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.