Last updated: September 20, 2023
Article
Massachusetts: Teaching with Historic Places
Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) uses historic places in National Parks and in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects. TwHP has created a variety of products and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom.
Here you’ll find place-based educational resources relating to historic places in Massachusetts. Discover more resources at the Teaching with Historic Places homepage.
Featured Educational Resources
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The Shot Heard Round the WorldWalk the road where the “shot heard ‘round the world'” sparked the American Revolution.
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Boston's Green ConnectionLearn about Frederick Law Olmsted and his philosophy about parks and cities as well as city life during the Industrial Revolution.
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Building America's Industrial RevolutionLearn how technology applied to textile mills revolutionized industry, affecting mill architecture, city planning, and transportation.
Lesson Plans
Showing results 1-10 of 18
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This lesson is based on the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts. It is among the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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Use this lesson to learn about the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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Learn about the life and work of the sculptor, Daniel Chester French, and about the important role public sculpture played in turn-of-the-20th century America. The lesson is based on the Daniel Chester French Home and Studio, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This property has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
(H)our History Lesson: Through a Mother's Eyes, Rose Kennedy in Brookline
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- Locations: John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Explore Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy's memories of raising her oldest children, among them future President John F. Kennedy, in Brookline, Massachusetts.
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This lesson plan explores the history of JFK's birthplace. Consider the effects of culture and community in shaping Kennedy's character and personality.
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This lesson is based on three historic places related to the life of Frederick Douglass: the Wye House on Maryland's Eastern Shore; the Nathan and Polly Johnson House in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and Cedar Hill in Washington, DC. Follow Frederick Douglass on his journey from life as a slave to that of a respected statesman and investigate how three homes reflect the different phases of his life.
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This article explores the life and legacy of Frederick Douglass. You'll find a reading and related activities about Douglass and his home in Washington. DC. These resources are intended for middle school learners but can easily be adapted for use by learners of all ages.
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This lesson is based on the Lowell National Historical Park, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Learn how technology applied to textile mills revolutionized industry, in turn affecting mill architecture, city planning, and transportation. (National Park/National Historic Landmark)
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This lesson is based on Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Examine how the advent of industrialization in 19th-century America impacted the workforce in New England's Blackstone River Valley.
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This lesson is based on the Olmsted Park System in Boston, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.