Category Archives: Social Studies

New Center for Best Practice videos feature RSU 16

The Maine Center for Best Practice is pleased to announce the posting of two new videos of Maine schools working toward learner-centered, proficiency-based education. Both schools are from Regional School Unit 16.

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Bonny Eagle eighth grader wins Maine Geographic Bee

Archer Thomas, an eighth grader from Bonny Eagle Middle School, took top honors at the 2013 Maine state-level Geographic Bee held April 5 at the University of Maine Farmington. Thomas received $100 and the “Complete National Geographic on DVD,” and will represent Maine in the national finals of the Bee at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 20-22, 2013.

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Service-learning guide for teachers released

The Maine Commission for Community Service has released Establishing Service-Learning in Maine School Districts, a follow-up publication to the Commission’s service-learning guide for teachers. The guide is available at no cost for download.

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Maine National History Day winners announced

AUGUSTA – Secretary of State Matt Dunlap applauded students from 24 Maine schools and two homeschools for their efforts in preparing entries for the Maine History Day competition, held April 4 at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine and the University of Maine at Augusta.

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Submit student nominations for Dirigo Boys and Girls State

The Legislature recently passed a resolution expressing support and appreciation for the Dirigo Boys and Girls State programs. This year’s Boys and Girls State programs will take place June 16-20.

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Educators invited to financial literacy in schools conference

Educators, administrators and counselors who are interested in improving the financial capability of Maine students should register for the fourth annual “Fostering Financial Literacy in Maine Schools Conference.” The conference will also feature free financial education resources for K-12 and college-age students and a variety of workshops presented by classroom teachers and financial literacy experts.

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Weatherbee School gets community involved in Maine Day

Fourth grade student Colin Trudelle uses a microscope to study fiber investigation.

Weatherbee School fourth grade student Colin Trudelle focuses on fiber investigation during a Maine Day paper making workshop (hosted by the Maine Discovery Museum).

George B. Weatherbee School in Hampden recently celebrated its second annual “Maine Day,” a tribute to Maine Statehood Day, by offering dozens of state-themed workshops to its third through fifth grade students on Monday, March 18.

This year’s event featured over 40 presenters, half of whom were outside visitors from the community. Presenters taught workshops that focused on Maine’s slogan: The Way Life Should Be.  Teachers assigned third grade students to workshops, but fourth and fifth graders could sign-up for the workshops that most appealed to them. Workshops included: “A Wicked Good Guide to Maine Language,” in which kids listened to a true Mainer speak and translated to people from afar; “Mission of the Maine Warden Services,” which explained game wardens’ role in protecting fish and wildlife; “Whoopie Pies,” in which students heard about the official state treat; and “Aroostook County,” a brief overview of the area and potato harvesting.

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Calling cultural and arts professionals for Maine Humanities Summit

The University of Maine Humanities Initiative will host a daylong Maine Humanities Summit at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta on Friday, May 17, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The summit convenes humanities, arts, and cultural professionals with academic administrators, legislators, and policymakers from across the state.

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Classroom resources available to celebrate Maine Statehood Day

Title 1, Chapter 5 §116, designates March 15 of each year as Statehood Day to “commemorate the admission of Maine as a state into the United States of America and the ideals and wisdom of those men and women who have formed Maine’s history and traditions.”

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Two Maine students selected for community spirit award

The Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recently selected Katherine Elliott, 18, of Scarborough and Marissa Bates, 10, of Westbrook as Maine’s top youth volunteers for 2013. As state honorees, each student will receive a $1,000 award, an engraved silver medallion, and a trip to Washington, D.C., May 4 to 7 for the program’s national recognition events. Continue reading