2009 Workshop in the Abbe Museum's
Community Gallery in Bar Harbor, Maine
OVERVIEW:
Through the Robert R. Gann Wabanaki Education Fund, a memorial donation made by Donna Gann in her husband’s name, it is possible for the Abbe Museum to offer a FREE workshops for Maine educators.
The purpose of this fund is to bring Wabanaki people to the Abbe to provide content, resources, and contacts relating to the Wabanaki Initiative to Maine educators.
The topic for a workshop is selected based on requests from educators on evaluation forms and surveys. Each winter the new topic is announced, and registration opens in the spring. Teachers will receive 7 contact hours.
Generally, the workshops will be broken down into two sessions covering two topics. After each session, an activity that teachers can recreate in the classroom, or a brainstorming session for new ideas to apply the content in the classroom, will take place. Teachers are encouraged to stay for the entire day, but have the option of attending just the morning or afternoon session.
Workshops are open to teachers from all grade levels, disciplines, and regions of Maine.
For more information contact Raney Bench, Museum Educator at (207) 288-3519 ex. 16 or educator@abbemuseum.org.
Date: Monday, March 15th, 2010
Time: 8:30 - 4:00 PM (teachers will receive 7 contact hours)
Location: Abbe Museum Downtown
Description: The Abbe Museum will host a free teacher workshop dedicated to giving all Maine teachers the basic information needed to meet the new Maine Learning Results and LD 291 requirements.
The workshop will focus on two topics:
- Contemporary issues facing Wabanaki people and the unique status of
sovereignty
in Maine as opposed to the rest of the country.
-
A survey of resources and materials available for a variety of grade levels in teaching about the Wabanaki.
In the morning, participants with take a tour of the newly opened exhibit Headline News: Wabanaki Sovereignty in the 21st Century. The Abbe Museum staff conducted extensive interviews with leaders from the four tribes of Maine about the unique status of sovereignty in the state. As sovereigns, the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobsct tribes have been able to form partnerships, make business decisions, and take a leadership role on environmental protection, but this sovereignty is not absolute.
Through the voices of Wabanaki people we will explore eight issues consistently in the headlines in Maine today and gain greater understanding of the strengths and limitations faced by the tribes in Maine as they maintain their sovereignty and unique identity. This information will be placed in the broader context of federal Indian policy. Raney Bench, curator for the show, will lead the tour and discussion after, including ideas for application in the classroom.
In the afternoon, museum educators Anne Stocking and Raney Bench will lead a survey of materials available for use in the classroom or as background information for teaching about the Wabanaki in Maine.
The survey will include materials for all ages, ideas for classroom application, and a presentation on the social studies MLR that address Native Americans, with ideas for how to incorporate these into existing lesson plans. Participants will be encouraged to share lesson plans already in use. The class offers the tools to evaluate new material and the opportunity to work together with teachers from similar grade spans to create new ideas for classroom application.
Space is limited and reservations are required. For more information, or to reserve a space
contact Raney Bench at 207/288-3519 ext. 16, or by email educator@abbemuseum.org.