OML staff and students prepare and offer a variety of educational materials for the K-12 groups, including MapPlay, a website geared for students grades 3 through 8. We also conduct classes and tours at OML, with stand-alone exercises and exercises geared to the current exhibition. OML’s Outreach team is also available to visit classrooms. All of our lessons can be transported and presented at schools, clubs, after-school programs, and camps in southern Maine. To learn more about field trips and class visits, please visit our Field Trips & Class Visits page by clicking on the link below:

• Field trips typically include an inquiry-based lesson using OML’s original materials as primary sources, a hands-on activity or group game related to the lesson subject, a scavenger-hunt activity with our current exhibition, and a tour of the Smith Globe Collection.

• All necessary materials for these lessons are downloadable so that parents and teachers may adapt them for use in home or classroom settings.

• These lesson sets were created specifically for use by educators in a formal education setting.

• Additional documents, such as educational worksheets and newsletters, are also available for download.

Also Available: Create Your Own Lesson Plan

Educator Professional Development:

Osher Map Library offers free tutorial sessions on accessing and using our resources for K-12 educators. Included in these sessions are: a tour of OML’s facilities, a demonstration of our online digital resources and educational materials, a viewing of our current exhibition, a tour of our antique globe collection, and an introduction to our collection of facsimiles atlases. An onsite session lasts around 90 minutes.

While we prefer that these sessions be held at the Osher Map Library so that all of our resources can be viewed, we also offer offsite sessions for groups unable or unwilling to travel. Offsite professional development sessions focus on our online digital resources and downloadable educational materials. They can be conducted at any school or organization within sixty miles from Portland at no cost, provided that the facility has a projector and Internet access. Offsite sessions last roughly 30 minutes.

These sessions are recommended for in-service days or departmental meetings, and can be scheduled for anytime between 8am and 5pm, Mondays through Fridays.

Explore Resources by Age Group:

• lesson plans addressed to grades K-2
• lesson plans addressed to grades 3-5
• lesson plans addressed to grades 6-8
• lesson plans addressed to grades 9-12

Contact Information

To schedule a field trip or class visit, please contact the Education Outreach Coordinator:

Renee Keul
207-780-4910
rkeul@usm.maine.edu

or fill out a visit request form.