Maine launches innovative Bicentennial Curriculum Initiative, an opportunity 200 years in the making

​The Maine Department of Education (DOE), in collaboration with the Maine Bicentennial Commission (https://www.maine200.org) and the Maine Historical Society (http://www.mainehistory.org) has launched an online resource designed to help Maine teachers integrate Maine’s Bicentennial into their classrooms. The Bicentennial Curriculum Initiative enables educators to share their own lesson plans, download lesson plans created by other Maine teachers, and access new curriculum resources and primary documents related to Maine, its history, and culture. This initiative is supported by funding from Jane’s Trust and the Maine Bicentennial Commission.

Available through the Maine Memory Network (http://www.mainememory.net), the statewide digital museum created by the Maine Historical Society features historical items, online exhibits, and stories contributed by 270 organizations across Maine, the Bicentennial Curriculum Initiative (http://www.mainememory.net/bicentennial-ed) is a resource designed to encourage and support Maine’s pre-k through adult educators in sharing ideas and best practices for implementing engaging and effective lessons to commemorate Maine’s Bicentennial with Maine students. Educators are invited to visit the Bicentennial Education Initiative web page  (https://www.mainememory.net/bicentennial/lessonplans.shtml) to search by grade level, topic, content area, standard, and other fields for incredible ideas on how to commemorate our State’s Bicentennial with students of all ages.
       
The launch of the Bicentennial Curriculum Initiative opens the site for your contributions. Please consider uploading a lesson plan, browse the initial lesson plans that have been added to the site, and explore extensive Maine history content. Check back frequently: the site will grow throughout the year and become a permanent resource for teachers.
       
To submit a lesson plan, educators can visit mainememory.net/lessons/submit to complete a simple submission template, and then upload additional resources. Once uploaded, lesson submissions will be reviewed for completeness and then placed on the Bicentennial Curriculum Initiative web page, where other educators from across the state can access them.
       
Educators who participate by sharing resources will have their names entered into a random monthly drawing (February 2020 through December 2020) for $400 in cash for use in their classrooms. Participants for this program are intended to be public and private school educators for grades pre-k to 12, Career and Technical Educators, Adult Education Instructors, and Post-Secondary Instructors.
               
​By participating in this unique collaboration, not only are you are setting the stage for present and future Mainers to learn more about our great state, you can also share and learn from the collective brain of educators around Maine. For more information or to ask questions about the process, please contact Kathleen Neumann by emailing kneumann@mainehistory.org.