

 The Montana Memory Project is hosting the 2nd Annual Photo Prompt contest. Using any photo in the MMP collection participants will write a short story (650 words or less) and submit it to the MMP. Winners will be chosen from grades 3-6, grades 7-12, and adult.

The deadline to enter is March 11, 2022. 

Where to begin?

Browse the photo collection to find an interesting photo. Once you've found an image save the link to that image - you'll need it when submitting your story. 

If the entire collection is too overwhelming try one of these smaller collections:

Ice and Snow

Photos with animals

Photos of people 

How to Enter

Write a short story based on the photo (650 words or less). Email your entry to the Montana Memory
Project (mmp@mt.gov) with the subject line
Photo Prompt Writing Contest. In the message include your full name, age group category and link to the image.
.
Photos and stories will be highlighted on MMP social media accounts.

There are prizes (including publication in Distinctly Montana)!

 

Our Constitution Turns 50

I just received information about a program on the 50th Anniversary of the Constitutional Convention sponsored by Great Falls Rising, Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:00 pm by Zoom. The agenda looks amazing! Five of the remaining 12 living ConCon Delegates (out of the original 100) are featured in this Zoom Panel. 

See below for the agenda and Zoom link. Attendees will be eligible for two OPI Renewal Units.

6:00 pm: Gerry Jennings, President of Great Falls Rising, welcomes all attendees on Zoom.

6:05 pm: Former state legislators Dorothy Bradley of Bozeman and Bob Brown of Whitefish will give a snapshot of why the convention was called. Bob Brown will present a brief overview of the 1889 Constitution in contrast to the 1972 Constitution. He will then illustrate the need for the "new" constitution with a story that occurred while he was serving in the legislature under the "old" Constitution. 

Dorothy Bradley, who served with Bob before and after the Convention and passage of the Constitution, will talk about some specifics of new Constitutional provisions that led to legislative follow-up, intensive interim studies and new laws. 

6:25 pm: Nancy Leifer, President, League of Women Voters of Montana - what led up to the need for a convention, why the old constitution no longer served, what had changed to make a constitutional convention possible, and the role of LWV, AAUW in passing the referendum that called for a Constitutional Convention.

6:37 pm: ConCon historian Evan Barrett of Butte - Process followed in placing the question of a Constitutional Convention on the ballot in 1970; roles of State Sen. Jack McDonald and Harry Mitchell of Great Falls as chair and member of the Montana Constitution Revision Commission; the vote of the people in 1970 calling for the Convention; 1971 Legislative role in establishing the Convention; roles of Alex Blewett and Randall Swanberg of Great Falls as chair and member of the Montana Constitutional Convention Commission in 1971; preparation and research leading to the Convention; 1971 election of 100 delegates (partisan breakout); Convention management and power-sharing decisions that led to a Convention without partisanship; the Constitutional Convention Society and role of Bob Campbell as Secretary. (Swanberg was later elected as a delegate to the convention.)

6:49 pm: ConCon Delegate Arlyne Reichert of Great Falls - will discuss the structure of the Constitutional Convention: seating, leadership, who could run for each, role of women (19 ConCon delegates were women). Listen for practical improvements. Special guests included Jeannette Rankin, Charles Lindbergh and John Gardiner of Common Cause.

The 1972 Constitution became known as a model document. 

7:01 pm: ConCon Delegate Lyle Monroe of Great Falls - Addition of the Bill of Rights. What do they include? 

7:13 pm: ConCon Delegate Mae Nan Ellingson of Missoula - Preamble done with ConCon Delegate Bob Campbell of Missoula; discuss Natural Resources and Right to Clean and Healthful Environment.

7:25 pm: ConCon Delegate Gene Harbaugh of Poplar - passing the Constitution.

7:37 pm: ConCon Delegate Jerry Loendorf of Helena - We the People--our rights to open and transparent government - our duties. 

7:49 pm: Gerry thanks people for coming and gives brief announcements 

7:55 pm: Special ending!

Zoom information:

Great Falls Rising is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: 50th anniversary of the 1972 Constitutional Convention
Time: Feb 23, 2022 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/7172412967  [zoom.us]

Meeting ID: 717 241 2967
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The program will be recorded and sent out the following day. There may be other links that we will include, such as the KGPR 89.9 FM (Great Falls public radio) interview of Arlyne and Gerry airing February 22nd at 2:00 pm.

Celebrate Great Teaching

 Do you know a 7th-12th grade teacher who has done an exemplary job teaching Montana history during the 2021-2022 school year? If so, consider nominating him or her for the 33rd Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award. Deadline for nominations is March 31, 2022. 

It's easy to nominate someone. Simply send the following information to Norma Ashby Smith, Award Coordinator, at ashby7@charter.net:

• Your name, school, address, phone number and email.
• The teacher you are nominating’s name, grade, school, address, phone number and email.

That's it! Deadline for nominations is March 31, 2022. 

Nominated teachers will be asked to submit two letters of support (one from their principal, superintendent, fellow teacher or librarian and from a student), and one page detailing why they enjoy teaching Montana history, including how they adapted teaching Montana history due to the covid-19 lockdowns, how they engage their students in learning, how their Montana history course recognizes cultural diversity and anything else they’d like to share about their class or methods. 

Nominees will receive instructions on how to submit this material. Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2022. 

The winner and his or her class will be honored at a ceremony in the State Capitol on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.  The winner will receive a plaque and a $4,500 cash prize toward classroom materials, field trips, speakers and anything else that will enhance learning in their classroom.  

This program is sponsored by the Montana Television Network, the Montana History Foundation, and the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers in cooperation with the Montana Historical Society and the 1889 Coffee House in Helena. Additional gifts of $100 in gold Sacajawea dollars are given to the student who writes the letter of support for the winning teacher from Judy Wohlfrom of Woodland, Ca., and one gold Sacajawea dollar for each of the students who accompanies the winning teacher to the Nov. 9 ceremony from Mike Collins, President of the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers and his wife Connie of Helena. 

Contact Norma Ashby Smith of Great Falls, Montana, Award Coordinator, with any questions about the award or the nomination process at 406-453-7078 or at ashby7@charter.net. 

 

Teaching with Primary Sources

 Join us for our second to last 2022 online PD on February 16, 2022, 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 

This month's topic is Teaching with Primary Sources. 

• Why do you use primary sources?
• What are your favorite ways to integrate them in your classroom?
• Do you have favorite sources?

Come share your ideas and learn from your colleagues. Register here before February 15 to receive a link to the Zoom meeting.

NEH Summer Programs

 Each summer, the NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for K-12 educators and higher education faculty to study a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of $1300-$3450 for residential programs and $650-$1725 for virtual programs help cover expenses for these one- to four-week programs. Applications for all programs close on March 1, 2022. 

These programs are extremely competitive, so if this is something that interests you, don't leave the application to the last minute (especially as the application requires a letter of recommendation.)  

Teachers who participate in these all rave about the opportunity and talk about how energizing and restorative the experience is, spending time, surrounded by other passionate teachers, learning something new. Often graduate credits are available for a fee.   

Program Formats

Professional development programs include the following format options:

• Residential: All participants attend for the duration of the project at the host site.
• Virtual: All participants attend for the duration of the project using an online platform. This can include synchronous and asynchronous sessions.
• Combined Format: All participants attend a portion of the project online and a portion of the project at the host site. Online and residential sessions occur at different times, but participants attend the same format simultaneously.

Here are just a few that I found in a quick perusal that relate in some way to teaching Montana/regional history or Indian Education for All. 

• Heart Mountain, Wyoming, and the Japanese American Incarceration
• The Trail of Tears: Context and Perspectives
• Ancient Stories, New Neighbors: Decolonizing Indigenous Homelands and 17th-Century New England
• Re-Enchanting Nature: Humanities Perspectives (based right here in Helena) 

But the program has all sorts of topics, from Digital Ancient Rome and Disability and Identity in History, Literature, and Media to The Legacy of Early African-Americans and the Gullah-Geechee People and many others. 

Check out the NEH website and start putting together your application. Learn more about the program and how to apply here. You won't be sorry.