Classroom Outreach

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Classroom Outreach Programs

Bring the Connecticut Museum to Your School

If you can’t visit us, the Connecticut Museum can come to you! Outreach programs use reproduction objects and documents from our collection along with hands-on activities to bring history to life in your classroom.

These participatory programs are designed for class-size groups. They are not suitable for assemblies or large groups, unless otherwise noted. Most programs for grades 3 and older require student reading.

Program Length: 1 ¼ hours (allow 15 minutes between programs).
Programs designed for grades 6-12 can be shortened to 60 minutes to accommodate class periods.

Cost: $150 per program plus round trip mileage from the Connecticut Museum at 67¢ per mile.
Discounts available for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools.
Thank you to the Charles D. Fleischman Charitable Trust, the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut, and the U.S. Department of Education.

How to Schedule a Program

KINDERGARTEN–GRADE 12

Me and My Community

GRADES K-2

Me and My Community

What are my different communities and what is my role in them? This interactive program explores the roles and responsibilities in family, school, and town communities. Students will try out different jobs done in these communities today and long ago with contemporary and reproduction historical objects. Students will then determine what a community needs by designing their own town on a floor map.

This program is free for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools, and $2 per student for all other schools. Bus support is available for all schools. For more details, please visit the Civics Education for Connecticut Students Project. 

Grade K: HIS 2.a, 9.a, 10.a, 12.a ECO 3.a, 4.a, 6.a CIV 1.a, 2.a, 3.a, 6.a GEO 1.a, 2.a
Grade 1: HIS 9.a ECO 4.a CIV 12.a, 14.a GEO 5.a, 8.a, 9.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a ECO 7.a, 12.a, 13.a CIV 1.a, 5.a, 6.a, 6.b, 8.a GEO 1.a, 2.a
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.4, L.6

Native Peoples of Quinnetukut

GRADES K-2

Native Peoples of Quinnetukut

This program introduces students to the pre-colonial lives and cultures of Native Peoples of this region. Through close looking and hands-on activities, students will examine reproduction artifacts and learn about the local resources and technologies used to make clothing, foodways, and tools. The program concludes with a local Native story and craft.

 

 

Grade K: HIS 2.a, 9.a, 10.a, 12.a GEO 1.a, 2.a
Grade 1: HIS 3.a, 6.a, 9.a GEO 2.b, 3.a, 3.c, 4.a, 5.a, 6.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a, 9.a, 12.a ECO 1.a GEO 2.a, 4.a
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6

Colonial Kids

GRADES K-2

Colonial Kids

Using reproduction objects and hands-on activities, students are introduced to daily life in colonial Connecticut. They compare and contrast their own lives to those of colonial children as they learn about both work and play. Students make a reproduction “hornbook,” examine differences in clothing and daily chores, and enjoy colonial-era toys.

 

Grade K: HIS 2.a, 9.a, 12.a ECO 3.a, 4.a
Grade 1: HIS 3.a, 9.a ECO 4.a GEO 6.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a ECO 7.a CIV 6.b GEO 2.a
CCSS: R.1-2, R.4, R.10, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6

History Detectives: Exploring Indigenous Life in Quinnetukut

GRADES 3-5

History Detectives: Exploring Indigenous Life in Quinnetukut

In this program, students become the historians to investigate the lives of Native Peoples in this region before colonization. They learn about various types of historical resources, including oral tradition and historical artifactsStudents practice close observation, descriptive writing, and presentation skills to analyze, describe, investigate, and present reproduction artifacts to their classmates. 

 

Grade 3: HIS 2.a, 2.b, 3.a ECO 3.a CIV 6.b GEO 2.a, 3.a, 4.a, 4.b, 6.a
Grade 4: GEO 5.a, 5.b, 7.a, 8.a
Grade 5: HIS 5.a GEO 4.a, 8.a
CCSS: R.7, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-4, L.1-3

The Three Branches of Government

GRADES 3-5

The Three Branches of Government

Students explore Connecticut’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to discover who makes the rules in Connecticut. To better understand the role of each branch, students elect a governor from among their classmates, debate a bill, and hold a mock trial (student reading required). Through role-playing and active participation, students learn the purpose of rules and laws, explore the separation of powers, and discover the rights and responsibilities of individuals.

This program is free for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools, and $2 per student for all other schools. Bus support is available for all schools. For more details, please visit the Civics Education for Connecticut Students Project. 

PLEASE NOTE: This program is also available for groups of 26-50 students. For groups of over 25 students, a large, open space is required as this program will not work in a standard classroom.

Grade 3: CIV 1.a, 2.a, 4.b, 6.a, 12.a, 13.a
Grade 4: CIV 6.a, 12.a
Grade 5: CIV 3.a, 10.b, 14.a
CCSS: R.10, SL.1, SL.3-4, L.1, L.3, L.6

Characters from Colonial Connecticut

GRADES 4-5

Characters from Colonial Connecticut

Who lived in colonial Connecticut? In this program, students will learn about a diverse set of "characters" from colonial Connecticut (inspired by real people) such as a colonial tinsmith, enslaved woman, Patriot soldier, or Nipmuck trader. Students will work in small groups to explore one identity box, using reproduction artifacts, primary sources, and hands-on activities to understand their character's role and perspective in a colonial community.

 

Grade 3: HIS 2.b, 10.a, 11.a ECO 3.a CIV 6.b GEO 4.b, 8.a
Grade 4: GEO 5.a, 5.b
Grade 5: HIS 4.a, 5.a, 14.b ECO 3.a, 4.a, 5.a, 16.a CIV 6.a
CCSS: R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.10, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1-2

On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut

GRADES 4-8

On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut

This program introduces students to a variety of 20th-century stories about moving to Connecticut. An introductory game of chance looks at the difficult choices and conditions faced by immigrants throughout history. Students then work in teams to examine artifacts from “immigration trunks” and uncover different family stories about moving to Connecticut from Georgia, Poland, Jamaica, and Vietnam.

 

Grade 4: HIS 5.a GEO 5.a, 6.a, 11.a, 12.a, 12.b
Grade 8: HIS 5.a ECO 1.a
CCSS: R.1-4, R.7, R.10, W.2, W.4, W.9, SL.1-2, SL.4-5, L.1-2, L.6, RH.6-8.1-4, RH.6-8.7

Perspectives of the Revolution

GRADES 5-8

Perspectives of the Revolution

How did the American Revolution impact the people of Connecticut? In this program, students will explore the Revolution through the experiences and perspectives of everyday people in our state, including Patriots and Loyalists, soldiers on the battlefront and families at home, free and enslaved Connecticans, and many more. Through hands-on activities with reproduction objects and primary source investigation, students will uncover the many different hopes and hardships experienced by Connecticans during America's War for Independence.

This program is available at a discounted rate thanks to the generosity of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut. 

Grade 5: HIS 4.a, 4.b, 6.a, 10.a, 16.b, 16.c ECO 1.a, 3.a CIV 8.a, 14.a
Grade 8: HIS 4.a, 10.a
CCSS: R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.9-10, SL1-4, L.1, L.4, L.6, RH.6-8.1-2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-8

Amistad: A Journey to Justice

GRADES 5-12

Amistad: A Journey to Justice

Explore the Connecticut event that had a national impact on the rising tensions leading up to the Civil War. Investigate the dramatic 1839 story of 53 Africans, who were kidnapped from their homeland, enslaved, and fought a legal battle in the U.S. that allowed them to return home. In this scalable program, students will use a range of physical activities, reproduction artifacts, primary source documents, props, and illustrations to connect to the story. This program requires a projection screen or surface. 

PLEASE NOTE: This program is also available for groups of 26-50 students for a fee of $225 per program. For groups of over 25 students, a large, open space is required as this program will not work in a standard classroom.

Grade 5: HIS 5.a, 6.a, 14.d CIV 14.a
Grade 8: HIS 1.c, 3.a, 6.a, 12.a CIV 5.a
African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies: Supports LO3-4, LO8, EQ2-4, EQ6-7 and Lessons 2.2 and 3.2
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-4, L.1, RH.6-8.1-3, RH.6-8.7-8

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Location

One Elizabeth Street
Hartford CT, 06105

860.236.5621

 

Museum Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Thursday until 8 pm
Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm

Research Center Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday 12 pm - 5 pm, Thursday until 8 pm
Always by appointment only.