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.