Primary Source analysis
Primary_Source_Analysis_Tool_LOC.pdf
Ready to Teach Resources
Getting Started
Models of Implementation & Timelines
MT 2024 Models of Participation and Sample Timelines.pdfGame Plan for History Day.pdfDocumentaries
Each year the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival brings age-appropriate and classroom relevant BSDFF selections to schools throughout Montana. Filmmakers join classrooms for in-person and virtual screenings of their festival-selected films, giving students the chance to ask questions and make local connections to global stories. This year we are taking things hybrid, connecting with classrooms virtually in all corners of the state and offering in-person filmmaker visits in the Missoula area. For educators outside of Missoula we are offering a virtual program with scheduled live Q&A discussions throughout the week of of the festival. Visit their website to view offerings and register.
Each year BSFI selects up to 10 high school students from across Montana to participate in a 3-day filmmaking intensive in Missoula during the first weekend of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Students devise, shoot, edit and complete a short film which screens during the festival, giving them the opportunity to work on a collaborative project, see their film on the big screen and share their final project with world-class filmmakers and local film-goers.
The intensive challenges students to think about how their Montana upbringing impacts the story they are interested in telling and encourages students to translate their existing talents, learning styles and interests into the filmmaking process. This compact weekend course accommodates the busy schedules of motivated students to participate from all corners of the state, encouraging collaborative group work and creating an environment for students to share their Montana experiences with one another, all without students having to miss school.
Applications for the 2024 year will open in the fall.
For more info on the 2024 program, email Director of Education Julia Sherman: julia@bigskyfilmfest.org
Oral Histories
OralHistoryUserGuide.pdfHands on History Footlocker:
Oral History
The Montana Historical Society offers a "traveling trunks" on Oral History. (See description to the left.)
Availability and Cost: Footlockers are available to Montana educators for two weeks at a time. No rental fee is charged for the use of footlockers. However, schools are responsible for the cost of shipping the footlocker to the next venue via United Parcel Service (UPS) or the United States Postal Service (USPS). In an effort to provide equitable access, reservations are limited to four per year per teacher.
How to Order: First, check this chart to see available dates. Then email coordinator Katie White your preferred dates, the title of the footlocker you’d like to order, the school name, the school shipping address, the phone number, and the number of students/teachers who will be using the footlocker.
Topic Inspiration
Sometimes, History Day topics can be inspired by a simple news article. In 1999, three high school students in Kansas read a newspaper clipping about a Polish woman named Irena Sendler who worked in the Warsaw Ghetto saving children. That newspaper clipping not only inspired their History Day performance, but eventually led them to sharing Irena Sendler’s relatively-unknown story with the world. NHD-MT will continue to add news articles to this document throughout the year.
AI & History Day
Have you ever thought about leveraging AI to help generation topic ideas? We tried this in a recent teacher workshop and these were the results.
Also see the student handout on the far right that gives guidelines for AI & NHD projects.
AI Generated Turning Point Topics (MT history).pdfNHD AI Handout (2024).pdfAre you a teacher just getting started? Want to be on our email list? Enroll here for more information.
Interested in judging? Sign up here.
(FREE OPI renewal credits for judging)
Thank you to our statewide partners!
