August 4, 2022 | Issue 65
Hello Montana Teachers!

As summer winds down and you start to think about the new school year we hope you'll remember that Montana PBS Education is here to help!

This month we've got resources for supporting students' social and emotional learning and getting back into the school routine. We know you will want to start the new year off by building strong relationships with your students and creating safe spaces where they can learn and grow.

Explore NEW digital resources on PBS LearningMedia published this summer! Teachers can use clips and activities aligned to three treasured Montana PBS films, Evelyn Cameron: Pictures of a Worthy Life, Fish Between the Falls and Bicycle Corps: America's Black Army on Wheels.

Registration is open for this year's PBS Media Literacy Certification online cohort. Set a goal to build your media literacy competency and let Montana PBS Education help! There are 13 teachers in Montana who are PBS Media Literacy certified! Will you be next?

Please reach out and let me know how I can support you as you begin the new school year!
Nikki Vradenburg, Ed.D
Director of Education
nikki@montanapbs.org
In This Issue:
  • Professional Development Opportunities
  • NEW digital resources from MTPBS
  • Back to School resources from PBS LearningMedia
  • Learn at Home, Too!
PD Opportunities
Become PBS Media Literacy Certified!
Are you passionate about teaching kids how to think critically about their roles as media consumers and creators? Montana PBS is supporting teachers who wish to participate in an online collaborative learning experience to earn PBS Media Literacy Certification. Teachers who choose to participate in this program would earn OPI renewal units and a stipend for sharing feedback about the experience. Fill out this form to let us know if you are interested in joining this group!
Hiding in Plain Sight
A film about youth mental illness

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: YOUTH MENTAL ILLNESS features first-person accounts from more than 20 young people, ranging in age from 11 to 27, who live with mental health conditions, as well as parents, teachers, friends, healthcare providers in their lives, and independent mental health experts. Through the experiences of these young people, the film confronts the issues of stigma, discrimination, awareness, and silence, and, in doing so, help advance a shift in the public perception of mental health issues today. The film features stories from Montana kids and Billings therapist, Kee Dunning.

Teachers can earn credit for watching Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness on Montana PBS August 15-16.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness Screening and Discussion Event for Teachers

Teachers who attend this live event in Bozeman on October 1 at Montana State University will view a segment from the film and then participate in a series of peer conversations about topics of interest to them related to youth mental health. This event is free for all teachers who support K-12 students. Breakfast and snacks will be provided. Teachers who attend this full day event will earn 4 OPI credits and have the chance to win prizes.
NEW Digital Resources from Montana PBS!
In 1897, the all-Black 25th Infantry Regiment was chosen to undertake the greatest military test of the bicycle in American history. Officials hoped that a trip from Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri. This collection documents the amazing two-wheeled trip of the all-Black 25th Infantry Regiment, while also diving into the racism and bias that African Americans, especially Black soldiers, faced after the Civil War.
Use the resources in this collection to examine Evelyn Cameron's photography, compare her drastically different lifestyles, practice personal journaling, reflect on change and conservation, learn about Montana's "cowgirls", and attempt the art of telling stories with pictures.
This collection highlights the White Sturgeon's significance to the people of the Kootenai River region and takes a dive into the restoration efforts that are in place to restore the fish. While humans can prevent the disappearance of sturgeon through synthetic reproduction in the short term, the overall goal of restoration is a healthy wild population that breeds naturally. 
Back to School with PBS LearningMedia
Back to School Collection PBS LearningMedia

Get ready for the start of school with some of our favorite back-to-school resources! This collection features activities and video resources to help students get to know each other and their new school routines, and lesson plans to help you get your new class off to a great start.
Back to School: Careers in STEAM subjects
Whether your students are interested in arts and humanities or sciences and math, there are many ways for them to turn their interests into a career. From saving lives with environmental engineer Amy Pickering to bringing your favorite characters to life with Kirsten Lepore, use the following videos of people working in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) fields to inspire your students to pursue work in their favorite subjects.
Learn at Home, Too!
Learn at Home, Too with MTPBS
Montana PBS continues its commitment to make resources available to every Pre-K through 12th grade student and teacher who needs educational resources for learning at home, whether it’s for a few days, or throughout the academic year. Enjoy award-winning children’s programming every weekday morning and afternoon for children ages 3-8, plus selected programs broadcast from 12noon to 2pm for kids ages 9 and older. The resources below are aligned to some of the programming scheduled for August. Use these resources to support students learning at home this fall. Visit our website to learn how to get the most out of Montana PBS Learn at Home, Too!
Back to School with Daniel Tiger
(Prek-1)

Going back to school and/or starting school elicit a variety of concerns in young children. The Daniel Tiger Back to School collection provides teachers with resources (episode clips, articles, and activities) that address specific as well as more general concerns that seem to arise at this time of year.
History Detectives
(2-5)

Family stories are a rich window on the past. They can paint pictures of an important period in history through the experience, perspective, and memories of people who lived during that time. These lesson plans and videos, based on artifacts and family heirlooms featured in History Detectives episodes, offer students opportunities to dig deeper into their own family history.
NOVA: Eagle Power
(5-12)

Learn about the characteristics of a golden eagle’s flight that support its survival as a bird of prey, in these videos adapted from NOVA: Eagle Power. Observe how data is collected and analyzed in order to learn more about the bird’s flight abilities. Use the video content as a basis for developing models to test the different wing characteristics
Join Our Facebook Group!
Have you joined our MTPBS Teachers Facebook Group yet? Stay up to date on the latest technology and media integration resources and events.