NM PED 2026 Literacy and Humanities Summer Conference

This session introduces educators to the wide range of literacy-rich resources available through the New Mexico History Museum. Museum educator Nancy Morris-Judd will highlight exhibits, digital materials, and educator supports that help bring New Mexico history to life in the classroom. Special emphasis will be placed on arts-integrated and experiential learning opportunities designed to deepen students’ historical understanding while strengthening critical literacy skills.

Participants will engage in two hands-on activities drawn directly from the museum’s education programs: the Human Timeline activity and "Snapshot: Exploring Historical Themes Through Tableau." Through these activities, attendees will explore how embodied learning, visual literacy, and creative expression can support reading, writing, and critical thinking across grade levels.

Participants will leave with ready-to-use strategies and a clearer understanding of how the New Mexico History Museum can support literacy instruction statewide.

By centering women as significant shapers of New Mexico’s history, the New Mexico Historic Women Marker Program offers free resources for scholars and educators. For all social studies teachers, including grades K–12, these curriculum unit plans present the voices and experiences of Southwest women as the creators and maintainers of culture and community.

Pull over for a moment and learn how to utilize this dynamic curriculum to teach about the women whose actions and influence helped shape our state’s history. Participants will explore ready-to-use lesson plans and primary sources that integrate seamlessly into existing social studies instruction, ensuring that the diverse perspectives of women are a fundamental part of the historical narrative in every classroom.

Strong classroom discussions do not happen by accident; they are intentionally designed, skillfully facilitated, and grounded in meaningful texts and questions. In this session, you will explore how to cultivate rich, student-centered discussions that deepen comprehension, strengthen critical thinking, and build students’ capacity to listen, respond, and reason with evidence. You will examine the structures, norms, and teacher moves that elevate discourse across any classroom and consider how discussion can serve as a powerful vehicle for deeper understanding.

This session is designed as an active learning experience rather than a "sit-and-get" workshop. You will engage in a model discussion using a short, complex text, experiencing firsthand the structures and facilitation moves being studied. You will leave with concrete discussion strategies you can implement tomorrow, such as structured protocols, questioning moves, and participation scaffolds. Additionally, you will gain a clearer understanding of your role in planning for and facilitating equitable, evidence-based dialogue. Through structured collaboration time, you will adapt a discussion protocol to an upcoming lesson, receive peer feedback, and leave with strategies you have already rehearsed and refined.