The latest news from Historical Society - MHS en-us Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:40:04 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Best-of-Elementary Every spring, I ask folks to share their favorite Montana history of IEFA lesson, the one they would absolutely do again. Read on for the responses from elementary school teachers with some notes from me, in brackets. Stay tuned for the responses from middle and high school teachers.  Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Best-of-Elementary /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Getting-Ready-for-a-Great-School-Year Welcome back! Or if you are new to Teaching Montana History, welcome. I hope everyone had a good summer. The first posts of the school year are always business, so let's get started. Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Getting-Ready-for-a-Great-School-Year /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Have-a-Great-Summer This is my last Teaching Montana History Post for the season (unless something great comes up that I feel the need to share.) I hope you have a great summer. And if you are traveling through Helena, please stop by and say hi. Remember: Admission to the Montana Heritage Center is always free (and we're open Saturdays and Sundays, though you won't see me). Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Have-a-Great-Summer /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Professional-Development-and-Mentoring Land, Leadership, and Legacy: George Washington and Montana Identity Teacher Institute August 5 (Helena) OR August 7 (Billings) At this FREE workshop, teachers will have the opportunity to hear from historical scholars about George Washington’s agricultural leadership, the 1880 visit by Chief Plenty Coups to Mount Vernon, and the modern-day connection to Montana’s apple orchards. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn the importance of Indigenous perspectives in shaping regional identity and history. Educators will walk away with ready-to-use resources and insights to help students think critically about the connections between the land, leadership, and legacy of George Washington and make meaningful connections to Montana’s history and the present day. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Professional-Development-and-Mentoring /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Another-Free-PD Free registration is now open for the Smithsonian's 2026 National Education Summit. This free in-person and online multi-day event will be held July 14–16, 2026. It is designed to unite leading voices in education under the theme "Together We Thrive: Towards a More Perfect Union." Four session tracks will equip you with classroom-ready ideas as we prepare for the United States’ Semiquincentennial in 2026. Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Another-Free-PD /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Summer-Listening-Suggestions Thank you to those of you who have taken our end-of-the-year survey! There are still two prizes left to give out so if you haven't had a chance to tell us what you think of Teaching Montana History and to share your favorite lesson plan or teaching strategy, please do so through this link.. Mon, 25 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Summer-Listening-Suggestions /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Happy-250-Birthday-USA The Montana 250 Commission has been busy looking for ways to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US including a lot of educational programming. They've funded the Civics Bee competitions, National History Day, prizes and teacher training, and traveling exhibits. They've also worked with OPI to sponsor the Seal of Civic Literacy and the Montana Challenge. If you teach middle school or high school and didn't have your students participate in any of these programs this year, consider them for next year! Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Happy-250-Birthday-USA /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Summer-Is-Coming If you are changing schools, please re-subscribe using your new address! We'd hate to lose touch. Also, it's time for my annual end of year survey, where I ask teachers to share their favorite lesson or strategy. Participation has been down the last few years, and I think that's a shame because y'all do really cool stuff and other teachers should know about it. So--I hope you'll take a moment to share with us your favorite lesson plan, strategy or resources. Teacher recommended strategies, lesson plans, and other resources (whether created by MTHS or by someone else) are reliably readers' favorite posts to Teaching Montana History. I’d also appreciate your feedback on the services and resources MTHS. Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Summer-Is-Coming /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Create-an-ornament-to-be-displayed-in-D.C-andor-learn-more-about-Montanas-Constitution Looking for a fun end-of-the-year project? This year's National Christmas Tree is coming from US Forest Service Region 1, which included Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota, and the Forest Service is recruiting 10,000 hand-made ornaments to send to the capitol. Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Create-an-ornament-to-be-displayed-in-D.C-andor-learn-more-about-Montanas-Constitution /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Scholarships-to-the-Montana-History-Conference Save the Date! The 53rd Annual Montana History Conference, "Culture Keepers, Catalysts, and Cowboys: Exploring Billings and Eastern Montana" will be held September 24-26, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Billings. Keynote speakers will include historian Paul Hedren, author of Sitting Bull's War: The Battle of Little Big Horn and the Fight for Buffalo and Freedom on the Plains; Crow Tribal Preservation Officer Aaron Brien, and first-person interpreter Mary Jane Bradbury as Evelyn Cameron. Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Scholarships-to-the-Montana-History-Conference /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-Stories-for-Kids1 Allen M. Jones, Montana's current poet laureate, has a challenge for kids ages 7-12: Write a story that's less than 300 words based on an interview with a family member, then send it to him to read. Because he's a writer, not a historian, he proposes that students write their stories in first person. He has great prompts: "Tell me about a problem you had when you were growing up or when you first moved to Montana." "Was there something you really wanted that you couldn't have?" "Did you ever do something that you shouldn't have, and then try to get out of trouble?" Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-Stories-for-Kids1 /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-Stories-for-Kids Thu, 30 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-Stories-for-Kids /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Teaching-with-Cemeteries Last week we hosted our final Social Studies Third Tuesday for the year. Three MTHS Teacher Leaders in History--Jodi Delaney (Helena, grades 4-5), April Wills (Culbertson, middle school), and Cynthia Wilondek (Bigfork, high school)--talked about cemetery projects they conduct with their students. It was fascinating and inspiring! You can watch the recording here. (Please forgive the fact that I kept opening up different files during their presentation. I was trying to gather links to resources to share with participants in a follow up email and thought I could do it without disrupting the proceedings. I was wrong!)   Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Teaching-with-Cemeteries /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Teaching-Montanas-Constitution-A-Free-Summer-Educator-Workshop Teaching Montana’s Constitution: A Summer Workshop for Educators will bring together Montana teachers for an in-person professional development opportunity focused on incorporating the story of Montana’s Constitution in their social studies, history, ELA, and/or government curriculum. Fast Facts Dates: June 14-16, 2026 Place: MSU Billings Campus Renewal Units: 12 Cost: FREE! Lodging, two meals per day, and travel stipend provided Target Audience: Middle and High School social studies and ELA teachers Registration link: Register - Teaching Montana’s Constitution Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Teaching-Montanas-Constitution-A-Free-Summer-Educator-Workshop /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Purchasing-Tribal-Flag-Sets-and-IEFA-Courses I've had several teachers reach out to me to ask where they can buy a set of tribal nation flags like we have in our Montana First Peoples: Essential Understandings footlocker. I've found two sources: Tribal Nations Maps sell 4x6 inch tabletop flags for $10 each. They come with a base and stand. TME Flags also sells sets of the tribal flags and the Montana state flag with a wooden base to hold the complete set. Cost is $109 but if you order 12 or more sets there is a 15% discount. When I wrote them, the link they gave me was for their large flags, but you can simply use the contact form to order. Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Purchasing-Tribal-Flag-Sets-and-IEFA-Courses /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-History-and-Poetry-Part-2 April is National Poetry Month! Last week I focused on reading poetry. Below are a few lessons that ask students to write poetry as a way of better understanding Montana history. I'll list them in grade level order (elementary first). Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-History-and-Poetry-Part-2 /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Contests-and-Professional-Development Make a Meme It's official, the Montana Meme Contest is BACK in 2026! Choose and caption any photo from the Montana History Portal for your chance to become the top meme like the one included here from 2025. DEADLINE: Find photos and submit your entry at https://www.mtmemory.org/pages/memecontest by Wednesday, May 13, 2026. There are three age categories: 10 to 18 years old. 19-40 years old. 41-120 years old. This year, teachers can submit student entries work as a group! SELECTION: On Friday, May 15, 2026, the finalists’ entries will be posted to a collection on the Portal site and opened for voting. VOTING: The voting period will run from Friday, May 15 – Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (MST). The winning memes will be the top two entries in each age group with the most “likes” at the time the voting period ends. Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Contests-and-Professional-Development /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-History-and-Poetry-Part-1 April is National Poetry Month! Here are some poets that are worth teaching in your Montana history class (and/or Montana history-related content to teach in English class). Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Montana-History-and-Poetry-Part-1 /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Its-the-championship Voting Ends April 5 Two Central Montana powerhouses are squaring off in the Montana Madness championship, each vying to be named Montana’s BEST Best Place: Fort Benton and First Peoples Buffalo Jump. Fort Benton National Historic Landmark had a relatively easy road through Montana Madness, a tournament created by the Montana Historical Society. Fort Benton dominated the Bearcreek—the site of Montana’s largest coal mining disaster in the Sweet 16—and won handily against Lewis and Clark Caverns in the Elite 8. In the Final Four, it beat the powerhouse Going to the Sun Road by 82 votes. First Peoples Buffalo Jump started the tournament well, taking out its neighbor, C. M. Russell’s Home and Studio, by almost 300 votes. It dominated Grant Kohrs Ranch in the Elite Eight but barely squeaked out a win over Pictograph Cave in the Final Four. Only nine votes separated the two ancient Indigenous sites. Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Its-the-championship /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Oldies-But-Goodies We are in the process of reviewing all of our PowerPoints and PDFs to make sure they are ADA compliant, which means a couple of things: You may encounter links we've broken inadvertently (particularly to PowerPoints). If you do come across a broken link, please let me know ASAP and I'll get you the information and get it fixed. We are trying to be vigilant, but I could use your help catching things. As I look over our many offerings, I have rediscovered some old favorites I think are worth sharing, particularly as we come to the end of the year. Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 MDT /education/Teachers-Blogspot/Articles/Oldies-But-Goodies