Lesson Plans
Aligned to K-12 standards and informed by teacher input, our lesson plans are designed to be used in the classroom, at home, or coupled with a trip to the museum.
Each online lesson plan begins with a clear connection to the specific content areas and state/national learning results it supports. Main objectives and essential questions provide explicit descriptions of the lesson's goals and the topics that will guide students' inquiry. Writing prompts, illustrations, suggested activities, and built-in opportunities for reflection and connection make these lesson plans a valuable resource for any classroom.
Lobsters
Anatomy & Habitat
Grades K–5
Science, Writing
Learn all about Maine's favorite crustacean through words, pictures, writing prompts, and activities. Pair this lesson with the educational video series linked on our YouTube page.
Juxtapositions of Power
Grades 5–8
Visual Arts, Language Arts, Social Studies, Economics
Learn about interpretation, the process of explaining meaning, then use three items from Maine Maritime Museum's collection to understand how meaning changes when more and different information is provided. Historical content focuses on Maine ships' involvement in the cotton trade and the inextricable link to America's slave economy.
Maritime Maine & Slavery
Interpreting Primary Sources
Grades 9–12
Language Arts, Social Studies, Economics
Through a scaffolded series of activities and prompts, learn to draw connections, form meaning, and understand the historical significance of a series of letters written by a Maine captain in 1850. Content focuses on a Maine ship transporting enslaved people and the importance of recognizing slavery as a horrific, wide-reaching component of American history.
Mythmaking as Spectacle
Interpreting Primary Sources
Grades 9–12
Social Studies, Visual Art, SEL
Through observation and evaluations, students will use images of items from the collections of Portland Museum of Art and Maine Maritime Museum to understand how art can have a point of view and show shifting societal perspectives.
