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.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Veteran's Day Is Coming

I'm hoping 7-12 grade teachers have taken a look at our new Reader's Theater lesson plan, "Letters from Home: Montanans at War." (If not, do not click through NOW to read more about this lesson here or download it here.) I can't wait to get some feedback from classes using this!

But what do we have for teachers in younger grades?

Consider introducing your students to Minnie Spotted Wolf, one of the first Native American women to join the Marines. Spotted Wolf served during WWII as a heavy equipment driver. Ruth Ferris of the Billings School District just shared with me a remarkable, and surprisingly respectful comic about Spotted Wolf. Called "One Little Indian," it was published in the October 1944 issue of Calling All Girls. The cartoon celebrates Minnie Spotted Wolf's decision to enlist while recalling her early years growing up on a ranch near Heart Butte on the Blackfeet reservation. You can download the comic and learn more about Minnie Spotted Wolf in the links above or by watching this one and a half minute video, produced by the Department of Defense.

Looking for other resources? Check out our footlocker: The Home Fires: World War II. The user guide is online and, like all of our footlocker user guides, it has materials that can be used without ordering the traveling trunk. (And consider bringing the traveling trunk into your classroom later this year.)

P.S. Ruth Ferris told me that she'll be leading a free workshop on Montana Warriors on Saturday, February 27, 2016, from 9-4 at MSU-B in Billings. At this workshop, she will share resources for teaching about Minnie Spotted Wolf, Joe Medicine Crow, and Louis Charlo (all of whom served during WWII). But don't wait that long to introduce yourself and your students to Spotted Wolf's story.

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