Montana's Constitution at 50

 In 1972, citizens of the state of Montana voted to adopt a new constitution, a remarkable document that guaranteed rights to a "clean and healthful environment," to privacy, to know (open meetings), to "equal protection," and to dignity, and recognized "the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians."  Delegates to the 1972 Constitutional Convention, who sat alphabetically and worked across party lines, hammered out the new state charter that has won praise from experts and remains in place today. 

In honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1972 constitution, the
Montana Historical Society has created a list of resources to help you teach about the constitution (including material for grades 4-6 and 7-12.) 

MHS is also dedicating its May Thursday afternoon lecture series to exploring the history, legacy, and impact of the 1972 Montana State Constitution. Talks will begin at 4:30 p.m. Attend in person at the Montana Historical Society, Helena, live stream the talks from the MHS YouTube Channel, or watch the recordings after the fact. After each talk, teachers will be able earn one OPI Renewal Unit by taking a short quiz. Find more information about the programs and speakers and links for renewal units here.  

Join Us Thursdays in May at 4:30 p.m.

May 5: Rewriting Montana’s Constitution: How It Happened, with Chuck Johnson 

May 12: Indian Education and the 1972 Montana Constitution: A panel discussion with Carol Juneau and Joyce Silverthorne, moderated by Mike Jetty 

May 19: Women and the 1972 Constitution, with Diane Sands 

May 26: Before and After the Montana Constitution of 1972: A panel discussion with Bob Brown and Dorothy Bradley, moderated by Evan Barrett 

Finally, save the date for a two-day symposium, “ConCon 50: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 Constitutional Convention and Adoption of the Constitution by the People,” June 15-16, 2022, at the Montana State Capitol in Helena. (Stay tuned for registration information.)

 

Montana Meme-Ory

Once again this year, the Montana State Library is hosting a contest to create memes using historical photo collections in the Montana Memory Project (MMP). You can enter using any image from the MMP website. They have partnered with two organizations to present great prizes: Montana Historical Society (that's us!) and Montana Outdoors. Submissions are due on May 13th, after which all entries will be posted on the MMP site for voting by the public. We hope you will join the fun - entry is easy, and the prizes include books, admission tickets, art prints, and more!  Full entry details here.

A Little of This, A Little of That

 Present

There's still time to submit a proposal to present at MFPE's October 20-21, 2022, Educator Conference--either in Helena or online. Applications are due April 30. 

Explore

After 72 years of confidentiality, the 1950 Census is here! The 1950 census is now available for everyone to view on a free, dedicated website from the National Archives. If you use the census with your students, tell us how! Check out the lesson we created using the census for Unit 3 of Montana: A History of Our Home (Part 5: Logging, p. 145.)  Learn more about the Montana: A History of Our Home curriculum here.   

Check out Museums for Digital Learning, "a unique learning platform that provides K-12 educators with authentic, curated museum collection resources to help inspire their students. MDL content and interactive features are developed by museum education and curatorial professionals in consultation with classroom educators and technology consultants. MDL Resource kits have multiple activities to engage learners and support national standards in different subjects. All content is free to use and can be shared to a learning management system or on social media." (I learned about MDL from a post made by Michelle Pearson in the Teaching Montana History Facebook group. If you are a Facebook person, join us!  

Learn

The lineup for the Fifteenth Annual IEFA Best Practices conference has been finalized and it looks fabulous. Check out and then register for this virtual event, to be held May 14-15. 

Help

Whitehall high school teacher Merrick Parnell is working on his master's degree and is hoping that 9-12 social studies teachers will email him with the answer to this question: "What aspects of social studies content do your students struggle with?" His email is merrickparnell5@gmail.com.

Bozeman Holocaust Education Workshop and Exhibit

Montana educators, including pre-service teachers, are invited to attend a free teacher training workshop on the Holocaust. The workshop will be held at the Bozeman Public Library on June 16, 2022, from 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

The library is also hosting the nation-wide traveling exhibit “Americans and the Holocaust” sponsored by the American Library Association and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Time will allotted for exploring the exhibit. Teachers will also receive free teaching materials, resources, and lesson plans. And, a free lunch! OPI is offering 8 renewal credits in conjunction with this workshop. 

The workshop is designed for educators grades 6-12, but all are welcome (registration will be capped at 40 participants). Register here.  

The Books Are (Almost) Here!

Montana: A History of Our Home

A few weeks ago, advance copies of Montana: A History of Our Home* have arrived. This week, I sent the teacher's guide to the printer. I am beyond thrilled to announce that our new fourth-grade curriculum is posted online and ready to use--and that our distributor, Farcountry Press, is standing by to take your orders for next fall. Learn more here or read on. 

As you probably know, in 2021, the Montana Board of Education approved new standards for social studies. These standards mandate that fourth graders:

• Understand tribes in Montana have their own unique histories,
• Identify events and policies that have impacted and been influenced by tribes in Montana,
• Explain how Montana has changed over time given its cultural diversity and how this history impacts the present,
• Define sovereignty for tribes in Montana,
• Identify key foundational documents in Montana's government,
• Identify basic elements of Montana's state economic system including agriculture, business, natural resources, and labor,
• Identify and label the tribes in Montana and their indigenous territories, and current locations, and
• Investigate the physical, political, and cultural characteristics of places, regions, and people in Montana.

It's a lot! The new Montana: A History of Our Home curriculum is specifically designed to help your students meet these new standards. It includes a 96-page textbook that offers a quick tour through 13,000 years of Montana history and a 320-page teacher's guide that offers engaging, interdisciplinary, activity-based lessons that integrate the readings from the student book. 

Not only do these lessons align with the new social studies standards and the Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians, most of the lessons are interdisciplinary, integrating ELA, math, and fine art. That means that you can teach social studies while providing opportunities for students to practice ELA and math skills. 

I want to pause here to thank EVERYONE who tested a lesson or provided feedback. I've integrated (almost) all of it, including last minute changes to a math lesson on the shrinking reservation that teachers attending our spring workshop said was too hard for their kids.  

You can access PDFs of Montana: A History of Our Home and the Montana: A History of Our Home Teacher’s Guide for FREE on our website. 

And if that works for you, great. You can also order student books for next school year by contacting our distributor, Farcountry Press, at 800-821-3874 or sales@farcountrypress.com.  A FREE 320-page, spiral-bound teacher's guide will accompany each order. 

As longtime readers of Teaching Montana History know, this curriculum has been several years in the making. I hope you'll agree it's been worth the wait. 

*Funding for Montana: A History of Our Home was provided by the Bill and Rosemary Gallagher Foundation, the Montana Professional Teaching Foundation, and donations from many individuals to numerous to name. 

Become a Teacher Leader in Montana History

We've extended the deadline to apply to join our Teacher Leader program. Attend our all-expenses paid July 27-29, 2022, summit. Meet with amazing colleagues, share and learn best practices, discover and share Montana history resources, become part of the MHS Teacher Advisory Board, and make an impact!

• Read the long description here. 
• Apply here.
• Applications are due April 11. 

15th Annual Indian Education for All Best Practices Conference

 The IEFA Best Practices Conference has long been one of my favorite learning opportunities. This year it will be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, 2022. 

The virtual and FREE professional development offering is intended to provide teachers, administrators, and stakeholders with a stronger understanding of Indian Education for All, highlight strategies for improving American Indian student achievement, and celebrate the strength and resilience of Indigenous cultures and languages. Montana Indigenous leaders will provide two keynote addresses and the conference will conclude with a celebration of tribal youth leaders from across the Treasure state. 

Details are still scarce but OPI's Indian Education Division has a great track record for pulling together a really strong line-up of presenters, so I encourage you to register. And, of course, OPI Renewal Units will be available. 

LINK TO REGISTER.