Favorite Elementary Lessons

 Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history or IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. Here are the responses from elementary school teachers with some notes from me in brackets. Read middle school teacher responses and high school teachers' responses.

Cedar Martin, who teaches 2-3 in Lavina, wrote: "I think it was my IEFA lesson about Stereotypes. The kids loved the engagement of the lesson. They loved learning about stereotypes and how to realize what we watch or say can be stereotyping others. This was a valuable lesson to the students at such a young age." [I'm not sure what resource she used but it might be one of this lesson posted on OPI's website: Stereotypes, Grade 3. OPI also has Identifying Stereotypes and Countering Them, Grade 4.]  

Clifford Thorsen, who taught 4th grade in Evergreen for many years, loves the 4th grade winter count lesson.

Jodi Delaney, who teaches grades 4-5 in Helena, wrote:

I love using the lesson on Rosebud Battle or Where the Girl Saved Her Brother. This one lesson addresses multiple standards in social studies and IEFA, ELA, and art.  It’s a powerhouse lesson on points of view and there are so many topics you could connect with, like learning more about ledger art, journalism, writing summaries, and more. The lesson includes multiple kinds of activities to address all sorts of learners and can be adapted for differing ability levels to include the whole class. She also notes that the logistics of the lesson can be intimidating at first glance and so she'd be happy to walk folks through it if they want. [Just email me and I'll put you in touch.] This lesson is part of Montana: A History of Our Home, the curriculum MTHS put together for grades 4-6. Find it in Unit 5 of the curriculum (Part 3, Lesson 3). 

Hali Richmond, of Sunburst, wrote:

I never miss the opportunity to teach Mapping Montana, A to Z. The students love spreading out across the classroom with their maps and starting their "field trip" across the state! Once the students have their routes mapped out, we learn about the 7 reservations and 12 tribal nations and discuss which reservations they travelled through on their journey! 

It's never too late! If you have a great lesson or resource you think other teachers should know about, let me know!

P.S. Don't forget to register for Teaching Current Events (Tuesday, Oct. 8, 4:30-5:30 p.m.) Learn more and find registration link.