History Labs in Your Classroom!
Overview
Have a field trip experience in your classroom! History Lab programs are designed to be brought to your school. These are in-class interactive activities that include the use of primary sources. A museum teacher (sometimes in historic clothing) leads the activity. A program offering lasts 30-60 minutes, depending on students' ages and attention spans, and nature of the activity. The grade levels given are suggestions and some activities can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
A History Lab is most effective when all students and their teachers have an opportunity to interact with the museum teacher and the activity materials. For this reason, we present these labs to one class or less at a time. Sometimes a school designates a classroom for the museum teacher to set up her materials and groups come to her. At other times she moves from classroom to classroom. A teacher might request more than one activity. If the museum teacher is to visit more than one class, each teacher does not have to request the same activity. A classroom teacher must always be present.
Interactions might include trying on clothing; role-playing; analyzing historic images and text; handling, analyzing, or categorizing reproductions of artifacts; or tasting food.
The program costs $300 a day for up to four hours of program and up to 100 students. Add $100 if the total number of students receiving the program exceeds 100. If it is necessary to send more than one museum teacher on a given day to present your program, add $120. For schools that are more than 40 miles (one way) away from Deerfield, add $30.
Some offerings have classroom teacher-led pre and post- activities available. Look for a red "P" after the activity title.
Contact: 413-774-7476, ext. 330 or 280; or Send Email
Classroom History Lab Programs
- 19th Century School Lesson P
Grades 1-8, maximum 25 students
Children role-play and experience a historic lesson to find out what it might have been like to attend a “district” or “common” school in the early 19th century. Supplies: grades 3-8; each student will need scissors and one piece of white 8 ½ x 11” paper; grades 1 & 2 need only the white paper. - Art and Geometry in American Quilts P
Grades K-8
Quilting goes back to ancient times, but the beauty of repetitive “patchwork” blocks, which is associated with traditional American quilts, is the invention of frugal and creative American women of the 19th century. After a brief introduction with lots of visuals, students play with both cloth and paper half-square-triangle units to explore symmetrical design possibilities. They slide, flip, and rotate their block designs, working both individually and in groups. This program is appropriate for a wide range of students, since the designs can be as simple or complicated as the students choose to make them. If time allows, they might each design a paper quilt block that can be glued and displayed. - A Chance Encounter P
Grades 3-12
While studying the Civil War usually involves dates, battles, and generals, this lab gives students insights into the lives of two fictional young adults from Massachusetts involved with the war, through an examination of their possessions. Sarah and Matthew bump into each other on a train and their belongings spill out and mix up. Sarah is heading home after working for the Sanitary Commission and Matthew is a wounded Union soldier with one month of leave time. Students learn more about each item as they decide what belongs to each traveler. - Colonial Clothing
Grades K-5, maximum 20 students
Children try on reproduction clothing from the 18th century. This includes breeches, waistcoats, shirts, gowns, petticoats, “shifts”, “shortgowns”, caps, pockets, and hats. - Dame School
Grades 1-5
Students will experience an 18th century school lesson that would have been taught by a woman in her home. Activities include role-playing, recitation using hornbooks, and simple stitchery. - Early American Chores
Grades K-5, maximum 25 students
A museum teacher sets up chore stations in the classroom for students to cycle through. Chores might include processing wool, simple stitchery, churning butter, using a yoke to carry buckets, or stringing squash or apples for drying. Not including the museum teacher, up to 4 adults are needed to supervise activities. - Eastern European Immigration P
Grades 2-12
What did Eastern European newcomers experience at Ellis Island? How were they treated by the New England-born residents? How might they have sustained their culture in the face of assimilation? Activities might include the reenactment of an arrival test, an examination of images, an exploration of contents of a basket of possible items an immigrant might have brought with them to their new home, and optional- a sampling of food. - The Four Freedoms
Grades 9-12
Students will examine Norman Rockwell’s series of paintings, “The Four Freedoms,” with a close focus on “Freedom of Speech.” They will read excerpts from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” address and describe how a sampling of posters and ads created during World War II connect to it. Students will also ponder what made these paintings so incredibly popular and well-loved during that time.
- George Washington, the American Cincinnatus P
Grades 9-12
When a likeness of George Washington comes to mind, quite often it is his image as it appears on a $1 bill or quarter. These images were created by Gilbert Stuart, and it is said that many of us only envision Washington through Stuart’s eyes. Students will examine Stuart’s “Lansdowne” portrait of Washington and a variety of other images to discover which of his character traits they illustrate. Students will also read Washington’s resignation speech and compare him to Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. - In Flew Enza: The Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918
Grades 5-12
Enter the “quarantine zone” and examine primary sources to discover the impact of the epidemic in Massachusetts and what was being done about it. Students will also take a whiff of some home remedies meant to make the patient feel better, and they will discuss the merits of these treatments. - Lewis and Clark: Mapping Indigenous Homelands P
Grades 4-12
During their exploration of the vast expanses of the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark traveled through the homelands of many Indigenous tribes. In this lab, students listen to two different interpretations (one Mandan, one Merriweather Lewis) of the same landscape and examine the resulting maps, noting differences. Students then use descriptions in journal entries to create maps of Celilo Falls in Oregon from Wishram and Euro-American perspectives. - Made in America P
Grades 3-6
Students will divide a variety of items into what they think were imports or exports and then use a 1770s Boston store ad for answers. They will examine the 1764 Suar Act to discover why the English king felt it necessary to tax American colonists. - Migrant Mother
Grades 9-12
Throughout our nation’s history, migrations from one area to another within the country have occurred. Students will learn about the plight of dustbowl refugees in California in the 1930s by closely examining Dorothea Lange’s photo, “Migrant Mother,” dust storm photos, and the songs of Woody Guthrie. They will then compare the dustbowl migration to that caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. - The Mum Bett Story: “Keepin’ Still and Mindin’ Things”
Grades 5-12
In 1781, Sheffield, Massachusetts resident Mum Bett (Elizabeth Freeman) fought for and won her freedom from enslavement. She had been greatly influenced by hearing conversations in her enslaver’s house about a new constitution for the state, and by attending a public hearing of the Declaration of Independence. Students will examine primary sources and use Readers’ Theater to learn about the life and achievements of this remarkable woman. - Native American Life P
Grades 1-8
Students will examine touch-its including food, clothing, images, and toys and games as they learn about life in 18th century New England for Northeast Woodlands peoples. - Nuthatch
Grades 4-12
A museum teacher portrays a fictional Pocumtuck (Indigenous) woman who left her Connecticut Valley homeland in the 17th century. She discusses the problems her people had with the English settlers and why she chose to leave her homeland. Issues of land ownership, the beaver trade, and assimilation are included. - Old-Time Amusements
Grades K-6
A potpourri of activities is sampled including indoor and (if weather permits or a large room is available) outdoor games and old-fashioned toys. Supplies needed if constructing a toy or game: scissors, glue, colored pencils or crayons. - Paul Revere’s Ride: the Story, the Hero, the Truth P
Grades 9-12
How much truth was depicted in Grant Wood’s 1931 painting, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” and in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”? Students will read Revere’s own words about his famous ride and compare it to the poem and painting to discover the facts and fiction in each. Students will also examine John Singleton Copley’s painting of Revere for an idea of why he might have been considered an influential figure before his 1775 ride. - Paul Revere’s Ride: the Story, the Hero, the Truth P
Grades 3-5
Students will examine Grant Wood’s painting, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” for hints about the story depicted in the painting. They will also glean more of the story from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”, and they will examine discrepancies between what really happened and what the poem and painting illustrate. - Seadogs of the Caribbean P
Grades 4-6
Learn about what constitutes “treasure” through a hands-on activity and find out how it connects to the Triangular Trade. Also, examine a map to find out about treasure Captain Kidd is said to have buried in Massachusetts! - Speak Up! P
Grades 3-12
Up to the mid-20th century, elocution was considered an indispensable skill to master for every citizen of a democracy. From the silent “tableau vivant” to lively oratory, this participatory program is guaranteed to awaken your students’ hidden theatrical talents. Historical offerings of recitations, sayings, and poems can be tailored to your curriculum and students’ abilities. - Underwear
Grades K-3
Find out what people from long ago put on first. Students can examine and try on old-fashioned underwear such as hoops, corsets, and drawers from a variety of eras. - Vamos! Puerto Rican Migration to the Northeast
Grades 7-12
Students will use primary sources to examine Hispanic (primarily Puerto Rican) migration to the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. They will discuss migration versus immigration, examine testimonials and photos of needleworkers and tabaqueros (tobacco workers), and read news articles for attitudes towards Hispanic migrant workers. As they study the cultural and literary contributions of the Puerto Rican community, students will also recreate the tradition of “el lector”- someone in a cigar factory who read to those working. - Voices from the Past
Grades 5-12
A museum teacher in 18th century clothing and in role will tell the story of one of the captives from the 1704 raid on Deerfield. - Vote, Vote, Who’s Got the Vote? P
Grades 6-8
Examination of “The County Election” (1852) by George Caleb Bingham will reveal clues about what the “voting picture” looked like in this country in the mid-19th century. An interactive lesson featuring fictional and real profiles of Americans who did or did not qualify to vote will reveal how voting rights changed over time and from place to place. Students will understand that while every American over the age of 18 today has the right to vote, the story of suffrage in America is one of starts, stops, advances, and reversals. - Vote, Vote, Who’s Got the Vote? P
Grades 9-12
Students will compare the African American voting experience before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with that suggested by Martin Puryear’s installation entitled “Ladder for Booker T. Washington” (1966). They will learn about the history of suffrage for African Americans through a variety of primary and secondary sources including a 1955 Mississippi voter registration form, a recent oral history account, and James Karales’ famous photograph, “Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights in 1965.” - Washington Crossing the Delaware P
Grades K-2
The painter of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” (1850), Emanuel Leutze, created a window onto a true story that had at its core a very dangerous problem and a secret plan. By carefully examining this famous work of art, students will gather clues about the nature of the dilemma and how General Washington and his soldiers worked together to find a solution. - Washington Crossing the Delaware P
Grades 3-5
Students will understand that when deciding how to represent a true historical event, an artist makes choices. These influence what the final painting suggests about the people and events involved in the original historical episode. Students will compare America’s most famous representation of “Washington Crossing the Delaware” (by Emanuel Leutze, 1850) with a version of the crossing story told in a modern-day picture book to compare two versions of the same true story. - Where Did My Town Go? The Quabbin Reservoir P
Grades 5-12
In the early 1930’s drinking water for the Boston area was in short supply, so it was decided to create a reservoir in Western Massachusetts and make a connecting underground aqueduct to bring the water to Boston. The project took years to complete and involved moving 1,100 buildings so that land they once sat upon could be flooded. Two thousand, five hundred people lost their homes and were forced to move. In this lab students examine images to learn of the work that had to be done to create the reservoir and the buildings that had to be destroyed. They will learn about the workforce needed and how locals felt about workers from outside of the area. Even though the story is overwhelmingly negative, students will also consider the reservoir’s benefits. - World War II Homefront
Grades 3-12
How were people on the homefront feeling? How did they respond once the U.S. entered the war? Students will examine primary sources including ads, songs, political cartoons and other primary sources to gain information about how the war affected homelife. Topics include Civil Defense, minorities and civil rights, advertising, rationing, songs, women and work, children’s lives, war bonds, and how the soldier was viewed.