Roots and Stories: Storytelling Through Maine Artifacts

Maine teachers worked with MDOE staff and representatives from the Maine Humanities Council to develop object-based lessons that use visual and performing arts products to explore place, culture, and the stories of their communities. Check out some of their projects to get ideas about how the stories of your community could be explored and represented creatively - and be on the lookout for our next Roots and Stories cohort!

Link to Roots and Stories Learning Artifacts.

Arts and Humanities Instruction and Support

The integration of the arts and humanities into the classroom can take many forms. The resources linked below are exemplars of the kinds of integrated instruction that could be included in K-12 arts and humanities programs. 

• Join the MHHRC for this unique training on Women and the Holocaust. Registration is open, but space is limited 07.16.2026- Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine- Women in the Holocaust
• Stop the Summer Slide! Join Second Lady Usha Vance in the Summer Reading Challenge – The White House
• Roots and Stories: Storytelling Through Maine Artifacts - This new education cohort, bringing the Maine Humanities Council and the Maine Department of Education resources together, launches on May 4, 2026. Watch this space for examples of innovative, teacher-created projects exploring the stories of Maine communities. 
• Humanities and Civics Virtual Support Hours - Biweekly staff support for Humanities, Social Studies and Civics instructors.
• Dance Education as Social Studies Education - Article sharing ideas for integrated dance and social studies units.
• Teaching the Humanities in a Media Age provides examples and instruction for integrating new media and the classical canon in secondary education.
• Humanities in Class: Participant-Created Teaching Resources from the National Humanities Center provides curated, teacher-developed resources for K-12 educators.
• Maine DOE Civics Page - Civics has been and remains a cornerstone of American public education. Today, perhaps more than ever, a background in civics is essential for every person to engage in their community and our world.
• MOOSE Modules - The links below are ready-to-use modules that are engaging and aligned to the MLRs.
  • Applied Ethics
  • History of Genocide and the Holocaust
  • Wabanaki Studies
  • African Diaspora

Arts and Humanities Resources

The value of the Arts and Humanities lies not only in their intrinsic worth but also in the promise of accelerating student understanding through the integration of skills and subject matter. These resources provide a rationale for this approach for educators and administrators.

• The Interdisciplinary Turn in the Arts and Humanities - This article describes the rationale for innovation and integration in the Arts and Humanities.
• The Role of Arts and Humanities in a Well-Rounded Education - This slideshow describes the importance of the Arts and Humanities to holistic education.
• The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education: Branches from the Same Tree  -  An in-depth report of the importance of arts and humanities education to the wider professional community.
• Side X Side - Ignites academic excellence in education through comprehensive arts-based programs, bringing critical thinking, creativity, and innovation into the classroom.
• Maine State Literacy Hub is your go-to space for research, resources, and practical tools to support literacy instruction at every level.
• The American Library Association works to provide equitable access to information.
• Resources developed by MDOE Teacher Fellows:
• Arts and Humanities - Joshua Chard shares resources and instructional practices to integrate the arts into the classroom.
• Civics - Breanna Bellefontaine-Krupski shares resources and instructional practices to integrate civics in the classroom.
• Financial Literacy - Mark Ashe shares resources and instructional practices to integrate financial literacy in the classroom
• Career Connections - Lisa Knedler shares resources and instructional practices to integrate career-readiness in the classroom.

Professional Learning

Opportunities to grow instructional practice.

• Maine Humanities Council
• National Humanities Center
• Arts Education Partnership
• National Inventory of Humanities Organizations (NIHO) | American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Visual and Performing Arts and Humanities Standards 

• Visual and Performing Arts Standards
• Social Studies Standards
  • Personal Finance and Economics
  • History
  • Geography
  • Civics and Government
• Social Studies Standards Review