Portland History

Portland History

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Grade Levels: 3-5

Time Allotment: 60 to 75 minutes

Maine Social Studies Standards: C1, D1, E1

This lesson uses maps of Portland to illustrate important events and milestones in Portland's history, including the Revolutionary War and the Great Fire of 1866. It is followed up by an activity booklet in which students are asked to complete the following:

  • Analyze changes in Portland's landscape
  • Locate symbolic meaning in Portland's city seal
  • Trace the events in Mowatt's destruction of Falmouth during the Revolutionary War
  • Imagine what life was like for Portlanders after the Great Fire of 1866
  • Examine a thematic map about Portland's history for information about other key events in the city's development

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DownloadItem Files

This folder contains images of all items used in this lesson. To view the available items in zoomify, click on the links below:

7940 Image  849 Image  11753 Image  1371 Image


DownloadPresentation Files

This folder contains a powerpoint (.ppt) file of the completed presentation, as well as a suggested script in both .pdf and .doc formats.

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PPT Presentation

PDF Suggested Script w/ Images


DownloadActivity Files

This folder contains a .pdf file of the activity accompanying this lesson and any necessary documents and answer keys.

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PDF Activity


Suggested Reading

Conforti, Joseph. Creating Portland. 2007.