A Note on Links: When reading back posts, please be aware that links have a short half-life. You can find working links to all of the MHS resources on our Educator Resources Page.

Monday, March 18, 2024

IEFA: Training and Resources

 I had a great time at the Indian Education for All Best Practices workshop in Billings a few weeks ago, seeing old friends and making new ones and learning about cool resources and opportunities. Back in the early 2000s, I often heard teachers say "I want to teach IEFA but I don't have the resources (or knowledge)." I don't hear that much anymore. And good thing, because there are so many incredible resources and learning opportunities available.

Two Summer PDs

Dr. Anna East has put together a remote, asynchronous course, June 8-28, with six required one-hour meetings via Zoom with an all-star list of speakers: Native American Studies for Teachers. Participants can earn 3 UM graduate credits or 45 OPI renewal units. Cost is on a sliding scale ($25-$275 with an extra $155 to UM for folks wanting graduate credits. 

The Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI) is once again offering Worlds Apart But Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All. Designed for middle and high school teachers, the seminar, which will held in Billings from July 22-27, 2024, will explore connections between Indian Education for All and Holocaust Education, examine the impact of government policies (both in Germany and the U.S.), and explore stereotypes and biases that influence interactions in local schools and communities today. Participation is free, including books, materials, lunches, and one dinner. OPI renewal units will be offered; participants can also earn 3 MSU-B graduate credits for $135. Low-cost on-campus housing is available.   

Lesson Plans

OPI has created a new high school lesson plan, Ako Mic Mi (Feathers) – Blackfoot Mapmaker 1801. Created in 1801, the map describes a landscape of over 200,000 square miles, from Oregon to North Dakota and Alberta to central Montana. According to Dr. Shane Doyle, "the map identifies the major tributaries of the Missouri River, from the Milk River in the north and the Bighorn River in the south, and includes the location of prominent island mountain ranges..." It also notes "the estimated number of nights to travel between each river." A version of the map made its way into the hands of Lewis and Clark, who referred to it on their journey.

Billings School District has a phenomenal IEFA program and websites with lesson plans and recommended book lists, many of which are accessible to folks outside the district. Check out their high school IEFA math lessons, other high school lessons, and their middle school lessons. I also really like their recommended book lists. Here's the one for middle school and here's the one for high school (scroll down). 

Speaking of reading lists, there were lots of great recommendations made during our most recent PD, Literature and Social Studies, most of which were IEFA-related. I pulled together this list of links for attendees, but thought some of you might also find it useful, so I'm sharing it here, rough as it is.    

 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Student Contest Opportunity

 America’s Field Trip is a new contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them and earning the opportunity to participate in unforgettable field trip experiences at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks. Students may submit artwork, videos, or essays in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?” Students can apply here.  The Contest begins at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) on March 4, 2024 and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on May 17, 2024.

Awards:

Twenty-five first-place awardees from each grade level category will receive free travel and lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site where they will experience one of the following:

  • Tour of the Statue of Liberty in New York
  • Tour and hike at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana
  • Weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
  • Unique tours at the National Archives or the Library of Congress in Washington, DC
  • Special tours at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, or the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC
  • Explore America’s iconic financial capital, New York City, with private tours of Federal Reserve Bank of New York Museum and Learning Center and The Bank of New York Mellon, the country’s oldest bank
  • Experience National Parks of Boston with a special visit to the USS Constitution and a sunset cruise to Spectacle Island
  • Candlelight tour at Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Costumed roleplaying experience at American Village in Alabama

Second-place awardees will receive a $500 cash award. The teacher associated with the top scoring student submissions in each grade level category will receive a $1,000 cash award.

Submission Guidelines and Official Rules

  • Elementary School (3rd to 5th Grade): Students may submit artwork, including physical or digital artwork through a high-res photo or a short essay (up to 100 words).
  • Middle School (6th to 8th Grade): Students may submit artwork or a video (up to two minutes).
  • High School (9th to 12th Grade): Students may submit an essay (up to 1,000 words) or a video (up to two minutes).

Judging Criteria

A diverse panel of judges consisting of current and former teachers will consider the submissions based on the following weighted criteria:

  • CLARITY OF IDEA [25%]: How well does the Entrant use both their personal and academic experiences to clearly address the Question? Does the Entry effectively convey ideas, emotion, or a story visually or with words by acknowledging the past or celebrating America’s achievements and possibilities for the future? Does the response offer fresh insight and innovative thinking?
  • STUDENT VOICE [50%]: Is there passion in the Entry or a point-of-view that showcases a unique perspective on the diverse range of different experiences that make America unique in an original/authentic way?
  • PRESENTATION [25%]: What makes the submission content more compelling, fresh, or interesting than other Entrants’ content in their grade level category?

Want to stand out? Create something that feels special to you and has a personal touch. And remember, you don’t have to focus on our country’s past — you can talk about America’s future too. Finally, be creative and think outside the box!

Educator resources can be downloaded here.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Literature and Social Studies

 Today at 4:00 p.m. we're meeting for our final PD on Literature and Social Studies. 

Mike Jetty will be there with a dad joke and some recommendations for good IEFA-related books. Teacher Leader in History April Wills (grade 7, Bainville) will be talking about lessons she's developed for Mandy Smoker's graphic novel Thunderous, and Teacher Leader in History Johanna Trout (grade 4, Billings) will share the unit she's created for Shota and the Star Quilt. Other folks have promised to share how they teach Hattie Big Sky and Counting Coups

I also plan to share a few resources to help teach Hattie Big Sky, a novel about a single woman homesteader near Wolf Point. The book touches on homesteading and World War I. Oddly, for its location, the book doesn't touch on allotment or Indian lands, but that doesn't mean you can't!

Here are a few resources to supplement a novel study of Hattie Big Sky

  •  Montana and the Great War Story Map, Story Map Scavenger Hunt, and RAFT Writing assignment. These resources are a good way to explore themes relating to World War I, from propaganda, anti-German sentiment, and the flu pandemic to stories of bravery on the battlefield. 
  • Hattie Inez Wright is the inspiration for Hattie Big Sky. In real life, she proved up her homestead and you can locate it using the BLM GLO Records.
  • There's lots of good material about women homesteaders, including this short article, this 27-minute video about Esther Strasburger and her two sisters who near Simms, Montana in 1910, and this book. You can learn more about homesteading more generally from Chapter 13 of Montana: Stories of the Land. (Click on For Educator: Resources for lots more material.)
  • I don't think you should talk about homesteading in northeastern Montana without talking about allotment, particularly of the Fort Peck Reservation. You can find background on allotment in both Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 of Montana: Stories of the Land. This famous "Indian Land for Sale" poster is a good conversation starter. Unit 4, Part 2, Lesson 2 of the Montana: A History of Our Home features a lesson on allotment that starts by sending kids to the playground to claim a small (undesirable) plot before telling them that they are no longer permitted to use the remainder of the playground.   

I'm sure I will get lots of other great ideas from this PD. I hope to see you there. Register before noon to receive a link.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

IEFA Link Roundup and the Montana Free Press

 I'm heading to the Indian Education for All Best Practices Conference in Billings today, so I thought I'd share some links relating to IEFA.  

Have you read anything particularly thought-provoking lately? Shoot me the link or, if you are on Facebook, consider posting it in the Teaching Montana History Facebook group

Some Reminders

Monday, March 4, 2024

High School Teachers: Apply to Join Our Teacher Leader Program

The Montana Historical Society (MTHS) is soliciting applications from high school teachers interested in helping improve history education (and especially the teaching of Montana history) in their schools, districts, and regions by becoming Teacher Leaders in Montana History.

Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to history education; interest and experience in teaching Montana history, Western history, or Native American Studies; excellence in the classroom; experience in sharing best practices with their colleagues; and familiarity with the Montana Historical Society’s work and educational resources.

In addition to the criteria above, up to eight program fellows will be chosen to reflect Montana’s geographic and educational diversity, assuring representation from different regions and both small and large schools.

Those accepted as Teacher Leader Fellows will be brought to Helena for a two-day Teacher Leader in History Summit, to be held in Helena, July 10-12, 2024, at the conclusion of which they will be certified as Montana Historical Society Teacher Leaders in History.

Throughout 2024-2025, this select group of Teacher Leaders in History will join current Teacher Leader Fellows to:

  • Serve as a member of the Montana Historical Society Educator Advisory Board, providing advice and classroom testing of lesson plans on an as-needed basis.
  • Work to increase the Montana Historical Society’s visibility in their schools and communities.
  • Promote Montana Historical Society resources to teachers in their region.
  • Assist teachers in their schools in finding appropriate resources/implementing lessons that reflect best practices in social studies education.
  • Communicate with Montana Historical Society staff throughout 2024-25, documenting the outreach they have conducted and participating in up to three one-hour virtual meetings (scheduled at mutually agreeable times).
  • Conduct a formal presentation at one or more regional or statewide conferences (for which they may earn OPI Renewal Units).
  • Provide training in their own school or across their district through informal outreach and/or formal presentations.

In return, the Montana Historical Society will provide the following (valued at more than $500):

  • Full travel scholarships to attend the free two-day July 2024 Summit.
  • An honorarium of $100 to cover travel expenses to one regional conference, at which the participant is presenting or up to $100 to your school to pay for a substitute teacher so you can present in a nearby district.
  • Ongoing support and consultation, including model PowerPoint presentations to use and adapt for presentations to fellow educators.
  • A certificate designating the participant as an official MTHS Teacher Leader in History.
  • A scholarship to attend the Montana History Conference in Helena, September 28-September 30 (attendance is optional).
  • Free shipping for one MTHS Hands-on History Footlocker during the 2024-25 school year.
  • Up to 15 OPI Renewal Units.

No more than eight teachers will be selected for this special program. Apply online here. Applications are due April 7. Awardees will be notified by April 28.

Questions? Contact Martha Kohl at mkohl@mt.gov or 406-444-4740.

Monday, February 26, 2024

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.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Nominate a Rock Star Teacher

 Do you know a middle or high school (grades 7-12) teacher who has done an exemplary job teaching Montana history during the 2023-2024 school year?

Please nominate them for the 35th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award by completing this very simple form, which will take less than two minutes to complete. Nominations are due March 31.

Nominated teachers will be asked to submit two one-page letters of support, one from their principal, superintendent, fellow teacher or librarian and one from a student. They will also be asked to submit one to two pages 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, 2024. 

The winner will receive the 35th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award, which honors the Montana History Teacher of the Year. They and their class will be honored at a ceremony in the State Capitol on Friday, November 8, 2024. The Teacher of the Year will also receive a $3,250 cash prize to put toward classroom materials, field trips, speakers and anything else that will enhance learning in their classroom.

This program, initially created by Montana television newscaster Norma Ashby, is sponsored by the Montana Historical Society with financial support from the Montana Television Network and the Sons & Daughters of Montana Pioneers.