Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plans

Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS is home to about 50,000 historic artifacts. From branding irons to saddles and cowboy boots, each one is a physical connection to the cowboy story preserved here. But some of the collection’s artifacts are more mysterious than the cowboy gear we expect. What can these artifacts tell us about past life on a cattle ranch? This lesson invites students to explore artifacts from the museum collection and analyze them to uncover the hidden lives of the ranch’s past residents.

The purpose of this lesson is for students to watch a video to learn about Connemara. Students will analyze objects found in the home and explain what they learn about Carl Sandburg based on the objects that he collected in his home.

This unit includes one lesson plan: “Working with Primary Documents and Artifacts." Students read about one of 14 primary documents or artifacts associated with the French and Indian War, and then analyze the document or artifact.

Hear the entire story of Tumacácori from someone who witnessed it first hand (or is it "first wing?").