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.

Teachers sitting in a row listening to a speaker. A lighthouse image with the caption Northern Lights Academy.

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

Register

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

Teachers at workshop

History Day 101

Cost: $70              
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)         
Date: Tuesday, October 22, 8:30 am - 3 pm

Register

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.

Teachers at workshop

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    

Register

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.

Teachers at workshop

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  

Register

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.