The Celebrating Rural Maine project is a three-part professional learning series that aims to engage rural teachers in a deep examination of Maine’s history. While using history as a foundation, the profession development takes an interdisciplinary approach as it:

• Connects teachers with the Library of Congress’s rural interdisciplinary collections and other supporting organizations to situate local narratives in the larger human experience,
• Supports teachers in the design and implementation of works of public value that connect rural students to their community
• Provides online asynchronous (Part A), online synchronous (Part B), and site-based (Part C) opportunities at no cost

Who can attend?

• Any PK-12 grade educator or administrator in Maine
• Other education-related professionals, such as pre-service teachers, museum educators, and content organizations
• All content areas are encouraged to attend

What will the Celebrating Rural Maine projects look like?

This program is modeled after NCHE’s successful Rural Experience in America project.  Past projects include:

• STEM & History: Drone mapping of Century farms
• Technology & History: Virtual tours, websites, and podcasts of rural areas
• ELA & History: Research on Supreme Court case that led to a historical marker & National History Day project
• Click here for examples of past projects and podcasts that highlight the impact on students and educators

Year 1 Theme: The Geography of the Place We Now Call Maine

The theme for Year 1 of this project is the geography of the place we now call Maine. The three-part professional development series will support teachers exploring outdoor learning and innovative teaching models, climate education, and Wabanaki and African American studies.

Part A: Using Primary Sources & Questions

December 2024 - March 2025

Asynchronous Virtual Professional Development

• Teaching with Primary Sources Course
• Question Formulation Technique
• Optional After-School Virtual Workshops to Support Teachers Using Primary Sources & Questioning Strategies
• Unlimited Registrations
• 12 Contact Hours

Part B: Connecting Experts & Educators

March 8, 2025 (10am - 3pm)
April 12, 2025 (10am - 3pm)
May 17, 2025 (10am - 3pm)

Three-part virtual synchronous series 

• Join content experts and teaching specialists to learn about Maine geography through different lenses
• Unlimited Registrations
• 15 Contact Hours

Part C: Civic Inquiry Projects

August 8-9, 2025 (Summer Institute)
Fall of 2025 (Coaching)

In-Person Summer Institute & Virtual Coaching Sessions

• A summer institute for 15 teachers with their community partners to design civic place-based inquiry projects
• Coaching teachers to implement projects in Fall 2025
• Stipends for time & materials
• 17 Contact Hours

 

 

 

About the Teaching with Primary Sources Program

Since 2006, the Library of Congress has awarded Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grants to build a nationwide network of organizations that deliver educational programming and create teaching materials and tools based on the Library’s digitized primary sources and other online resources. Each year members of this network, called the TPS Consortium, support tens of thousands of learners to build knowledge, engagement, and critical thinking skills with items from the Library’s collections.