Connecting Past to Present

 Teacher Leaders in Montana History Cynthia Wilondek and Dylan Huisken  led a dynamite professional development workshop a few weeks ago on "Connecting Past to Present." They created a Google Doc with links to many resources and lesson plans. I'll only highlight a few here. 

In the 2023 case Held vs State of Montana, kids sued the state of Montana over not doing enough to prevent climate change, claiming that the state's inaction violated the Montana constitution's guarantee of a "clean and healthful environment."  You can use this as an entry into discussing Montana's 1972 Constitution. 

Digitized newspapers are a great way to research the history of current events, for example, the closure of a local business or bridge.

There have been a number of recent articles on trying to document all of the students who died at Indian boarding schools and returning the remains to their communities. This obviously connects to a study of the boarding school era.  

Discussions of dark money in politics today tie nicely with a discussion of the Clark-Daly feud, fight for the state capitol and decision to pass the direct election of senators after William A. Clark successfully bribed his way into the U.S. Senate in 1899.

Find links to resources to teach these topics and many more ideas in the Google Doc.

Also, consider participating in our FINAL Monday Meetup, March 11, 2024: Incorporating Children’s Literature into Social Studies. Novels, memoirs, and picture books are a great way to excite your students about history. Bring your favorite titles to share and learn what other Montana teachers are using in their classrooms to teach Indian Education for All, U.S., and Montana history. Register.