See you in Great Falls!

I just finished looking over the line-up for both the Montana Council on Social Studies and the Montana Council for History and Civics Education and am more excited than ever for the MFPE Educators Conference in Great Falls, October 21-22, 2021.

For me the highlights are Little Shell Chairman Gerald Gray's talk "Little Shell and Our Fight for Federal Recognition" at 10:00 AM on Friday, the roundtable on Social Studies Issues on Thursday at noon, and all the sessions on implementing the new social studies standards. I'm also looking forward to presenting on our new fourth-grade curriculum (1:00 PM on Thursday) and having one-on-one conversations in the exhibit hall.   

Although I didn't include them in the list below, Lewis and Clark enthusiasts will be pleased that there are a number of Lewis and Clark-related sessions (to find them type Lewis and Clark into a key word search).  

Read on to whet your appetite, and if you will be in Great Falls, I hope you'll come see us at our booth in the exhibit hall.  

Thursday, October 21, 2021

8:00 - 8:50 AM

• C3 Framework and integrating the new MT SS Standards, Janna Lind and Cheyenne Aldrich, CMR 217
• Heart Mountain Japanese Relocation Center, Armand Lohof, CMR 215

9:00 - 10:50 AM

• New and Improved Montana Memory Project, Jennifer Birnel, CMR 102

10:00 - 11:50 AM

• Responsible teaching of the Holocaust, Carol Shipley, CMR 217

11:00 - 11:50 AM

• (Virtual) Social Studies Update! Overview of 5 New Montana Content Standards, Stephanie Swigart, Michelle McCarthy, and Colet Bartow
• Where I AM: Reading and Writing About Place, Noel Osterman, CMR 221
• MCHCE Business Meeting, CMR 212

12:00 - 12:50 PM

• Social Studies Issues, Bruce Wendt and Janna Lind, CMR 215

1:00 - 1:50 PM  

• (Virtual) Continuity and Change in the History of Yellowstone National Park, Michael Breis, MFPE EDCON 7
• Does "We the People" Include Me?, Sandra Oldendorf, CMR 216
• New Standards, No Problem: Resources for 4th Grade Social Studies, Martha Kohl, CMR 217

2:00 - 2:50 PM

• How the IEFA Essential Understandings fit in an AP curriculum, Cheyenne Aldrich and Janna Lind, CMR 215
• Teaching Social Studies in the Remote Classroom, Alex Rosenleaf, CMR 213

3:00 - 3:50 PM

• Connections of history/literature: Take One, Ken Egan, Jr. and Bruce Wendt, CMR 216
• Bringing History Alive for Children!, Jodi Delaney, CMR 212

4:00 - 4:50 PM

• Connections of history/literature: Take Two, Ken Egan, Jr. and Bruce Wendt, CMR 216
• Russell for Learning: Educational Resources from the C.M. Russell Museum, Melissa Werber, C.M. Russell Museum
• Infusing Indigenous/Young Adult Literature into our Classrooms, Rebecca Chatham, CMR 207

Friday, October 22, 2021

8:00 - 8:50 AM  

• (Virtual) Applying MT Social Studies to the Inquiry Design Model, Hailey Hancock, MFPE EDCON 1

9:00 - 9:50 AM  

• Parks and Trees in Great Falls, Montana’s Early Development, 1883-1916, Troy Hallsell, CMR 216

10:00 - 10:50 AM

• Little Shell and Our Fight for Federal Recognition, Gerald Gray, AUDITORIUM
• (Virtual) Forward Montana presents: The Montana State Budget System Template, McKeely Shannon, MFPE EDCON 7

11:00 - 11:50 AM

• IEFA Resources to Support the New Social Studies Standards, Mike Jetty, CMR 216

12:00 - 12:50 PM

• MCSS Business Meeting, CMR 217

1:00 - 1:50 PM  

• (Virtual) Brave Conversations in the Social Studies Classroom: Strategies and Standards, Hailey Hancock, MFPE EDCON 1

2:00 - 2:50 PM  

• Mesh C3 with New Social Studies Curriculum, Bruce Wendt, CMR 217

 

Social Studies Skills, Continued

Last week I introduced a new periodic series on resources to teach the new social studies standards with post on developing questions. This week, I'm going to focus on planning inquiries and comparing and evaluating sources for relevance, perspective, and accuracy.  

Skill #2 (SS.K12.2): Plan Inquiries 

I bet most of you already work with students to conduct inquiries--from posters on the different tribes of Montana and "living statues/wax museums" in elementary grades to more in-depth research projects in middle and high school.   

To reassure yourself that you've been doing inquiry all along (or for a quick introduction to the idea) check out Edutopia's  "What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning".   

Unless you, as the teacher, provide the guiding question, the first step is developing a research question. I covered developing questions pretty thoroughly in my email last week, but I forgot to mention resources from Teachinghistory.org that focus specifically on helping students develop research questions.  

The next steps typically include other skills listed in the standards (compare and evaluate sources for relevance, perspective, and accuracy; use sources to gather evidence to develop and refine claims; and communicate conclusions). That's why inquiry is so powerful!

National Geographic has educator resources to support implementing the Geo-Inquiry Process into your classroom. 

The Stanford History Education Group creates some of the smartest, best curricular material out there. Designed for middle and high school students, their Reading Like a Historian lessons ask students to engage in a historical inquiry by analyzing primary sources from different points of view to answer a guiding question. To access their lessons--over 150 of them--you have to register, but registration is free. If you teach middle or high school, and don't use SHEG's resources, I encourage you to take a moment and browse their site. You'll like what you see. 

For middle and high school classes, National History Day is a natural way to integrate inquiry.  Montana's contest is on hiatus this year, but that doesn't mean that you can't use NHD resources in your classroom to help students plan inquiries. Use these links to find NHD's Middle School Teacher Resources booklet and their two part high school booklet (Part 1 and Part 2).  

Do you have a favorite resource for helping students plan inquiries? If so, please share! And stay tuned for the next installment on the social studies standards.  

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for our next online PD,  October 13, from 4-5: "Diving into the New Social Studies Standards." Register here before October 12 to receive a link to the Zoom meeting.

 

Social Studies Standards and Skills

How do you feel about the new social studies standards? (This is a real question, not a rhetorical one. Please email me!) I'm excited about them--but can also imagine they seem a bit daunting. So, I'm starting a series of periodic posts focusing on resources to help you meet specific standards, starting with the skills section, which are supposed to be integrated across all grades. 

Skill #1 (SS.K12.1): Develop Questions 

Question Formulation Technique (QFT)

Practicing the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a GREAT way to teach students how to develop questions. Here's a link to a blog I wrote sometime back describing the technique, but the best thing to do is go to the Right Question Institute Website, and start exploring the materials on their Teaching and Learning page, including lesson plan templates, PowerPoints, and videos showing QFT in action), and/or watch this 27-minute tutorial on YouTube. 

Question Starts

Of course, there are other ways to help students learn how to develop questions. I came across Question Starts when I was exploring the Thinking Routine Toolbox on Harvard University School of Education's Project Zero website. 

Like most good routines, this one is deceptively simple. Here's a PDF from Project Zero with all the details, but in brief, here's how it works:

1. Brainstorm a list of at least 12 questions about the topic, concept or object. Use these question-starts to help you think of interesting questions:
   Why…? How would it be different if…?
   What are the reasons...? Suppose that…?
   What if…? What if we knew…?
   What is the purpose of…? What would change if…?
2. Review the brainstormed list and star the questions that seem most
   interesting. Then, select one or more of the starred questions to discuss for a few moments.
3. Reflect: What new ideas do you have about the topic, concept or object that you didn’t have before? 

Question Cubes

Billings librarian (and MHS Teacher Leader) Ruth Ferris introduced me to question cubes, a variation on question starts, and TPS-Barat/Primary Sources Nexus Teacher Resources has a template online so you can make your own. They explain:

If your students need help with asking questions when analyzing primary sources, bring out the question cubes. You can make them from paper or cleaned-out school milk cartons. Each student or student group should get two cubes [one with the words "who, what, when, where, how" and the other with "is/are, would/could, should, might/will, was/were"] ... and roll both to help get those questions flowing.

How are you going to work with your students on developing questions this year? 

 

Making Connections in Middle and High School English Classes

I'm all for tying the novels, memoirs, and other literary texts to Montana history and am delighted to help come up with ways to do it. Some have more obvious connections than others. It makes sense to study Montana during the Great Depression when you are reading Grapes of Wrath or Out of the Dust.  

Hattie Big Sky (a middle school novel about a woman homesteading in Montana during WWI) connects directly to resources we have on homesteading and on WWI, including chapters in Montana: Stories of the Land and the Story Maps and the lesson plan we created for our WWI centennial project, Montana and the Great War.    

Teaching James Welch's Fool's Crow? Have students investigate primary sources relating to the Marias Massacre.  

Reading Girl from the Gulches: A Story of Mary Ronan (which offers a girl's-eye view of life in the Montana gold camps)? We've got teaching resources for you.  

And of course, OPI's Indian Education Division has a wealth of model lessons for literature, at all grade levels, including Joe Medicine Crow's Counting Coup and Darcy McNickle's Wind from an Enemy Sky.  

It took me by surprise, though, when Sentinel High School teacher asked me what Montana resources might complement the Autobiography of Malcolm X. But of course bringing it home makes sense and I was thrilled by the opportunity to look for Montana history resources that tie to the literature you are teaching. See below for the links I sent her--and let me know if you are looking for Montana history connections for a book you are teaching. I don't know if I'll be able to help, but I'm certainly willing to try. 

Resources to bring the Montana experience into the Autobiography of Malcolm X.

• “Lifting as We Climb”: The Activism of the Montana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs talks about efforts to get an equal access to public accommodation law passed in Montana.
• Montana’s African American Heritage Resources has interviews with African American Montanans growing up during the time period as well as other materials (I haven’t read them though).The site also includes a link to this story map of Montana in the Green Book.
• I’ve never read this book, and I hear there are curse words, and other objectionable content--including some misrepresentations of historical events--but it might be interesting to look at Viet Cong at Wounded Knee: The Trail of a Blackfeet Activist by Woody Kipp. I bet you can find excerpts that you could use for comparison.
• Chapter 6: Federal Indian Policy of Montana Mosaic (a 19 minute video) looks at Relocation and the rise of the American Indian Movement through the story of the Juneaus—I think this could be a cool comparison.

Again, if you have books you teach that you’d like to find Montana tie ins for, let me know—coming up with suggested resources to pair with books already being taught in ELA classes has been on my list to do for a long time.

Help Us Document and Share Your Community History

 ICYMI--or looked at it a while back but then forgot about the site--I want to remind you about the existence of Historic Montana, a great resource for community study. The website and companion app, originally launched in 2017, started out with about 250 properties. Over the years, MHS historians have added over one thousand more historical narratives, thousands of “then and now” photos, and numerous new historic district and themed tours. 

Historic Montana users learn about architecture; social, economic, and cultural life; and significant events and movements in Montana and national history as they relate to specific Montana places. With so much information and a variety of historic and contemporary photographs, Historic Montana is a valuable resource for teachers and students working on place-based Montana history projects. You can even use the text and photos to create your own walking tours. 

We also invite you and your students to help shape history by making HistoricMT.org even better! If you have a class assignment that asks students to

• photograph National Register-listed buildings or districts to document your community,
• conduct new research on a National Register-listed site (or buildings that contribute to an NR district), or
• record interviews or podcast episodes about places in your town

we would love to feature it on HistoricMT.org. For more information on ways to use and improve Historic Montana, contact MHS Interpretive Historian Christine Brown at 406-444-1687 or Christine.brown@mt.gov.

 

IEFA Ethnobotany Webinar Series

 OPI is offering yet more amazing looking Profession Development! 

In addition to their Contemporary Topics in Indian Country series, they are also offering an Ethnobotany Webinar Series Starting October 5, 2021. 

This series of six FREE webinars* will feature a tribally-specific window into the practical, cultural, ecological, medicinal, and/or ceremonial importance of Montana's native plant species. Each session, presented by a tribal expert in ethnobotany, will cover how to respectfully integrate knowledge learned about ethnobotany into your instruction. 

Earn renewal units (2 per session or 12 for all 6 sessions)* 

Webinars will be held on the first Tuesday of the month, October through March, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Register here.  

#1 – October 5, 2021: Rosalyn LaPier (Blackfeet/Métis) - What is Ethnobotany? And why is it important? 

#2 – November 2, 2021: Rose Bear Don't Walk (Crow/Bitterroot Salish/Lone Pine Shoshone Paiute) - Traditional Foodways and Holistic Health 

#3 – December 7 , 2021: Marissa Spang (Northern Cheyenne/Crow) - Living in Relations: How to Practice Plant Knowledge 

#4 – January 4, 2022: Annie Sorrell (Salish) and Loga (Turtle) Fixico (Blackfeet/Bitterroot Salish/Nez Perce/Dakota/Haudenosaunee) - Ethnobotany, TEK, and Science 

#5 – February 1, 2022: Reyna Monteau (Nakoda) - Common Uses of Medicinal Plants and Foods for Health and Wellness 

#6 - March 1, 2022: Shane Sangrey (Cree) - Cree Knowledge of the Plants of Rocky Boys Reservation 

After registration you will receive the following communication: a confirmation letter and a reminder email containing the Zoom link on the Monday prior to the webinar. 

*Registration, signing in to each webinar, and completion of a follow up survey provided after each webinar is required to earn OPI renewal units. 

For registration or renewal unit questions please contact Joan Franke, OPI Indian Education for All Unit Administrative Assistant, jfranke@mt.gov.

What's Allowed

Concerned about Critical Race Theory?

If you haven't heard about the opinion the Montana attorney general issued on anti-racism and Critical Race Theory, feel free to skip this post. As long as you aren't treating students differently on the basis of race, creating a hostile environment, or engaging in racial scapegoating or stereotyping (and I can't imagine you are), then keep doing what you are doing. For those of you who have concerns, read on. 

After reading the headlines about this opinion early in the summer, my colleagues and I also had concerns, so we did what historians do: we went to the source. 

I encourage everyone to read the twenty-five page Montana Attorney General’s Opinion 1, Vol. 58, Op. 1 May 27, 2021 and particularly the section Analysis and Conclusions of Law (pp. 18-22), because that's the heart of the ruling. For easy reference, my colleagues and I also put together a one-page FAQ sheet: "A Teacher's Guide to the Montana Attorney General's Opinion on Critical Race Theory and Indian Education for All,"  which I'm sharing below.  

Is it legal to teach curriculum that explores racism, discrimination, and colonialism?

Yes. Montana’s state social studies standards require that students be able to accomplish the following, all of which will entail studying and understanding the history of racism, discrimination, and colonialism:

• “Analyze perspectives of American Indians in US history” (SS.H.9-12.10);
• “Identify ways in which people and groups exercise agency in difficult historical, contemporary, and tribal contexts” (SS.H.9-12.3);
• “Evaluate citizens’ and institutions’ effectiveness in ensuring civil rights at the local, state, tribal, national, and international levels” (SS.CG.9-12.12); and
• “Analyze how, since European contact, historical events and policies have mutually impacted American Indian and European societies.” (SS.H.6-8.3)

Can educators continue to teach the Seven Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians using curriculum from OPI, the Montana Historical Society, or other state agencies?

Yes.  The Seven Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians are integrated throughout the Montana Accreditation and Content Standards that guide instruction for all schools. Educators have a constitutional and legal obligation to implement Indian Education for All in a culturally responsive manner. 

Is it legal to teach Critical Race Theory?

Yes, although Critical Race Theory—the study of how views on race have shaped public policy and the legal system—is generally only taught in college level classes. The Attorney General’s opinion states that “There are legitimate pedagogical uses for elements of the CRT/antiracism curricula that do not violate state or federal laws…. This opinion, therefore, should not be construed to limit a school or government entity’s ability to use, present, or discuss these materials, where appropriate.” (Knudsen, p. 19) 

Is it legal to teach the 1619 Project or any other curriculum relating to the history of slavery?

Yes. While calling the 1619 curriculum “inadvisable,” the Attorney General specifically states that it is “protected by the First Amendment and it is reserved for policymakers to decide if it belongs in classrooms.” (Knudsen, p. 22) 

Are academic freedom and student political speech still protected?

Yes. “Nothing in this opinion shall be construed to restrict any expressive activities protected under the U.S. Constitution, including academic freedom or student political speech.” (Knudsen, pp. 22-23). Student political speech should take place in accordance with any relevant district or school policies. 

What practices or activities are prohibited under the Attorney General’s opinion? 

The opinion lists discriminatory practices that are illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Montana Human Rights Act. Schools and educators may not

• “classify students or other Montanans by race,”
• “treat individuals differently on the basis of race,”
• “create a hostile environment,” or
• “engage in racial stereotyping” or “racial scapegoating.”   

“The law will not tolerate schools, other government entities, or employers implementing … programming in a way that treats individuals differently on the basis of race or that creates a hostile environment.” (Knudsen, pp. 18-19) 

In general, it is O.K. to teach about racism, discrimination, and other topics so long as no adverse or discriminatory actions are taken against any students as a part of the lesson, curricula, or learning activity. 

(All quotations are from Montana Attorney General’s Opinion 1, Vol. 58, Op. 1 May 27, 2021. This information should not be construed as legal advice.) 

The Bottom Line

Continue to teach history and IEFA. Continue to encourage respectful exchanges of ideas. Continue to treat all students fairly and with respect. If you want to talk further, I'm happy to do so.