Maine Memory Network

A 7th Grade Project

Classroom teacher Meg Dyer and Carol Toppe of University of Southern Maine's Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) wanted their 7th grade social studies classes to discover local history and learn the important role played by local historical societies. They also wanted the students to learn the importance of preserving local artifacts. The 43 Molly Ockett Middle School students provided a valuable community service to the Fryeburg and Lovell Historical Societies by participating in a Scan-a-Thon. During the month of May 2004 they scanned, photographed, researched and cataloged 31 objects to include on Maine Memory Network

The idea for the project began after students created online albums while studying early Maine history using Maine Memory Network. The students took advantage of technology when presenting their albums in class using a digital slide projector that plugged directly into their laptops. In addition to items pertaining to the state's first settlers and explorers, the students also shared a number of items pertaining to local history which they found on the Network. Mrs. Toppe and Ms. Dyer wanted to extend the students' comprehension of how history is studied and presented. The teachers and Maine Historical Society staff developed this Scan-a-Thon project and invited Fryeburg and Lovell Historical Societies to participate

Students chose objects from the collections that interested them, and wrote out the catalog information, researched the subjects in Fryeburg, An Historical Sketch by John Stuart Barrows, Blueberries and Pusley Weed, the Story of Lovell, Maine by Pauline W. Moore and Images of America: Upper Saco River Valley: Fryeburg, Lovell, Brownfield, Denmark, and Hiram by Diane and Jack Barnes. They also used their laptops to explore online websites, researching subjects such as wooden bats, the Improved Order of Red Men, Fryeburg Dairy and stereoscopes

Students formed teams which then rotated through the Scan-a-Thon, photographing historical objects using a digital camera, scanning photographs and flat items such as valentines and cards, and including the descriptive and subject information in MMN's online catalog forms.

Historical Society staff, students, teachers and aides worked together on this Scan-a-Thon to contribute 31 new objects to Maine Memory Network.