Nominate a Rock Star Teacher

 Do you know a great fourth, fifth, or sixth grade teacher who has done an exemplary job teaching Montana history during the 2022-2023 school year?

Please nominate him or her for the 34th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award.

The winner will receive the 34th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award, which honors the Montana History Teacher of the year.

Nominations may be emailed to Norma Ashby Smith, Award Coordinator, at ashby7@charter.net.  Nominations should include the nominator’s name, school, address, phone number and email; teacher’s name, grade, school, address, phone number and email. Deadline for nominations is March 31, 2023.

Nominated teachers will be asked to submit two letters of support, one page from their principal, superintendent, fellow teacher or librarian, one page from a student, and one page detailing why they enjoy teaching Montana, 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, 2023.

The winner and his or her class will be honored at a ceremony in the State Capitol on Wednesday, November 8, 2023. 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 Foundation for Montana History, 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. 8 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 406-590-6798 or at ashby7@charter.net. 

Last Chance for This Amazing Training! (Plus a Favor)

 

First, the Favor

If you used Montana: A History of Our Home last semester, would you please take this survey? It's anonymous--unless you want to be entered into the prize drawing, in which case there's a chance at winning a fabulous prize. Either way, you will have my eternal gratitude.

The Training You Won't Want to Miss

"It was truly a wonderful learning experience."--Montana teacher

Montana teachers have raved about the Right Question Institute's free, online  "Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions." And, luckily for you, RQI is offering the course one last time, asynchronously February 28-March 28, with two optional live webinars. 

Learning how to ask questions is an essential skill, one our students struggle with and one that isn't explicitly taught often enough. ("Develop questions" is also the very first skill listed in the new state social studies standards.)  And asking questions can transform the way students approach primary source learning. 

Join the Right Question Institute for Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions: a new, free online course made possible by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program. 

Read more about the course on the course information page and then follow this link to register. Deadline to register is February 24.

If you send me your certificate of completion, I will provide you with 12 OPI Renewal Units.  

Can't take the course, but want to learn more? Check out these self-paced, on-demand modules. 

Want to see how one fourth-grade, Nevada teacher applied what she learned? Check out this video. (Note: She uses the term "QFT," which stands for "Question Formulation Technique," the routine for teaching students to ask questions that she learned, and you will learn, if you take the "Teaching Students to Ask Their Own Primary Source Questions" course.)  Also: Her project--having students draw their own maps of the state of Nevada based on their own questions--is an idea worth stealing! (Here's an 1887 map of Montana Territory. And here's the map's metadata and a little bit of information about the mapmaker.)

Nominate a Local History Hero

Every community has them--the unsung heroes of local museum or preservation efforts--including language preservation. Maybe it's time to let the whole state know about the person who means so much to your community.... 

The Montana Historical Society is seeking nominations for people and organizations whose exemplary commitment to identifying and preserving our historical and cultural heritage makes them eligible for the Heritage Keeper Awards. 

To qualify, the individual must be alive, and organizations must be currently active. Nominees will be evaluated on the significance and impact of their overall work in enhancing, promoting, and stimulating general public interest in a specific aspect of Montana history and culture. You can find a list of past awardees here. 

The nomination deadline is April 1, 2022. The nomination form and additional information can be found on the Montana Historical Society website. 

Nominations or questions can be emailed to Jenni Carr at Jenni.Carr@mt.gov, or mailed to Heritage Keeper Awards Chair, Montana Historical Society, P.O. Box 201201, Helena, MT 59620-1201.

Awardees will be honored in celebrations in their home communities this coming summer or fall.

 

Teaching about Montana's Favorite Cowboy Artist

Libby middle school teacher Bill Moe came up with a very clever, very simple worksheet on Charlie Russell's art. He creates a scenario where the students are "filthy, stinking rich." (What student wouldn't like that?) They will be able to outbid anyone at an auction of C. M. Russell art. Then he asks them which piece they chose, why they chose it, the story behind the artwork, and has them do a quick sketch. What a fun way to get students to look closely at a Russell painting!

For more in-depth study and/or different approaches, check out MTHS's Teaching Montana's Charlie Russell. The site includes links to biographical PowerPoints, grades 3-12 hands-on art lessons, and grades 1-12 art/ELA/social studies lessons, including “An Artist’s Journey: Transform a Painting into Poetry” and “What Don’t You See? The Historical Accuracy of Charles M. Russell Paintings.” 

The C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls also has teaching resources. 

P.S. Looking for great instructional strategies? Or do you have a great one to share? Join Teacher Leader in Montana History Jennifer Graham February 13, 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. for the online PD, Instructional Strategies You'll Love. Jennifer will share Collaborative Instructional Strategies (CIS) that she says will improve students' Social Emotional Learning skills and increase student engagement. Participants are invited to bring their best strategies to share or just come to listen. Register here.