Education

School & Outreach Programs| Kids' Space Exhibit

The Education Department of the Martha's Vineyard Museum is committed to developing & delivering opportunities for school aged students, their teachers and families to explore our rich local history.

For more information, please contact:

Education Director, Nancy Cole at 508-627-4441 x118 or email

Education Director Nancy Cole worked with the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools for 10 years, as Director of the After School Program, grant writer and project coordinator for several curriculum and professional development projects. She has also worked for Martha's Vineyard Community Services Early Childhood Programs, and the West Tisbury Public LIbrary. She is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts.

School & Outreach Programs:
Programs Offered to Massachusetts, Cape & Island Schools.
(All activities are designed with the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks in mind.)

Kids Digging Local History & Introduction to Museums (Grade 3):
A three part program that begins in the classroom and includes an introduction to Vineyard history, archaeology and getting the most out of a museum visit. Classes then visit the museum for more in depth exposure to local history and how a museum works.  Resources and supports are made available to classroom teachers to conduct their own “shoe box digs” in the classroom.

Linking M.V. to Early American History (Grade 5):
In the context of studying Early European Explorers, resources from the MVHS collection are available that show the impact of English Explorer Bartholomew Gosnold's journey to the Cape and the Islands. While studying the American Revolution, primary source materials pertinent to Grey's Raid are used to illuminate island life in September, 1778.

Early Civilizations (Grade 7):
Students visit the museum and examine evidence of early civilization here on M.V. and compare it to other societies elsewhere in the world.

Writing a Research Paper (Grade 9):
Working with 9th grade English teachers, students are guided in the use of primary sources from MVHS archives to write a research paper on a local history topic.

African American Heritage Trail as part of Global Studies (Grade 10):
The museum provides another link for students to explore the history of African Americans on M.V. as one of their community field trips. The library offers resources to support their individual projects, some of which are exhibited in the Student Gallery.

Student Gallery: Kid's Space:
One room in the museum is devoted to showcasing top history and social studies projects from all schools during different parts of the year. The room is also used for hands on workshops for children.

Student Fellow:
Interested rising High School Seniors are encouraged to apply for this mentorship opportunity with the Library/Archives and Education Department. Students may apply for one semester or the entire year and can receive either academic or community service credits depending upon their individual circumstances.

Shine a Light on Learning: Lighthouse Tours:
Keeper of the East Chop Light, Rob Hammett offers Lighthouse visits to enhance students' island experiences either in an open-ended way or with content specific intentions. The visit can connect to Curriculum Standards or simply be a fun fieldtrip. Contact him directly to schedule a visit: 508-693-8104.

QUEST MARTHA'S VINEYARD:
The MV Museum Education Department is the host organization for the emerging QUEST Martha's Vineyard program.  This program is a community collaboration, which promotes place based education through the creation of treasure hunts.  More information can be found at www.questmv.org or www.vitalcommunities.org (go to Valley Quest link).

Vineyard History Map: Illuminating Local Resources/American History:

Funded by a grant from IMLS (Institute of Museum & Library Services) in 2003, Teachers & Librarians participated in a program designed to encourage collaboration between the MVHS and the MV Public Schools. By utilizing local resources in the context of teaching American History students and teachers gained a deeper understanding of Island history. Participants were trained in the use of primary sources and how to navigate the American Memories website at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. An electronic history map that showcases student work, teacher lesson plans and links to primary source documents that will be available online is currently under construction.

Kids' Space Exhibits

People and Places: Oak Bluffs in 1907 and today

First Grade students at the Oak Bluffs School were introduced to history and how one makes sense of the past. Using historic photos and oral histories, they compared life one hundred years ago to life today.

This unit was created by Mary Jane Aldrich-Moodie and piloted in Barbara Jones' first grade class. Historic photos from the Martha's Vineyard Museum's collections included images of Oak Bluffs schools, farms, children, a barbershop, beach scenes, the interiors of homes and more. Oral history excerpts included descriptions of music boxes, an icebox and the ice man, bathing suits, toys, chamber pots, lamps, houses, school and chores. The oral histories were taken from the MVM Oral History Center's publications, Vineyard Voices and More Vineyard Voices.                                                                             

African American Heritage Trail History Project

Each year, sophomore history classes at the MV Regional High School spend time studying the African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard and the contributions made by people of African descent to the history of the island.

Students research and present their materials in a variety of ways. This exhibit includes some of the best student work on the Heritage Trail. Research papers, brochures, artwork, poster displays, children's books, board games, sculptures, scrapbooks and more are some of the ways students chose to exhibit their research and knowledge.