Contact: Arlington House, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park, McLean, VA 22101. Call (703) 235-1530 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/arho

Arlington House

Every Day Life in the 1850's: The program consists of a 45-60minute long tour followed by different hands on activities relating to life at Arlington in the 1850's. These activities include gardening, dressing in period clothing and producing patriotic art. The program focuses on the following:

• The way people lived on a plantation during the decade just prior to the Civil War. Arlington is used as an example of how different life was at that time and how dramatically that lifestyle was altered by the Civil War.
• Students examine the lives of Robert E. Lee's family and the enslaved people to learn how they interacted.

Life During Wartime: Arlington During the Civil War: This program is completely student driven. They lead themselves around the site in smaller groups searching for information in a kind of scavenger hunt. This program helps students to build skills in teamwork and communication as well as map reading and timekeeping. They take responsibility for their educational experience and at the same time learn how best to explore and learn from a historic site. This program requires intensive in-class preparation by the teachers to make it work. This program focuses on the following:

• The changes brought by the war and how the lives of the various residents of the estate were affected. This not only includes the Lee family and the slaves but also the Union soldiers who occupied the estate.
• The creation of Arlington National Cemetery and the problems faced by freed slaves attempting to adjust to their new circumstances.

The Life and Times of Robert E. Lee: This program was developed through the English Literature department of a local high school and not through a Social Studies Department. This program allows students to do the following:

• To analyze subject matters by comparing and contrasting literature about the Civil War with actual history. In the class room the students study Civil War novels such as "Killer Angels" and "Gone With The Wind."
• To conduct research and write position papers regarding particular aspects of the history. They then prepare skits and debates which they then present on-site for the public. In the past, student groups have also developed museum exhibits, webpages and brochures that have been presented to the public. Through this program they are able to learn how to negotiate their way through the quagmire of sorting out fact from fiction information.
• Students also learn skills associated with historical interpretation and the field of public history.