Teacher Professional Development

Teacher/educators at a workshop.

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.

Black and white photo of children picketing

Youth Movements: Inspiring Civic Engagement by Investigating the Past

Cost: Free; teacher participants paid $100 stipend through Library of Congress grant
Date: April 15, 2023, 8:30 am-2:30 pm 
Location: Minnesota State Capitol (St. Paul, MN)
Audience: K-12 teachers 

Registration is fullClick here to add your name to the waiting list.

To what degree can students become civically active before they become voters?  That is the question we aim to investigate in this multi-level workshop for K-12 teachers. Using primary sources in grade-level groups, teacher participants will investigate a variety of youth movements from the past and apply strategies to empower students to take civic action today. Practice using the Courageous Conversations framework to ground students in their shared history and empower them to participate in the ongoing story of Democracy.

Registration includes: 

  • Resources for classroom application 
  • Light breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Parking
  • Tour of the Minnesota State Capitol
  • $100 stipend paid to teacher participant

This workshop is paid for with a generous grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium. Contact Kara Knight with questions.

Image source Library of Congress

Making Space for History in Elementary Classrooms

Cost: Free; teacher participants paid $100 stipend through Library of Congress grant
Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 8:30 am-3:30 pm
Location: Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN)
Audience: grades K-5 teachers

Registration is full. Add your name to the waiting list.

History has enormous potential to help elementary students develop critical thinking skills in highly relevant and meaningful ways. So why isn’t there more time for it in elementary school? 

In grade-level groups, explore how primary source inquiry and the culturally relevant pedagogy framework can support social studies for students across the elementary grades.  Led by practicing elementary teachers who have developed relevant, usable primary source inquiry materials, you will practice instructional strategies and build a toolkit of lesson resources and materials you can bring back to your classroom.

Participants will receive: 

  • Resources for classroom application
  • Light breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Parking
  • Admission to Minnesota History Center exhibits
  • A MNHS Press Book
  • $100 stipend paid to teacher participant

This workshop is paid for with a generous grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium. Contact Kara Knight with questions.

Image source: Library of Congress

Cultural Relevance & LGBTQIA History

Cost: Free; teacher participants paid $100 stipend through Library of Congress grant
Date: Thursday, August 17, 8:30 am-3:30 pm 
Location: Mill City Museum (Minneapolis, MN)
Audience: grades 6-12 teachers

Registration is full. Add your name to the waiting list.

Visit the Mill City Museum with MNHS teacher educators for a full-day workshop digging into LGBTQIA history across Minnesota. Draw connections between important historic and modern issues, such as marriage, civil rights, and community spaces, and practice strategies to provide all students windows and mirrors into the experiences of queer Minnesotans past and present. 

Participants will receive: 

  • Resources for classroom application
  • Light breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Parking
  • Admission to Mill City Museum exhibits
  • $100 stipend paid to teacher participant

This workshop is paid for with a generous grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium. Contact Kara Knight with questions.

Image source: Library of Congress



History Day workshops

There are no History Day workshops scheduled at this time. 

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.