Access the 2021 Montana Content Standards for Social Studies (Official PDF).
Access the 2021 Montana Content Standards for Social Studies (Excel).
Webinar: New Standards for 2021: Overview and Planning for Implementation (February 8, 2021)
Model curriculum guides, professional development, and resources will be added as time allows.
Tech Directors: To access a machine readable version of the official Montana Content Standards for Social Studies, please visit the IMS Global CASE Network site. Create a free login, select Montana Office of Public Instruction, and view or download the standards. The CASE version of the standards can be uploaded to student information systems, curriculum mapping programs, and a variety of other uses. Learn more about the CASE Network CASE Network FAQ
Of special interest to: Teachers interested in IEFA
Re: Short Films by Indigenous Filmmakers (with teaching guides)
The Big Sky Film Institute is once again partnering with the Montana Office of Public Instructions Indian Education Unit to share films made by and about Native people. According to their Facebook post in the Teaching Montana History Facebook group:
The 2023 season of the NFI Film Club [Native Filmmaker Initiative] presents "Celebrating Cultures & Honoring Traditional Practices," a triptych of films curated to engage Montana youth with unique and uplifting stories of Native and Indigenous individuals ... who are building strength through their communities and upholding traditional practices in the modern day. Our films are selected and ready for teacher registration, each one accompanied with an accompanied discussion guide, streaming link to view the film and an invitation to join our live filmmaker Q&A with film teams and OPI’s Indian Education Specialist, Mike Jetty.
Here's more from their website:
The Native Filmmaker Initiative Film Club is a virtual youth education outreach program that screens a curated selection of Indigenous-made documentary films in classrooms across Montana. Following the screenings, filmmakers visit classrooms virtually for a live Q&A and discussion activities rooted in Montana's Indian Education for All Essential Understandings. Film Club discussions are led by the Big Sky Film Institute in collaboration with Montana Office of Public Instruction’s Indian Education Specialists as well as participating filmmakers to talk in-depth about the process of filmmaking....
Running October through December, each Film Club event will focus on diverse Indigenous subjects and topics. Consult the discussion guides to help adapt the Film Club activities into social studies, science, history or other areas of study. Films are available to view in advance of Film Club discussions and each classroom will receive access to discussion guides and instructions on how to join the live Q&A.
Visit the Native Filmmaker Initiative website to register your classroom to view one or more of this year's films. Registration includes a screening link to the film with details to join a live filmmaker Q&A and accompanied discussion guides. Email Director of Education, Julia Sherman, at julia@bigskyfilmfest.org for more information, or to be added to their Youth Programs email list.
Looking for Guidance?
Need advice on how to incorporate Montana History or IEFA into your classroom or how to meet the new social studies standards? The Montana Historical Society’s Teacher Leaders in Montana History are here to help. These Montana educators have a passion for history, collaboration, and education, and they are eager to help you find resources. Each teacher leader is ready to work with individual teachers, schools, and districts and are available to consult, mentor, and present at PIR days. Learn more.
Critical Race Theory
Someone asked me recently if our new fourth-grade textbook teaches Critical Race Theory (CRT). The answer is no--none of MTHS or OPI's Indian Education lessons teach Critical Race Theory. Some of them do teach about the history of discrimination. Confused about what you can and cannot teach? Here's an FAQ sheet.
Have you had parents ask if you are teaching CRT? Consider using the question as an opportunity to open a dialog. Since CRT means different things to different people, consider kindly saying, "explain to me what you are worried about, and I'll tell you if I teach it" and then address their specific concerns. (H/T to Teacher Leader in Montana History Dylan Huisken for this excellent advice.)
Teaching Montana History Is on Facebook!
If you spend time on Facebook, I hope you'll join--and actively participate--in our closed Teaching Montana History Facebook group. It's a great way to connect to other teachers.
Upcoming Opportunities for Educators:
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Of special interest to: Anyone looking for a fun way to get students looking at historic photos
Re: Montana Meme Contest The Montana History Portal's annual meme contest will kick off May 1, and entries will be accepted until May 15. Entering is easy. Just pick (or have your students pick) a photo from the Montana History Portal, convert it to a funny meme, and send it in. That's all it takes. The contest is especially popular with kids ages 10-18 and is a great way to get them searching through history materials in a fun manner. Once all entries are submitted and the contest is closed, MHP will have an online voting period to select winners.
They have a full list of the rules here, and you can check out last year's entries and winners here. We hope to see your amusing meme in May!
- Of special interest to: Middle and High School Teachers
- Re: Improving the lecture
- This year, we're recruiting a new cohort of high school teachers to join our Teacher Leaders in History program. This has had me thinking about best practices for teaching high school history and reminded me of a series of posts I read some years ago on Glenn Wiebe's amazing History Tech blog on interactive lecturing.
- As you probably know even better than I, students often tune out during lectures. At the same time, lectures can be an incredibly efficient way to deliver content knowledge to students. What to do?
- 1. Consider "micro-lectures." Focus on a particular concept or skill to provide an overview or discuss complex cause and effect.
- 2. Consider the 10-2 strategy, which, according to Glenn, "has the instructor taking ten minutes for 'didactic' lecturing on specific facts and then providing two minutes for ... 'buzz sessions' – small group and whole-class discussions around a question or problem. You may have heard this as the Chunk and Chew strategy."
- See more from Glenn on lecturing in this three-part series on interactive lecturing.
- P.S. If you teach social studies in high school and want to help improve social studies education statewide, consider applying to join our Teacher Leaders in History Program. Application deadline is April 7.
- Of special interest to: Grade 3-12 Teachers who have room for a new cool project between now and May 17
Re: America’s Field Trip 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?” Student applications are open. 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
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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).
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Montana HS Teachers of History: Opportunity to join the Teacher Leadership Program 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.
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Humanities Montana , has started their new grant openings! Check it out and see if you could combine standards to meet those goals!
- GeoCivics Summer Academy - June 13-22, 2024|Washington, DC
ALL EXPENSES PAID + $2,500 stipend + PD Hours!
During the summer of 2024 we will be hosting an exciting place-based educational experience in Washington, DC to learn how to include diverse perspectives in the education space through civic engagement and advocacy in your American history, geography, civics, and government instruction. During the Academy, we will celebrate Juneteenth in our Capital, and meet with educators, historians, experts, and advocacy groups. We will also visit historic locations such as the White House, Capital, and museums to deepen content knowledge of civic engagement and advocacy and strengthen pedagogical knowledge and skills.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrPKlwdhhsUsrBNWmLUA1KQeQNOlXbqFnnkl7xTtjipyOdzw/viewform [docs.google.com]
Indian Education and Computing for All | 1 evening per month Sept 2023 - May 2024 | Zoom
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A curriculum and professional development project designed to bring together social studies, IEFA, and computing content standards for middle school students.
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18 hours of online PD | $1000 stipend | Earn up to 40 PD Units
- MT PBS: Streaming now for a limited time, "The U.S. and the Holocaust," A Film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick & Sarah Botstein
- Humanities Montana:
Winter in Montana is challenging for travel. During these months, Humanities Montana speakers can still visit your community — virtually — to present their humanities programs! Whether you are booking programs for the classroom, at a museum, or with a community center, speakers are available for virtual and in-person visits to provide free public humanities programming.
You can learn more about Montana Conversations or book Speakers in the Schools presenter on our website, you can learn about grant opportunities.
Subscribe to Humanities Montana.
Social Studies Resources
All K-12 Grade Levels:
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Of special interest to: Government Teachers
Re: Understanding Tribal Sovereignty
Teacher Leader in Montana History Elysia Bain shared some useful resources for teaching about tribal sovereignty with me that I thought I would share with you!
The first is this article, published in Indian Country Today in 2014: "Professor Breaks Down Sovereignty and Explains Its Significance," by Shaawano Chad Uran, professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington.
Elysia has her government students read the article and then answer some basic questions:
- Define the term sovereignty. (Okay! This one isn't basic, but according to the article "Sovereignty is a type of political power, and it is exercised through some form of government." In addition, "The defining aspects of sovereignty are the international relationships carried out as sovereign nations.")
- What are the three types of sovereigns in the United States? (Federal, state and tribal governments)
- What section of the U.S. Constitution recognizes tribal sovereignty? (Article VI, Clause 2)
- What are treaties and why are they important to understanding sovereignty? (Because "treaties are agreements made between sovereign entities...by signing a treaty, both sides are showing that they recognize the sovereignty of the other.")
I think it is a really great article, and if I were teaching it, I might add some other "check for comprehension" questions, like
- Is the sovereignty of tribal nations the same as or different from the sovereignty enjoyed by individual states? (Different)
- According to Professor Uran, if tribes are "domestic dependent nations" (which is how the Supreme Court has defined them), how can they still be sovereign? (Absolute power, independence, and autonomy is not necessary for sovereignty to exist. and rights "not explicitly given up to the US Federal government are still held by the tribes.")
- Professor Uran does not think tribal nations should be blamed for their economic dependence on the United States. Why not? ("Tribal economies were based on access to land" and "lands were ceded to the U.S. by treaty in exchange for tribal economic security and other provisions."
Elysia follows this activity by having her students watch the four-and-a-half-minute video "Sovereign Rights, Sovereign People."
Looking for more short videos? Check out the National Museum of the American Indian's four minute "Nation to Nation" and twelve-minute "The 'Indian Problem'," two other videos created as part of NMAI's "Nation to Nation" exhibit.
Do you have resources that work really well with your class that you'd like to share? Let me know!
3-12 Grade Levels:
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National Archives Educator Resources Lower elementary through high school
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History Labs (“History Labs are research and investigative learning experiences that provide teachers with the necessary information, resources, and procedures to teach a full range of historical thinking skills by taking students through a process that is methodologically similar to that employed by historians.” The site includes a template for creating your own and History Labs made by other teachers--upper elementary through high school).
Elementary
Middle School
Jr. High - High School
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For High School, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) offers free, innovative classroom products. These online learning resources form the foundation of a global civics curriculum, empowering young people with the essential knowledge, skills, and perspective to be responsible citizens, take on the challenges of global competition, and steer through partisan rhetoric and disinformation. Review their resources that could be used in a science classroom. For more information contact Lori Matza, lmatza@cfr.org.
- World101: An award-winning collection of multimedia explainers for students with little or no background knowledge of international relations and foreign policy. With accessible, jargon-free language and instructor-designed teaching resources, lessons on the World101 platform are non-partisan and developed in partnership with CFR experts.
- *We are soliciting applications for our CFR Education Ambassador 2022-2023 program. A great opportunity for middle school and high school social studies teachers.
- Model Diplomacy: The Model Diplomacy simulation program invites high-school students to step into the shoes of decision-makers on the National Security Council or United Nations Security Council to debate the world’s most pressing issues with dozens of full-length case studies, an expanding library of short-form scenarios covering current and historical events, and exclusive video content featuring commentary from foreign policy experts.
- Convene the Council: Developed in partnership with iCivics, one of the nation’s leading providers of educational games, Convene the Council empowers students to understand the basics of how U.S. foreign policy gets made and the ways in which countries and international organizations can influence foreign policy priorities. Twenty gameplay scenarios reveal how foreign and domestic policy are intertwined, and how decisions made in one corner of the world can affect us all. Spanish version available.
High School
Councils
Featured Hub Courses
Looking for free, online professional learning? Need more renewal units? Take a look at the Teacher Learning Hub for a wide variety of learning opportunities.