GRADES PRE-K-2

Work and Play from Long Ago

In this introductory museum tour for our youngest visitors, students explore the museum, trying out a variety of hands-on activities to compare and contrast work done by adults and children in the past. After their “work” is done, students play with reproduction colonial-era toys.

HIST K.1, K.4-5, 1.1, 1.4-5, 2.2, 2.6-7; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6

GRADES K-2

Native Peoples and Natural Resources

This program introduces students to the lives of Native Peoples from our region and emphasizes their use of natural resources. Students will learn about aspects of pre-colonization Native cultures including foodways, homes, and clothing. Focus is placed on multi-sensory learning, a varied pace of activities, and handling reproduction objects. 

HIST K.1, K.3-5, 1.1, 1.3-5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6-7; GEO K.4, 1.4, 2.4; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6

GRADES 1-3

Kids in Colonial Connecticut

What was it like to be an English colonist in early Connecticut? Learn about daily life through hands-on activities and reproduction objects in the museum galleries. Students will compare and contrast their own lives to those of colonial children as they explore daily chores, try out reproduction colonial-era toys, and make a reproduction “hornbook.” 

HIST 1.1, 1.4-5, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3.2, 3.4, GEO 3.7-8; CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.10, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4, L.6

GRADES 1-3

What Makes a Community?

Students use a large floor map and “building” blocks to strengthen map skills and vocabulary while creating and analyzing a new town, then visit the Making Connecticut exhibition to learn about how work, home life, and transportation were different in the past. The third part of the program focuses on how decisions are made in communities, as well as ways that children can be good citizens and contribute to their communities.

HIST 1.1, 1.4-5, 1.8, 2.2, 2.6-7, 3.2, 3.6-7, CIV 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 2.4, 2.6-7, 3.6, ECO 1.4, 2.3, GEO 1.2-3, 2.2-3, 3.3; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4-5, L.1, L.4, L.6

GRADES 3-5

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Two Cultures in Early Connecticut

This program is temporarily unavailable as we are updating our programming related to Native history in Connecticut. Please inquire about program availability in Spring 2023.

GRADES 3-5

This is Connecticut!

What makes our state so special? During this thematic tour students will learn about famous Connecticut people, places, events, and products. From the mighty white oak to the tiny nutmeg, “Constitution State” to famous (and not-so-famous) Connecticut people, students explore the unique stories behind our state’s history and symbols.

HIST 3.3, 3.6-7, 5.2, ECO 4.4, 5.2; GEO 3.4-5, 4.3-4, CCSS R.1, R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4, L.1, L.4

GRADES 3-5

The Legend of the Charter Oak

Why is the white oak a symbol of Connecticut’s strength and independence? During this program, students bring the people and events from the legend of the Charter Oak to life using a variety of dramatic techniques, period costumes, and specially-designed props. Students evaluate sources, including historic maps, to draw their own conclusions about the famous legend.

HIST 3.2, 3.4, 3.9, 3.11, 4.1-3, 5.7, 5.9-10, CIV 4.1, 5.3, GEO 3.4; CCSS R.7, SL.1-2, SL.4-5, L.1, L.4

PLEASE NOTE: This program does not include a gallery component. For $2/student, explore the museum with a gallery visit add-on!  (See below).

GRADES 3-5

The Three Branches of Government

During this program, 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 movement, improvisation, 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.

CIV 3.1-3, 3.6-7, 5.1-4; CCSS R.10, SL.1, SL.3-4, L.1, L.3, L.6

PLEASE NOTE: This program does not include a gallery component. For $2/student, explore the museum with a gallery visit add-on! (See below).

GRADES 4-8

On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut

This two-part program uses hands-on activities to introduce students to stories of moving to Connecticut. During the workshop, students work in teams to examine artifacts and documents from “immigration trunks” and uncover many different family stories about moving to Connecticut. In the Making Connecticut exhibition, students try out the kinds of jobs done by different immigrant groups who arrived in Connecticut in the 19th and 20th centuries.

HIST 4.1, 8.1-3, 8.6-9, ECO 4.1-2, 8.1, GEO 4.4-8, 8.3-4; 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

PLEASE NOTE: For $3/student, add on a 30-minute Primary Source Workshop or a special exhibition visit to enhance your students' learning of immigration in Connecticut. (See below).

GRADES 5-8

Connecticut and the Revolution

Students investigate how Connecticut citizens participated in the American Revolution, looking at issues from both the Patriot and Loyalist perspectives. Through a variety of student activities, the dramatic sequence of events from 1763-1783 that led to American independence is brought to life in the Making Connecticut exhibition and other hands-on museum spaces. Students examine reproduction artifacts and analyze a primary source document to explore life in Connecticut during this time. Using quill pens, students join the cause by signing an “oath of allegiance.”

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

HIST 5.2-10, 8.1-9; CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.10, SL.1-4, L.1, L.4, L.6, RH.6-8.1-2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-8

PLEASE NOTE: For $3/student, add on a Primary Source Workshop for a deeper dive into the experiences of everyday Connecticut residents living through the American Revolution, through their own words. (See below).

GRADES 5-8

Slavery and Resistance in Connecticut

Students reflect on the changing perception of freedom as they learn about the history of enslavement in Connecticut. Using primary sources and hands-on activities, students will learn about the enslavement of Native Peoples and Africans from the early colonial period into the 19th century. Students will examine multiple perspectives on slavery, explore ways people resisted and fought against slavery, and learn about the impact of slavery on the history and economy of Connecticut.

HIST 5.2-10, 8.1-9 ECO 5.1-2, 6-7.1, 6-7.3 GEO 5.3, 6-7.3, 6-7.10 CCSS R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.9-10, W.4,  W.9, SL.1-4, L.1-4, RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-9

Grades 8-12

Take a Stand

History is complicated; stand up for your position! Students create an argument using preselected primary and secondary sources from the CHS collection. Then, students debate compelling questions in U.S. History through the lens of local and state history, and use their conclusions to take a stand!  Select a theme for your workshop from the topics below.

• Women’s Suffrage?   Evaluate primary sources arguing against women’s suffrage to determine the ultimate goals of the movement.  Discuss the methods used, and their effectiveness, in advancing the suffrage and anti-suffrage agendas.
• Connecticut: Land of Opportunity?   Analyze photographs and census data detailing daily life of diverse Connecticut residents to develop an understanding of factors that brought immigrant groups to Connecticut and the types of obstacles they faced.

INQ 8.8-10, 9-12.8-11, HIST 8.7-10, 9-12.6-10, ECO 9-12.1; CCSS RH.8.1-2, RH.9-10.1-2, RH.9-10.6, RH.9-10.9, RH.11-12.1-2, RH.11-12.6-9

Grades 3-8

Gallery Visit

Grades: 3–8
Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $2 per student

Give your students additional time to explore the CHS exhibitions in small, chaperone-led groups with activity cards. This option is perfect for classes participating in The Legend of the Charter Oak or The Three Branches of Government programs, which do not include a an exhibition component, or for groups that want a little more gallery time. For information about our current exhibitions visit chs.org.

Grades 5-8

Primary Source Workshop

Grades: 5–8
Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $3 per student

Delve more deeply into a content theme by adding this workshop to the Connecticut and the Revolution or On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut programs. Students work individually and in groups to analyze various types of primary sources, such as historic images, letters, and printed documents.

Grades 5-12

Journeys 旅途 : Boys of the Chinese Educational Mission

Grades: 5–8
Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $3 per student

From 1872-1881, a cultural and educational exchange program headquartered in Hartford, CT brought 120 Chinese boys to study in New England. The stories of these boys will be shared in a new temporary exhibition, Journeys 旅途 : Boys of the Chinese Educational Mission. Teachers who are scheduling the On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut program or are looking to enhance their students’ understanding of immigration can book this special add-on to their program. Students will explore the exhibition, discuss themes of moving, changing cultures, and student life, and analyze primary sources such as translated letters and personal artifacts.