Apply for Summer Institute!

Historical Thinking through Student-Driven Research

August 5-6, Montana State University-Billings

Want to engage your class with student-driven research projects using primary sources? Want to promote more historical thinking and critical analysis? Join teachers from across the state as Jamie Holifield, an educator for National History Day and former Milwaukee public schools social studies teacher, teaches you how to facilitate student research, analyze sources, and think historically. Think of it as a two-day “doing history” boot camp.

Apply Now

In this workshop, you will learn about:

Keywords and frameworks to help students write historical research questions and thesis statements
Free online databases where students can locate primary and secondary sources
Research organization strategies
How to focus student research around a common theme
How to modify primary and secondary sources to make them more accessible for a range of students
How to teach students to place topics in historical context and think about short and long-term impacts
How to define lenses of historical analysis
How to support historical arguments with reasoning and evidence

You will get hands-on practice:

Analyzing and curating primary sources related to federal policy to assimilate American Indians
Creating and annotating historical questions and thesis statements
Differentiating descriptive from analytical writing
Evaluating historical projects created by real students

Eligible Applicants:

Teach 4th-12th grade in Montana
Can commit to teaching student-driven historical research projects using primary sources in the 2025-2026 school year
Can commit to attending BOTH days of the August 4-5th summer institute from 9 am to 5 pm at MSU Billings

Successful Applicants will receive:

Meals during the workshop
Lodging
Travel stipends
16 OPI renewal units

Applications will be accepted until all spots are filled. Apply now!

Digital Inquiry Group Summer PD

These free summer PDs offered by Digital Inquiry Group will help you teach historical thinking skills and better online research. If you complete one and want renwal units, email nationalhistorydaymt@gmail.com.

2025-2026 PD Series

Two Mondays a month from 4:00-5:00 pm, NHD MT offers educators online professional development designed to align with the History Day project & competition cycle. Each session will be curated to the needs of attending educators. Each session is worth 1 CEU.

Check back in August!

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