We are pleased to offer this Field Trip Planner for visiting Gettysburg National Military Park. Since opening the Museum and Visitor Center in April of 2008, we are able to offer a wider array of student activities and itineraries, and we want this publication to help you make the best choices for your field trip and your students – based on the age, size and budget of your group, as well as the amount of time that you have to spend at Gettysburg. In short, we want to help you plan the best field trip ever! Follow the link above to access the Best Field Trip Ever! Field Trip Planner.
Ranger Field Trip Programs and Curriculum Materials
Are Ranger Field Programs Right For You?
We present two ranger-led field programs each morning and each afternoon during the Fall and Spring Field Trip Season, primarily on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
All Ranger Field Trip Programs are free of charge, and each includes pre-visit lessons for you to complete in the classroom.
Information on how to register for a Park Ranger-led Field Trip program can be found below.
Our Fall 2024 Field Trip Season is from September 30--November 8, 2024
Our Spring 2025 Field Trip Season is from March 31--May 23, 2025.
If you would like to be included on our mailing list to receive our Education Handbook for the 2024-2025 school year, kindly send an email to Gett_Education@nps.gov
NOTE: Below are the program dates and times we still have available for the Spring 2025 Student Education Season; all other dates have been booked.
Monday, March 31 — Availability for one a.m. and one p.m. program.
Tuesday, April 1 — For two p.m. programs.
Wednesday, April 2 — For two p.m. programs.
Thursday, April 3 — For one p.m. program.
Friday, April 4 — For two p.m. programs.
Thursday, April 10 — Two a.m. and two p.m. programs.
Monday, April 14 — For one p.m. program.
Tuesday, April 15 -- Availability for one p.m. program.
Thursday, April 17 — Two a.m. and one p.m. program.
Friday, April 18 -- Two a.m. and two p.m. programs.
Monday, April 21 -- Two a.m. and two p.m. programs.
Tuesday, April 22 -- Two a.m. and two p.m. programs.
Monday, April 28 — One a.m. and two p.m. programs.
Tuesday, April 29 — Two a.m. and one p.m. program.
Monday, May 12 — Two p.m. programs.
Wednesday, May 14 — Two a.m. programs.
Friday, May 16 — One p.m. program.
Monday, May 19 — One a.m. program.
Thursday, May 22 — One a.m. program.
How To Reserve
Thank you for making Gettysburg National Military Park a part of your year!
To Begin Your Reservation Request for any of our Field Trip programs, please either:
Complete this Form or Email our education team the following information:
Subject Line: Reservation Request Ranger Field Program
[ ] Name of School/Organization/Family
[ ] Street Address
[ ] City, State, Zip
[ ] School/Contact Phone #
[ ] Teacher/Leader Contact
[ ] Teacher/Leader Email
[ ] Grade(s)
[ ] Number of Students/Participants
[ ] Number of Classes, if applicable
[ ] Programs of Interest
[ ] Possible Dates/Times for Each
[ ] Additional Questions/Comments
Please Note: All programs and procedures are subject to change.
Student Education Field Trip Programs
Click on Program Title for Curriculum and Pre-Visit Materials
The Civil War soldier’s life was full of hardships, sacrifices, and challenges.
Goal
To offer a ninety-minute long, hands-on "Life of a Civil War Soldier" program especially for school-age children in Grades 2-6 that will encourage further study of American history and the Civil War.
The battle of Gettysburg affected not just the soldiers who fought it, but also the civilians in and around the town - destroying property, stability and livelihoods.
Goal
The goal of this program and its accompanying materials is to instill a sense of ownership for the Slyder farm in the minds of all the students who visit it, thereby establishing a sensibility and connection to the impact that wars have on entire generations of Americans - soldier and civilian. During this program, students will explore the John Slyder farm through a trail hike and farm tour, as well as their chores like blacksmithing and fence-building. Students will then role-play, and decide whether they would stay on their farm during the battle.
This program focuses on the actions of the 9th Massachusetts Battery and their engagement with Confederate soldiers from General William Barksdale's Mississippi Brigade on July 2, 1863. Train in teams on the loading and firing procedures of Civil War cannons before walking in the footsteps of the 9th Massachusetts Battery near the Peach Orchard. This program was once known as "Courage and the 9th Massachusetts Battery," which was part of our character-driven "Battlefield Footsteps" education programs at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Grades:
3-12
Group Size & Duration:
35 Students Maximum/10 Students Minimum
Curriculum Connections:
Social Studies; History
Wounded soldiers sit outside a Civil War hospital.
The Battle of Gettysburg is well known for its stories of courage and bravery on the battlefield. Lesser known is the story of the medical personnel, Union and Confederate, who had by 1863 greatly improved their bases of knowledge and organization to save lives and improve living conditions for the sick and wounded of the war.
Goal
This student program seeks to personalize the battle by having each student focus on one individual, whether it be a sick or wounded soldier, a nurse, steward or surgeon. By role-playing these individuals, students will gain a greater understanding of the organization and dedication of army medical personnel, and will be able to place Civil War medicine in the context of medical progress. Another goal is to have the students begin to think about Civil War battles and all battles in the context of their aftermaths and consequences. During this program, students will set up a field hospital at a historic barnyard, coordinate triage and surgical treatment of casualties using roleplay, and discover the problems and progress of a Civil War medical corps.
Grades:
5-12
Group Size & Duration:
35 Students Maximum/10 Students Minimum
Curriculum Connections:
Social Studies; Health & Science
The Soldiers' Monument, Topped By Liberty, Stands in the Gettysburg National Cemetery
The Soldiers' National Cemetery and the Gettysburg Address are ever present reminders of the horror of war and of man's capacity to endure, overcome, and grow from tragic events.
Goal
To convey the significance and relevance of the Gettysburg Address and Soldiers' National Cemetery to the students. During this program, students explore and examine the letters of soldiers buried in the Gettysburg National Cemetery, along with their battle, burial, and identification stories, and the words of Lincoln's historic address, which helped to dedicate this ground.
Battle, as shown by "Pickett's Charge", was a sad, costly, and frightening experience during which soldiers exhibited many examples of courage, devotion, fighting ability and fear.
Goal
Explore cause and consequence of Civil War combat by walking the fields of Pickett's Charge, its repulse on Cemetery Ridge, and then by discovering and discussing how the charge is remembered today. The Pickett's Charge student education program seeks to personalize the battle by having each student focus on the life and sacrifice of one soldier.
Grades:
4-12
Group Size & Duration:
45 Students Maximum/15 Students Minimum
Curriculum Connections:
Social Studies; History
The Rock and Tree Covered Slopes of Little and Big Round Top
Hike Big Round Top, in the path of the flanking movement of the 15th Alabama Infantry on July 2, 1863, then take up the position of the 20th Maine Infantry, defending Little Round Top at all costs.
Grades:
4-12
Group Size & Duration:
45 Students Maximum/15 Students Minimum
Curriculum Connections:
Social Studies; History
Visitors stand near the stone house of James Warfield.
NPS Photo
Borderland
Theme
This program focuses on Gettysburg’s African American Community before, during, and immediately after the battle and how the experiences of Gettysburg’s Black Community were for so long overshadowed in both the history and memory of the Battle of Gettysburg and of the Civil War. This program also introduces the differences experienced by Gettysburg’s White and Black population living in the “Borderland” between Freedom and Slavery and compares/contrasts the history and memory of Gettysburg’s Black Community with the history and memory of Confederate soldiers who fought at the battle.
Goal
Investigate historic buildings, family documents, and military reports contrasting the lives of Gettysburg's Black families and the Confederate battle lines (and later monuments) that were later established nearby.
