Getting Started Guide
AMPERS provides Minnesota educators with an outstanding resource to enliven their classrooms, units and lessons with rich stories, important perspectives and standard-aligned content. Minnesota has such a strong education system because of its dedication to multiple perspectives, the importance of local and global history, and the incorporation of technology and media into the classroom. AMPERSis a great resource that makes a pathway to get there.
Most Minnesota school districts provide some form of individual technology to their students be it iPads, Chromebooks, or access to computer cart or lab. They provide this technology to prepare students for a world and future that deeply integrates technology into daily life, the workplace, and education. Teachers are encouraged to teach students how to use technology as a tool in their education. AMPERS radio segments are an opportunity to use technology in your classroom to enrich your student’s knowledge and increase engagement. Students love using technology, and giving them an opportunity to use it productively in their education is invaluable.
AMPERS provides a balanced view of history giving multiple perspectives. The Minnesota Department of Education also recognizes the importance of multiple perspectives when teaching history, especially the perspective of Minnesota’s Native cultures and histories.
AMPERS provides segments not only using Native voices but perspectives that are often excluded in more traditional or outdated social studies resources and textbooks. Using AMPERS as a resource of Native Minnesota’s perspectives is such an engaging way of presenting those perspectives to your students.
The use of AMPERS content is limitless in the classroom. Because most of the segments are under five minutes, it is easy to integrate them more often in your classroom. You can create a weekly Minnesota history assignment reporting on a segment from MN90. Highlight an important person in Minnesota history every day by using segments from Veterans Voices. Educate students on contemporary Native news and communities using the Native Lights Podcast.
The power of the human voice sharing stories is what makes history come alive, and AMPERS helps teachers incite that feeling in Minnesota students with its vibrant content.
6th GRADE MINNESOTA HISTORY
AMPERS is also an exceptional resource for 6th grade social studies teachers as 6th grade focuses on Minnesota history as their lead discipline shaping the curriculum. MN90, Veteran’s Voices, and the Dakota War of 1862 topics provide content to boost your teaching of that curriculum outlined by the MN Social Studies Standards https://education.mn.gov/MDE/ about/rule/rule/soc/index.htm. Use the provided 6th grade lesson plans as a way to start using AMPERS as a resource in your classroom.
