MHA Conference session highlight: Creating a Local History Curriculum Using Museum Resources: An Educators Perspective

[Mass History Alliance]

Join Jeremy Slavitz of the Nantucket Historical Society and Educator John McGuinness for their session at the Mass History Conference.

In 2008, Nantucket Public Schools authorized the creation of a semester-long elective for Juniors and Seniors. History Department Head, John McGuinness, and his former colleague and museum professional, Jeremy Slavitz, worked together to create a curriculum that not only taught local history using the resources of the community's museums, but emphasized both thinking critically about how these organization preserve and share their stories, and core concepts within the Massachusetts History Curriculum Frameworks.

John and Jeremy will share how they designed the core components of the curriculum to meet their curriculum needs and then approached the various museum resources with clear programs/outcomes in mind. In addition, they will discuss how museums can effectively engage with teachers to assist them in understanding what a museum can offer in the classroom by offering teacher-centric programs that meet educator's professional development requirements.

Join this session at the 2026 MHA conference, "Revolutionizing History: Small but Mighty."

Conference registration is open now. Register today!

https://masshistoryalliance.org/2026-mass-history-alliance-registration/