Ideas from Middle School Colleagues

 The best lessons always come from classroom teachers, which is why I was delighted to hear from two middle school teachers recently about lessons/activities that have worked in their classrooms.

Angela Gordon, who teaches 6th and 7th grade social studies, wrote to recommend the Digital Inquiry Group's lesson on Edward Curtis. "We analyze some of his pictures and talk about his life and obsessive need to capture indigenous people and their culture in traditional dress and native environment. We discuss whether his mission was a success and how his pictures can be of use today."

By the way: Digital Inquiry Group (DIG) is the new name for the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). All of their lessons engage students in historical inquiry, revolve around a central historical question, and feature primary source documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. According to their website: 

"This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues and learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. "

All of their resources are free for teachers (although registration is required).   

Angela hasn't been my only correspondent. Middle school teacher Bill Moe recently sent me two suggestions. The first was a worksheet he uses to help his students explore the Montana brand book during their study of Chapter 8 ("Livestock and the Open Range") of Montana: Stories of the Land.

The second was related to a troubling report by NBC News that more than 13 percent of Montana high school students had attempted suicide in the past year, the highest percentage in over twenty years. In response, Bill put up a sign in his classroom: "The World is a Better Place with You in It." He said, "This might be a good thing for kids to see or hear, or to maybe have kids write in a note or Valentine for their parents. Some of them are struggling." 

Thank you to Bill and Angela! And if you have lessons or resources that you think are worth sharing, please send them on.