National Teacher Appreciation Week!

Dear Teachers, Thank you. For all that you are and all that you do for Montana education, our state is grateful. Our Montana students are so incredibly lucky to have you championing their education. For so many in our ranks, this has been a year of unprecedented challenges, yet you have all risen to that challenge and done the admirable work of engaging and educating the students in your care.  I'm continuously moved by your innovation and perseverance in the face of adversity. This music video cover by One Voice Children’s Choir of Good Job: A Tribute to Covid-19 Heroes is for and about you. You make it all possible and you have made learning happen this year despite all the challenges.  As we wrap up National Teacher Appreciation Week, I genuinely hope that you will allow yourself to feel the effects of gratitude and find a way to make time and space in these last few weeks of school for you to do whatever it is that fills your cup. Self-care can feel overwhelming, especially at the end of the year with all the activities and extra event planning. You may feel that there just isn't time, which is why I liked these 50 self-care ideas from the Counseling Teacher, that you can pick from and incorporate into many of the activities you already do throughout the day as it works for you. I also found the article "Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School" particularly helpful since it includes self-care ideas that you can do with your students in your classroom. However you celebrate you, do it. You have earned it with your incredible service this year. Take care of yourself and take care of each other. You are truly appreciated by so many who know that what we do isn't possible without you. Thank you.

National Writing Project Presents: Mind, Body, and Soul: Sustainable Teaching in (Post-) Pandemic Times Virtual Conference June 11-13

Restoration precedes renaissance. Recovery equips for revolution. Reclamation is required for change. These are the three tenets of the NWP Rocky Mountain Regional Conference on Sustainable Teaching this summer. This virtual conference is a collaboration of the Elk River Writing Project at MSU Billings, Tami Haaland, Denver Writing Project, Colorado State Writing Project, and Boise State Writing Project on the topic of teacher sustainability.  National speakers will be included as well as sessions from writing project teacher leaders.  You'll want to learn more about Dr. April Baker-Bell's keynote: Why We Flee: Radical Self Preservation and Collective Care for Teachers Who Are Sick and Tired, but Continue to Fight for Justice.  The conference is designed to fit the needs of teachers of all grade levels and content areas. The cost is reasonable, and participants won't have to travel to benefit from the sessions.  For more information, including the link to register, visit the NWP Rocky Mountain Regional Conference homepage or contact Elk River Writing Project Director Lorrie Henrie-Koski

The Teacher Learning Hub Facilitated Course: Preparing Young Writers for Career, College, and Community: June 14th-July 25th

This six-week facilitated Teacher Learning Hub course is designed by National Writing Project affiliate and Columbus, Montana high school teacher Casey Olsen for teachers of grades 4-12. Focused on the specific teaching of argument writing, participants in this module will examine the research and design behind the C3WP program as well as the practical and strategic applications for the classroom. Olsen’s high school students spend part of each semester researching public issues they care about and writing a short op-ed on the issue and presenting evidence. The op-eds have been published in the Stillwater County News, the local paper, and in some cases have resulted in real community change. One student successfully advocated for a tax increase to fund advanced life support services on ambulances. Casey is a strong advocate for teaching meaningful, student-led argumentative writing projects and his course will provide you the tools, resources, and pedagogy to be too!   Enrollment is open now for the Preparing Young Writers for C3 course.  The session begins June 14th and will run through July 25th. Please email me, Stephanie Swigart, or Casey Olsen with questions.

Free and Meaningful ELA-Literacy Resources

Think Along (PBS) Investigate, Contemplate, Debate!: Using trusted source materials from PBS, NPR, and local public media stations, ThinkAlong is a free program that helps students think critically about media, develop informed opinions, and practice respectful, civil discourse. Engaging student-led inquiry topics include: Is Access to Water a Human Right?, Can Urban Agriculture Solve the Issue of Food Security for City Dwellers?, and Should We Become a Cashless Society? This is a great resource for end of the year cross-content collaboration projects and interdisciplinary literacy! Team up with fellow educators in your school and check it out! 

Books That Help Build Inclusive Classrooms: The team at The Conscious Kid curated a list of books and resources  dedicated to equity, disrupting racism, and promoting positive racial identity development in youth. They also have a host of resources on teaching equity and belonging through literacy and discussion. Resources include a read aloud by Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff for National Read Across America Day.

BetterLesson: Founded by teachers for teachers, BetterLesson began in 2008 with a single mission: to provide a simple way for educators to connect and share high-quality lesson plans. They were tired of seeing our colleagues’ engaging and effective lessons disappear into filing cabinets. So, they did what teachers do—they created it! The Master Teacher Project launched in 2012 and offered in partnership with the NEA, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Learning Accelerator.  Today, BetterLesson has over 1.4 million members and offers over a million community lessons as well as thousands of lesson plans from Master Teachers, a highly selective group of the nation’s best educators.These plans cover not only the what, but also the how of effective curriculum. Sign-up is free and you can easily search for lesson plans and instructional resources by topic, grade level and specific content standards! 

Memorial Day Resources for Teachers

Looking for that end of year mini-unit that will engage students with relevant, real-world connections and promote meaningful learning? Consider lessons and resources that speak to the unique opportunity that Memorial Day presents for us to remember, reflect, and honor armed forces and troops lost in battle. This Edutopia article contains a curated list of resources for teaching this important holiday of remembrance.  Among my favorites for the ELA classroom are: The NEA’s Memorial Day Lesson Plans, NCTE affiliated ReadWriteThink’s Memorial Day Collection, Memorial Day Resources for Your Classroom from PBS.

Worlds Apart but Not Strangers: Holocaust and Indian Education for All Free Summer Seminar

Worlds Apart But Not Strangers: Holocaust Education and Indian Education for All is designed for individuals and teams interested in finding relevance for today in Holocaust Education and Montana Indian Education for All. In this experiential, inquiry-based seminar, participating educators will discover ways to find connections between these two topics. Sponsored by The Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI), the seminar will explore the past, including the impact of policies issued during the Holocaust and U.S. policies that have affected Native peoples in this country. The seminar will also focus on the present, as participants consider the roles – perpetrator, ally, bystander – individuals choose for themselves in their daily interactions with one another, as well as stereotypes and biases that influence interactions in local schools and communities today. Educators will be asked to envision the world they hope their children will live in and design an action plan to help their classroom, school, and/or community move toward that ideal. Program highlights include field experiences from the Billings Jewish community and the Native peoples of Montana. Click here to apply! This TOLI seminar is offered at no cost to educators.  A valid credit card is required for a good faith deposit of $100. Your credit card will only be charged if you cancel less than 2 weeks before the seminar begins or withdraw without notice. Please contact Satellite Seminar Coordinator, Wendy Zagray Warren, at wwarren@tolinstitute.org for more information.

Reading, Writing, and Film! Summer ELA Learning Opportunities for Students

1.Read Native 2021:

The American Indian Library Association invites you to participate in the inaugural reading challenge. With this challenge we support and recognize our Indigenous authors, scientists, legislators, storytellers, and creators throughout the year, not just during the national Native American Heritage month.

Throughout the year, find and read books and publications by and about Native Americans; visit tribal websites; search peer reviewed scholarly journals; visit Native-owned bookstores; and check with Native librarians for all of the best sources for learning more about Native Americans and Indigenous people around the world.

For ideas on how to set up staff or student challenges and to see how to win prizes, visit the Read Native 2021 page at the American Indian Library Association.

2. Yellowstone Writing Project's Youth Writing Camp:

Do you have a budding writer among your students or perhaps a child in need of a creative outlet? The Yellowstone Writing Project's Youth Writing Camp is a multi-day "unschooled" writing workshop for youth entering grades 5-12. Campers will write in multiple genres and share their writing within a supportive community of peers and licensed educators--the Yellowstone Writing Project teacher consultants.

The program includes walking field trips, writing games, and guidance and feedback throughout the writing process. The camp is led by Yellowstone Writing Project (YWP) Teachers and Jr. Counselors. For more information including cost and registration information, please visit the Yellowstone Writing Project's Youth Writing Camp webpage or call (406) 994-6550 or (866) 540-5660 (toll free), or e-mail ContinuingEd@montana.edu.

Dates: July 12 - 16, 2021
Times: 9 am - 3 pm daily
Grades: 5-12 (in Fall 2021)
Location: Montana State University, Bozeman

3. Humanities Through Film: A Summer Bridge Program at Helena College:

Guided by award winning professional filmmakers, college professors, and local historians, you and a team of fellow students will conduct interviews, research historical archives, operate cameras, write a script, record audio, and produce a documentary film.

All students will have access to state-of-the-art cameras, audio and video equipment, as well as Apple workstations throughout the program. No experience required! Students from all Montana communities are encouraged to apply. Please visit the Helena Collège Bridge Program webpage and/or direct questions to Jan Clinard.

Dates: August 9-13 & 16-20, 2021 
Cost: Free; Participants will receive lunches and a stipend
Eligibility: Juniors and seniors in high school and recent high school graduates 

The Teacher Learning Hub Self-Paced Courses

Consider these short Teacher Learning Hub courses for your next professional learning experience: Arts Integration (1 hrs) Building the Foundation of Data Literacy (3 hrs.) Resilience Strategies to Increase Optimism (2 hrs.) Using Writing to Teach Critical Thinking (1 hr.) Not seeing what you are looking for? Head on over to the Teacher Learning Hub and search through our ELA and Literacy courses.

Join the MATELA Leadership Team

The Montana Association of Teachers of English Language Arts (MATELA) is seeking applicants for the following leadership positions:

• Vice president (assists and fills in for the president, chairs the conference and runs for president when term is over)
• Membership chair (keeps track of our members, sends welcome letters, etc.)
• Social media chair (manage posts to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram)
• Technology chair (upkeep the website and keep up the passwords and accounts)
• Newsletter editor (e-newsletter)
• MEJ (Montana English Journal) editor. (recruits for and oversees a group of volunteer editors).

These positions are perfect for every level of teaching experience.  Leadership with MATELA will invariably increase experience, collaboration, and network development with fellow English teaching professionals. Everyone is welcome to apply. If interested in any position, email Donna Bulatowicz, president. 

If you are not already a member, please consider joining today! Membership is affordable and valuable to your involvement in our profession! Get involved with a network of English Teachers in Montana who will help you advance your professional development. 

Standards, Instruction and Professional Learning Contacts:

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.