Within the Walls of Castle Craigie

Grades: 3-6                    Length: 120 minutes
Offered: February - April  Size: 24 Students (maximum)
Cost: FREE

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow valued, respected, and drew inspiration from all kinds of people. He turned the lessons he learned from people in his life into poems that inspired the world. This two-hour program includes two components: a ranger-led tour of the Longfellow House, and a poetry-writing workshop in the historic carriage barn or an art-making workshop in the landscape.

During the house exploration, students read poems aloud to discover who influenced Longfellow to write some of his most popular poems. The poetry and art workshops encourage students to express their responses to the Longfellows and their family home in Cambridge.

  Ties to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks

  * History/Social Science - Standards 3.7b, 3.9 & 3.12
  * English Language Arts - Standards 14 & 15
  * Art/The Arts Discipline - Standard 3

Architects of Fate: A Walking Tour of Longfellow's Cambridge

Grades: 8-11                 Length: 120 minutes
Offered: March - April     Size: 24 students (maximum)
Cost: FREE

This two-hour neighborhood exploration introduces students to the people, places and events that shaped Henry Longfellow's thinking, and influenced him to write poems of social conscience. Students read poetry, study historic photos, interpret the built environment, and hear primary source accounts of issues related to slavery, the Civil War, immigration, and the building of the nation. Students are challenged to consider the context in which Longfellow lived, and explain why he believed that we are "all architects of fate." The program includes a visit to the poet's historic study.

  Ties to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks

  * History/Social Science - Standards USI.28 & USI.31
  * English Language Arts - Standards 9 & 14
  * Art/The Arts Discipline - Standard 3