New-York Historical Society

Education Mission

The Education Department at the New-York Historical Society offers a wealth of resources and learning opportunities designed to make history come alive!

Education programs are made possible through endowments established by the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Hearst Foundations. Programs are supported, in part, by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council and by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. Additional support is provided by The Barker Welfare Foundation, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation and Verizon.

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Educators

American Musicals Project >

The New-York Historical Society is proud to introduce
A NEW HOME FOR HOMESCHOOLERS

Make history come alive! This fall the New-York Historical Society launches a new program for homeschooled students, designed to enrich and support the study of American History through its unique program, the American Musicals Project.

By coupling the power and emotional energy of American musical theater masterworks with evocative and thought-provoking exhibitions and primary sources from the collections of the New-York Historical Society, students explore four significant themes in American History: Independence, Slavery, Suffrage, and the Great Depression. Over the course of the classes, students will explore the museum’s vast treasures, participate in hands-on history, and engage in group work.

Each theme is taught in four hands-on sessions and is designed to:

Develop critical thinking skills as the student engages with primary source materials and experiences the wonder of making historical discoveries.
Develop media literacy as the student forms observations and interpretations of scenes from American musicals that shape his/her understanding of history.
Engage the student with in-class projects that promote inter-disciplinary learning.

Appropriate for students ages 11–14

Fridays, 1:30–3 pm
Independence: November 18, December 2, 9, and 16, 2011
Slavery: January 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2012
Suffrage: March 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2012
Great Depression: May 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2012

Register for all four themes for $200, or $65 per theme, per student.
To register, please contact us at (212) 485-9236 or amp@nyhistory.org.

Partner with the New-York Historical Society and create a dynamic, cohesive learning environment for your school.

Through our school-wide and grade-wide enrichment programs, museum educators work with every class and every teacher each month over the course of the school year, delivering hands-on social studies programs that align with the Social Studies Scope and Sequence for each grade.

Students explore artifacts, images, maps and documents from our collections to develop their history content knowledge and hone their critical thinking skills while teachers benefi from this classroom-embedded approach to professional development. The enrichment series begins in September with a planning session for all participating teachers. Monthly class sessions are scheduled between October and June.
To see the full list of offerings for Pre-K- 5th Grade, 7th, 8th, and 11th Grades, click here. To book Social Studies Enrichment for your school, please contact us at schoolprograms@nyhistory.org or call (212) 485-9293.

Sample Enrichment Curriculum, 4th Grade:
HOW DID NEW YORK BECOME THE CITY IT IS TODAY?
In this series students trace the history of New York, beginning with the Lenape people and extending through to the late 19th century using a combination of authentic touch objects and images of works of art, artifacts, maps and documents from the Collections of the New-York Historical Society.

Program Themes:

Session 1: Introduction to the New-York Historical Society: Objects Tell Stories
Session 2: A Visit to the New-York Historical Society
Session 3: Life with the Lenape
Session 4: Life in New Amsterdam
Session 5: Life in Colonial New York
Session 6: The American Revolution in New York
Session 7: New Nation, New York
Session 8: Civil War
Session 9: Immigration
Session 10: Culmination: A Visual Timeline of New York