LCMM Offers New Quadricentennial Curriculum for Local Students
Teacher workshops in Vermont and New York to take place in April
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information, contact:
Sarah Lyman, Director of Education
802-475-2022
VERGENNES, Vt. – Students have the opportunity to learn about the history surrounding the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s historic visit through new multi-disciplinary, standards-based curriculum developed by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
The museum developed the curriculum to help students and educators prepare for the opportunities that surround Champlain’s 1609 exploration of the lake that now bears his name. LCMM will also offer a series of teacher workshops next month in Vermont and New York to help them implement the curriculum this fall. Interested educators can register now for the workshops and place an order for the curriculum by contacting the museum at 802-475-2022.
The curriculum, which will be available in April, is designed to help teachers and students gain multiple perspectives on our shared history. It provides a guided examination of the pivotal time period – 1609 – and a broader exploration of 10,000 years of culture in the Champlain Valley, both looking back to pre-contact native cultures and forward to the merging with European cultures that occurred in the centuries after that initial contact was made. Drawing on a diverse array of primary documents, journals, images, and prints, the curriculum will stimulate active participation and inquiry. Engaging classroom activities will help students explore the implications and repercussions, alliances and conflicts generated by the meeting of cultures.
“One of the primary goals of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial is to encourage learning and exploration of the area’s history and culture,” said Bruce Hyde, chair of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission and Vermont’s Tourism and Marketing Commissioner. “The curriculum developed by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum gives students an incredible opportunity to discover the fascinating history of this region.”
LCMM developed the curriculum in close partnership with regional experts, scholars, historians, and local teachers, including Dr. Fred Wiseman, professor at Johnson State College and Director of the Wobanakik Heritage Center, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, and many others.
“The 400th anniversary gives students a chance not only to examine Samuel de Champlain’s exploration, but also the 10,000 years of history before 1609,” said Buzz Hoerr, chair of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Commission’s Education and Interpretation Committee. “The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s new curriculum is an exciting way to engage students as we approach this historic milestone.”
The curriculum will provide a concentrated and accessible resource that meets the immediate needs of educators and students as the Quadricentennial celebration rapidly approaches. Thanks to generous support from the Vermont Quadricentennial Commission and the Barnes Foundation, LCMM is able to offer this resource free of charge, with a nominal fee for shipping and handling. Call LCMM at 802-475-2022 to get your copy.
LCMM’s Quadricentennial project will also train a battalion of educators in the long-term use of the curriculum, providing energy for the spotlight of 2009 to shine on upcoming commemorative events and for years to come. Educators in Vermont and New York are invited to join representatives of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and her partner institutions for a day-long workshop to learn more about the pivotal year 1609, and the people and events that shaped life in the Champlain Basin over the centuries.
Workshops will be held on April 8 at Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, VT; April 15 at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Basin Harbor, VT; and April 22 at Stafford Middle School, Plattsburgh, NY. Topics may vary slightly at the three locations; visit www.lcmm.org for detailed schedules. Workshop presentations will include:
- Abenaki Tribal Historian Dr. Frederick M. Wiseman
- Teaching With the New Quadricentennial Curriculum, LCMM’s Education Director Sarah Lyman
- Using Drama to Teach History, Joan Robinson of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
- Historical Fiction for Young Readers, educator and writer Kate Messner
- Abenaki of the 17th Century, Wabanaki singer, storyteller, and historian Roger Longtoe
Cost: $50 per participant. Call LCMM at 802-475-2022 to register.