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Teacher Professional Development
Discover new teaching practices and broaden your knowledge through MNHS teacher professional development. Educator workshops are offered by the History Day and Teacher Education teams.
Northern Lights 101 Webinar
Cost: Free for Northern Lights teachers
Virtual meeting platform: Zoom video conferencing;
The same session will be offered multiple times:
- Friday, August 23, 1-3 pm
- Tuesday, August 27, 2-4 pm
- Tuesday, September 17, 3:30-5:30 pm
First time teaching with the Northern Lights Interactive eBook? Need a refresher before the 2023-24 school year? Join Northern Lights teacher educators from the Minnesota Historical Society for an introductory webinar about Northern Lights -- from the content it covers, to the different curriculum components, and hallmarks of the curriculum. Get a walk-through of the Northern Lights Interactive eBook and have practice time to navigate the new eBook platform and ask questions.
The session will address changes to the Minnesota social studies standards, how the current curriculum addresses them, and measures we are taking at MNHS to align the curriculum with those standards with greater fidelity.
The webinar will be repeated synchronously multiple times to accommodate your schedule. Zoom video conferencing will be used. Connecting via a device with a larger-screen video feed (laptop, desktop, or tablet) will be essential to benefit from this session.
Sessions are free for Northern Lights subscribers, but registration is required. Contact Kara Knight (kara.knight@mnhs.org)with questions.
Northern Lights eBook Introduction Webinar
Cost: Free for Northern Lights teachers
Virtual meeting platform: Zoom video conferencing
The same session will be offered multiple times:
- Tuesday, August 13, 2024 2-3pm
- Wednesday, August 21, 2024 3-4pm
- Friday August 30, 2024, 3-4pm
- Monday, September 9, 2024, 4-5pm
Northern Lights Interactive eBook has some exciting new changes that will make the existing eBook more interactive than ever. This session will acquaint you with the changes, and give you time to get some hands-on experience with new features, such as highlighting and notes. There will be time for questions
The webinar will be repeated synchronously multiple times to accommodate your schedule. Zoom video conferencing will be used. Connecting via a device with a larger-screen video feed (laptop, desktop, or tablet) will be essential to benefit from this session.
Sessions are free for Northern Lights subscribers, but registration is required. Contact Jessica McMahon (jessica.mcmahon@mnhs.org) with questions.
Northern Lights Academy
Cost: $100 ($80 for MNHS members)
Date: Monday, November 4, 2024 8:00 am-2:30 pm (in-person)
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Audience: Teachers using the Northern Lights curriculum
Join 6th grade colleagues from across the state at Northern Lights Academy, the premier professional conference for Minnesota Studies! Sessions will feature Minnesota Studies experts and master Northern Lights teachers from across Minnesota, as well as opportunities to explore MNHS collections items and tour select History Center exhibits. This year, as we look forward to standards adoption and a forthcoming new edition of Northern Lights, we will be packing our agenda with ideas, curriculum resources, and time to tap into the potential of the current edition as a stopgap while the Third Edition is being developed.
Reimbursement subsidies are available to support in-person workshop participation. Apply for funding to reimburse substitute, mileage, and hotel costs. We want to ensure that Northern Lights teachers have the resources to attend in-person regardless of how far they live from the History Center. Learn more about subsidies and apply for this first-come, first-served resource.
Sessions align with current state social studies standards, as well as with content and resources in the Revised Second Edition of Northern Lights (print book, 2013; Interactive eBook, 2014+); those with earlier editions of Northern Lights may also find this conference useful.
Your in-person registration includes:
✔ Light breakfast ✔ Lunch ✔Exhibits Access ✔ Collections Tour ✔History Center Store Voucher ✔CEUs ✔Parking
Contact Kara Knight with program questions. Contact Mariajose Cardenas for subsidy questions. Contact Jessica McMahon with registration questions.
History Day Teacher Workshops
History Day in a Nutshell
Cost: Teachers will receive a $50 stipend for attending this workshop
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Date: Saturday, September 14: 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
A workshop designed for NEW teachers that are considering incorporating the History Day Program in your school/classroom for the first time. We will share the basic structure of the program. The goal by the end of the morning is to help you see how you can incorporate this program into your classroom, and answer any of your questions. As an added bonus, attend this workshop and get a discount code for 50% off another History Day teacher workshop this year!
Your in-person registration includes:
✔ Light breakfast ✔ Lunch ✔ History Day Materials ✔ CEUs ✔ Parking
Contact Cathy Richter with questions.
History Day 101
Cost: $70
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Dates:
Tuesday, October 1, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Tuesday, October 22, 8:30 am - 3 pm
History Day 101 will address the fundamentals of the History Day program. Staff, along with former students and a master teacher, will discuss the program framework and implementation strategies. See samples of projects, learn about support resources, and discuss standards, program benefits, and next steps to bring History Day into your classroom. Participants will leave with a variety of classroom-ready tools to begin implementing History Day in their own schools. Workshop fee includes breakfast, lunch, parking, and materials.
Your in-person registration includes:
✔ Light breakfast ✔ Lunch ✔ History Day Materials ✔ CEUs ✔ Parking
Contact Cathy Richter with questions.
History Day Theme Exploration and Curriculum Collaboration
Cost: $70
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Dates:
Tuesday, October 8, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Tuesday, October 29, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Be prepared to not only listen to the History Day staff talk about the theme, "Rights and Responsibilities in History," but to also share your own ideas through collaborative activities in the morning. In the afternoon, we will shift gears to curriculum planning. Open discussion time will give you the opportunity to collaborate with other attendees. Bring your calendars, rubrics, and other History Day lessons. As an added bonus - for each workshop seat paid for, bring a colleague for free! Discount taken automatically at checkout with purchase of two tickets minimum.
Your in-person registration includes:
✔ Light breakfast ✔ Lunch ✔ History Day Materials ✔ CEUs ✔ Parking
Contact Cathy Richter with questions.
History Day Advanced Educator Workshop: Strategies for Sources, Notes, and Annotated Bibliographies
Cost: $70
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 8:30 am - 3 pm
Join us for a day diving into the world of student research, note taking, and bibliographies. We will share strategies that have worked for students, as well as resources that are available to you and your students to help with these steps of the project. You will also have time to collaborate with other teachers, explore resources, and work on bringing what you have learned back to your classroom.
Your in-person registration includes:
✔ Light breakfast ✔ Lunch ✔ History Day Materials ✔ CEUs ✔ Parking
Contact Cathy Richter with questions.
Cancellation policy
- Registrants canceling 24 hours before the workshop are eligible for a refund or credit. (This includes weather related cancellations.)
- Registrants unable to attend a workshop may send someone in their place; substitutions will be made at the registration desk the day of the event.
- No refunds or credits will be granted for nonattendance.