*This album was created by a 3rd grade teacher in Colorado. The album was created based on this Inquiry Album template for a graduate course offered by the TPS Western Region. 

National parks are some of the largest areas of public land that are set aside for native plants, animals so that they are protected for their natural beauty.  They also protect important landmarks of Indigenous people and significant places and lives of the past.

Inquiry Question: Why are National Parks important for protecting nature and wildlife and where did the idea come from?

Utilize multiple images from the WPA National Parks Posters: https://www.loc.gov/photos/?q=national+parks 

Guiding Questions: 

• What does the image show? (See)
• What do you think this park is about?(Think)
• What do you wonder about this park? (Wonder)

Use the Personification and Artifact Analysis Activity

*This album was created by a 3rd grade teacher in Colorado. The album was created based on this Inquiry Album template for a graduate course offered by the TPS Western Region. 

National parks are some of the largest areas of public land that are set aside for native plants, animals so that they are protected for their natural beauty.  They also protect important landmarks of Indigenous people and significant places and lives of the past.

Inquiry Question: Why are National Parks important for protecting nature and wildlife and where did the idea come from?

If you need help in creating or updating your organization's page on the TPS Consortium Created Materials (CCM) website, consult the resources below. You can also ask a question by posting a comment to this discussion.

• CCM Walkthrough and Info Sheet
• CCM Webinar Recording & Slides

All types of materials created in conjunction with your TPS projects are welcome. 

The Institute for Humane Education is offering a FREE micro-credential course in Solutionary Teaching and Learning starting in March just for social studies educators. Participants will learn an inquiry to action framework that guides students to develop the skills, knowledge, motivation, and hope needed to solve the challenging problems facing people, animals, and the environment. Participants will develop their own units and we would love to see the creation of units that integrate and rely on primary sources. See the attached flyer for more information, including how to register. 

SMP Flyer

  InquiryToAction    SolutionaryLearning    6 - 8    9 - 12    Social Studies/History    Project Based Learning  

What is a Poet Laureate?  It is a famous or well respected poet appointed by a government or institution to write poems for special events.

Chris LaTray is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe (Metis).  His book, One-Sentence Journal won several awards: 2018 Montana Book Award, the 2019 High Plains Book Award (Best First Book), and finalist for the 2019 High Plains Book Award (Best Book by Indigenous Writer). 

The Little Shell tribe has only recently (2019) received federal recognition.   It took over a century to achieve federal recognition.  Montana recognized the tribe in 2000.  

The Metis people are well known for their music, especially their fiddle music.   

TPS Album:  Chris La Tray and Montana Little Shell Tribe https://tpsteachersnetwork.org//teaching-native-american-history/chris-la-tray-and-montana-little-shell-tribe 

Storyteller Chris La Tray Selected as Montana’s Next Poet Laureate

https://montanafreepress.org/2023/08/15/storyteller-chris-la-tray-selected-as-montanas-next-poet-laureate/ 

Montana’s Poet Laureate

https://art.mt.gov/poet_laureate 

The Day That Finally Came https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQdDwxgQntY 

Interview With Chris La Tray, Metis Cultural Historian  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8yQaEMl2ko 

Poet Chris La Tray Reads in Butte  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZttApbF-h6E 

Poets in Montana - Chris La Tray  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zix-3nocrI8 

Veterans History Project Art Showcase: Operation Song and Jamie Fox  https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-8991/   Operation Song, a Tennessee based not-for-profit program that pairs veterans, active duty military and their families with professional songwriters to help them tell their stories.

• Jamie Fox is a Metis musician.  I included this link to feature the Metis music and to draw attention to the Veterans History Project Art Showcase.  

125 Years Later https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/us/little-shell-montana-tribe.html

  Metis    Little Shell Tribe    Montana    Poet Laureate    Chris La Tray    Poetry  

  Mary Johnson    Neme Alperstein