Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plans

President Lincoln visits General McClellan at his headquarters on October 4, 1862. Visible on the ground at the lower left is a captured Confederate battle flag.

Antietam National Battlefield

Captain Henry C. Newton, 93rd New York and an unidentified Union officer seated in front of a tent.

Gettysburg National Military Park

Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site

Link to Draw Joshua Tree: Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plan

Joshua Tree National Park

Maggie Walker National Historic Site

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Cap and Troops going to baseball game in stake body truck.

Prince William Forest Park

Link to Moving Goods by Rail - Steamtown Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plan

Steamtown National Historic Site

Tuskegee Airmen

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site

Link to Ulysses S. Grant’s Life and Legacy: Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plan

Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site

Link to Yellowstone Travel through Time: Teaching with Museum Collections Lesson Plan

Yellowstone National Park

Showing results 1-4 of 4

  • Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

    CSI: Cowboy Scene Investigation

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Locations: Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
    • Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
    White two story house with green shutters and a white picket fence around the lawn

    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.

  • Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

    Carl Sandburg's Connemara (Grades K-2)

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Locations: Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
    • Grade Levels: Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
    Historic home on a grassy hill with yellow and purple flowers

    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.

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Locations: Fort Necessity National Battlefield
    • Grade Levels: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    An image of Charlotte Browne

    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.

  • Tumacácori National Historical Park

    Pancho's Scrapbook

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Locations: Tumacácori National Historical Park
    • Grade Levels: Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

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

Last updated: February 19, 2025