Maine DOE Invites Educators to Participate in ‘Roots and Stories: Storytelling through Maine Artifacts,’ Professional Learning Opportunity

Interdisciplinary Instruction - Roots and Stories - April 22

As spring arrives across Maine, bringing longer days and renewed energy to classrooms, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Office of Teaching and Learning is inviting educators to participate in a new professional learning opportunity focused on multi-genre storytelling, literacy, and the rich histories of local communities.

Roots and Stories: Storytelling through Maine Artifacts is designed to support teachers in transforming local artifacts, such as photographs, tools, letters, works of art, and everyday objects, into powerful learning experiences for students. By engaging with these artifacts, students can uncover the stories of their communities while strengthening literacy and making meaningful interdisciplinary connections.

During this six-week cohort experience, up to 50 Maine educators will collaborate with experts from the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction Team to explore how artifacts can spark inquiry, storytelling, and creativity in the classroom. Participants will engage in strategies that support literacy across content areas, research and listening skills, and the role of storytelling in learning. They will also examine artistic approaches to narrative expression through the visual and performing arts. Educators will be supported in designing classroom experiences in which students create multi-genre products that bring community stories to life through creative expression.

This professional learning opportunity will begin with a one-day, in-person kickoff event on Wednesday, April 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Deering Building in Augusta. That session will be followed by five virtual sessions, during which educators will continue developing and refining their classroom projects. That schedule is as follows:

  • May 5, 2026, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.: How to Select an Artifact/Helping Students Select an Artifact that Has Meaning OR Using VPA Models as Anchor Tests (via Zoom)
  • May 12, 2026, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Handling When History Gets Hard (via Zoom)
  • May 19, 2026, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Tuning Protocols – Working with Humanities Experts to Understand and Relate the Stories of Our Communities (via Zoom)
  • May 26, 2026, from 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Tuning Protocols – Working with Humanities Experts to Explore Various Ways of Presenting Creative Student Outcomes (via Zoom)
  • Date TBD – Wrap-Up and Celebration of Creative Work in the Humanities

Sessions will be recorded and made available on the Maine DOE learning management system EnGiNE.

Participation is free, but enrollment is limited to 50 educators statewide. Educators who complete this experience will receive 20 contact hours. Those interested in participating should please register using this link.

With questions or for additional information, please contact Maine DOE Interdisciplinary Instruction Specialist Geoff Wingard at Geoffrey.Wingard@maine.gov.

This project is supported through Title IV, Part A funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The total award for this project is $33,780.40 ,of which 30% is federally funded and directly attributed to project implementation. The contents of this program are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, the U.S. Department of Education or the U.S. Government.