Big Idea #1 - Suggestions for Thanksgiving Lesson Plans

• Mystery Science has a free mini-lesson plan about whether or not other countries celebrate Thanksgiving. Visit their website to view the lesson plan and accompanying video.

• PBS is making available a lesson plan that honors Indigenous people through the Thanksgiving Holiday for students grades 6 through 12. 

  “Ask students to discuss the meaning of Thanksgiving through the lens of today’s Wampanoag people, the descendants of Indigenous tribes who welcomed the Pilgrims at Plymouth. (Grades: 6-12)”

• The Indian Education Division of the OPI also recommends:

  • Teaching Tolerance: Teaching Thanksgiving in a Socially Responsible Way
  • National Museum of the American Indian: American Indian Perspectives on Thanksgiving
  • Listening to Wampanoag Voices: Beyond 1620
  • Teacher resources from Plimoth Patuxet
  • Mayflower Myths from The History Channel

• Coming Soon! Watch for Montana Lessons for Thanksgiving to be available through the OPI IEFA division

Big Idea #2 - LINCStream 2020 Free Virtual Conference: Dec 1-3

LINC’s semi-annual conference for educators focuses on student-centered learning. Free and open to educators globally, the fully virtual conference will explore issues of equity, best practices for remote, blended, and hybrid learning, and leadership strategies for educational innovation. The conference will feature several “streams,” topic strands in which workshops will be offered. Dates: December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 2020, and register to join here.

Big Idea #3 - December: Montana Coding for All!

• The Montana State University Storytelling Project aims to bring computer science education to middle school students throughout Montana! On December 3rd, they are hosting a 75-minute module called "Coding an Animal Dance Contest."  Students will first read the Skokomish story How Daylight Came to Be. In the story, Bear and Ant have a dance competition. Students will develop code to animate this dance while also learning about event-driven programming. If your class is interested in participating in this, or other virtual events hosted by the storytelling team, please fill out this survey.  For questions please contact storytelling@montana.edu.

• Sign up for Code.org’s K-5 CS Fundamentals training for Montana elementary teachers running December 8th and 10th from 5:30-8:30pm. This two-night, six-hour training covers the basics of Code.org's K-5 CS Fundamentals curriculum. Sign up today to join Code.org’s professional learning program to learn more. 

• Save the date for this year’s Code.org Hour of Code! Sign up today to have your students participate during the week of December 7th with millions of students across 180 countries. 

• Learn about more Computer Science Professional opportunities on the OPI CS page. 

Standards, Instruction and Professional Learning Contacts

Colet Bartow, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning Department, 406-444-3583

Stephanie Swigart, English Language Arts Coordinator, 406-444-0736

Michelle McCarthy, Science Coordinator, 406-444-3537

Marisa Graybill, Mathematics Coordinator, 406-444-0706

Terri Barclay, Montana Comprehensive Literacy Project Manager, 406-444-0753

• Literacy Grant Specialist, Liz Tuss
• Literacy Grant Specialist, Rachel Anderberg

Carli Cockrell, Professional Learning Coordinator, 406-444-0769

Jessica Bryant, Teacher Learning Hub Coordinator, 406-444-3557

Allyson Briese, Teacher Learning Hub Content Specialist, 406-444-0716

Marjorie O'Rourke, Professional Learning Data & Information Specialist, 406-444-3538

The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.