BOSTON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
Boston National Historical Park interprets many historic sites including Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown Navy Yard, Faneuil Hall and Dorchester Heights Monument where the following education programs take place:
During the Spring of 2009 while we are re-evaluating our Merchants and Farmers in Battle program we will be offering an interim program called “Patriots of Color at Bunker Hill”. Using the battlefield, our new museum, artifacts and primary source documents we will introduce students to the Native American and African American soldiers who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775.
As with the Merchants and Farmers program, this program will be offered Mondays and Wednesdays, April – June, 2009. For more information and reservations call Julia Mize, Acting Education Specialist @ 617-242-5677.
Patriots of Color at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Offered Mondays and Wednesdays from April through June
Pre-visit materials
Learn about the African American and Native American Patriots of Color who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Using the National Park Service study Patriots of Color, meet twelve of these patriots and relive the battle through their eyes.
Merchants and Farmers in Battle Pre-visit materials
Offered Mondays and Wednesdays from April through June
Not being offered in 2009
Explore the motivations of the colonial and British soldiers who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. A park ranger will portray either a colonist or British soldier to present an historical perspective of this famous battle. Students discover the life of a “citizen soldier” through hands-on examination of period clothing and a soldier’s pack. Students will examine maps to understand how topography determined the tactics of the battle. They will also learn about the diversity of the colonial troops through the stories of African American Salem Poor, Mohegan Native American Samuel Ashbow and rebel leader Dr. Joseph Warren. Park ranger will perform a musket firing demonstration that brings the scents and sounds of battle to life.
Time: 2 hours
Grade; 3rd & 5th
Class size: up to 40 students
Contact: (617) 242-5689
Email: e-mail us
Twisted Strands: Simple Machines and Rope Making at the Charlestown Navy Yard Pre-visit materials
Offered Tuesdays in May and June
With the integration of science and history in Twisted Strands, the park provides special preparation materials for this program.
How much rope does a ship need? What simple machines help make rope? How did the Charlestown Navy Yard make rope for the entire U.S. Navy from 1800 to 1950s? Join a park ranger to explore 19th century rope making innovations at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Pre-visit materials will introduce students to the ropewalk operation and its role in making rope for the entire U.S. Navy. During their visit the students will make rope using simple machines and search for other simple machines on board the USS Cassin Young, a World War II destroyer ship.
Time: 2 hours
Grade: 3rd, 4th and 5th
Class size: up to 25 students. This program requires one chaperone/teacher per 5 students.
Contact: (617) 242-5689
Email: e-mail us
What’s Behind a Monument?
Offered Fridays, April through June
Why do Boston school children have a holiday on March 17? What does that day have to do with General Washington and Boston bookseller Henry Knox? Boston National Historical Park rangers will visit your school to present a program to introduce your students to Dorchester Heights National Monument and its connection to Evacuation Day. Through hands-on activities and an audio-visual presentation the ranger will explain how Henry Knox and General Washington’s troops hauled 59 cannon from New York to Dorchester Heights in the winter of 1775/1776.
Then bring your students to Dorchester Heights National Monument in April, May or June. At the monument students will build a model of the Dorchester Heights 1776 fortifications and examine historical maps of South Boston to understand why this location played such an important strategic role in driving the British Army and loyalists out of Boston on March 17, 1776.
Time: 2 hours
Grades: 5th – 8th
Class size: up to 40 students
Contact: (617) 242-5689
Email: e-mail us
The Old South Meeting House
Built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house, Old South’s congregation included Samuel Adams and Phillis Wheatley. As the largest building in colonial Boston, Old South was also the site of many mass meetings prior to the American Revolution, including the fiery tea tax debates preceding the Boston Tea Party.
Education Programs
Resisting for Justice
Participate in the meeting that led to the Boston Tea Party and demonstrate against the Fugitive Slave Law! Using role-play students explore two historical examples of protest. Students learn how people have made a difference in the past, and discover how to stand up for their own ideas and beliefs today. The program begins in the Old South Meeting House where students take on the roles of Patriots and Loyalists and recreate the tea tax debate that led to the famous Boston Tea Party. The second half of the program is led by Boston African American National Historic Site park ranger and students will reenact a dramatic incident of resistance to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.
Time: 2 hours
Grades: 3rd and 5th
Class size: up to 25 students
Contact: (617) 482-6439
Email: Email Us
Slave to Poet: Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley came to Boston as a slave when she was about seven years old, and went on to become one of the first African Americans to publish a book. The Old South Meeting House is the only surviving historic site associated with Phillis’ life. In this interactive program, students imagine the experience of being on a slave ship, examine clothing and objects Wheatley would have worn and used. They write poetry with a quill pen based on Wheatley’s own works.
Time: 1.5 hours (2 hour program available for students in grades 7th & 8th)
Grades: 5th through 8th
Class size: up to 25 students
Contact: (617) 482-6439
Email: Email Us
From Meeting Place to Resting Place
If Bostonians from the 18th century were to visit the city today they would see many changes. However, both the Old South Meeting House and the Granary Burying Grounds still play an important part in our modern community. At the Old South Meeting House students hunt for clues about the role of a meeting house in Boston and the many interesting people and events associated with the building. On their visit to the Granary Burying Grounds, students examine and interpret gravestone symbols and explore the final resting place of many famous Bostonians.
Time: 1.5 hours
Grades: 5th through 8th
Class size: up to 25 students
Contact: (617) 482-6439
Email: Email Us
The Old State House
Boston’s oldest public building and the backdrop for the Boston Massacre is now a museum of Boston history. The seat of British government before the Revolution, the structure played a key role in the struggle for independence. Operated by the Bostonian Society.
Education Programs
Boston Massacre or What really happened on King Street on the night of March 5, 1770?
Did the British Soldiers commit murder or did they fire in self-defense? Many questions remained unanswered about the incident that became known as the "Boston Massacre."
At the Old State House students tour an exhibit on Revolutionary Boston and examine images and trial records about the Massacre. They will learn different perspectives about this event and its outcome.
Time: 2 hours
Grades: 5th through 8th
Class size: up to 30 students
Contact: (617) 720-1713
Email: Email Us
Paul Revere House
Home of silversmith and patriot Paul Revere during the Revolutionary era. Inside the Paul Revere House, visitors obtain a fascinating glimpse into everyday life for the Revere family. Owned and operated by the Paul Revere Memorial Association.
Education Programs
Paul Revere: The Man Behind the Myth
As they examine maps, paintings and prints, children find out the truth about Paul Revere’s midnight ridge. In small groups, students then examine letters, advertisements and reproduction artifacts, looking for clues that help them piece together the man behind the myth. An interactive tour of the Revere House completes the program.
Time: 1.5 hours
Grades: 5th and 8th
Class size: up to 22 students
Two programs may be scheduled concurrently.
Contact: (617) 523-2338
Email: education@paulreverehouse.org
Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride: Storytelling Program
After separating the facts from the myths surrounding Revere’s ride, children reenact the exciting events of April 18 and 19, 1775. As they trace Revere’s route from the Revere House in North Square towards the Charles River, children don hats and carry props, taking on the roles of Paul and Rachel Revere, their children, Robert Newman (who hung the lanterns in the Old North Church), British soldiers, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. This program not only introduces children to Revere’s expedition but also acquaints them with everyday life in a colonial Boston household.
Time: 1.5 hours
Grades: 3rd and 5th
Class size: up to 22 students
Two programs may be scheduled concurrently.
Contact: (617) 523-2338
Email: Email Us
The Revere Children and the Siege of Boston
After Paul Revere made his midnight ride, he couldn’t return to Boston for fear of being arrested. What became of his family as patriot forces besieged the town an effort to expel British troops? Children find out as two students dress in reproduction clothing, taking on the roles of Sarah, helping her mother pack to flee the town and Paul Jr. left behind to guard the house against marauding British soldiers. The program concludes with a game played by civilians and soldiers during the war.
Time: 1.5 hours
Grades: 3rd and 5th
Class size: up to 22 students
Two programs may be scheduled concurrently.
Contact: (617) 523-2338
Email: Email Us
USS Constitiution Museum
USS Constitution Museum’s exhibits bring the legacy of the sailing frigate “Old Ironsides” to life through stories of the ship’s remarkable design, her undefeated battle record, brave crew members and exotic ports of call. The Museum is a non-profit organization and does not own the ship. The USS Constitution is owned and operated by the U.S. Navy. If you wish to take the students on the ship, please allow an additional hour. Reservations are not accepted; tours are given on a first-come, first-served basis. This ship is open April – October on Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and November – March on Thursday – Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Due to added security, bags, knapsacks, and belongings are subject to search and may not be allowed on board. There is no admission fee.
Education Programs
DiscoveryPort
Take your students back in time 200 years as they discover what life was like on USS Constitution and why she is considered an important part of American history. Students learn about the daily life of a sailor as they try on sailor’s and captain’s uniform, swing in a hammock, handle artifacts used by the crew and sit down for a pretend meal of hardtack and salted pork!
Time: 1.5 hours
Grades: 3rd and 5th
Class size: up to 40 students
Contact: Laurie Pasteryak (617) 426-1812 ext. 186
Community and Courage Aboard “Old Ironsides”
Learn about USS Constitution’s courageous crew who worked together as a team to successfully operate the ship. In this hands-on program, students role-play the different jobs on the ship, discover the food sailors ate, explore through story-telling the courage and sense of community that existed amongst the men, and participate in a team –building activity while singing a sea chantey.
Time: 1 hour
Grades: K through 2nd
Class size: up to 30 students
Contact: Laurie Pasteryak (617) 426-1812 ext. 186
