Junior Historians

Grades 1 – 5
History

Join staff from the Museum of the American Revolution as we investigate

how archeologists find an item from long ago under the ground, to how historians use observation skills to figure out what it might be, and finally how a curator decides to display it in a museum.

About the Course:

How does an object travel from under the ground to in a museum? Join staff from the Museum of the American Revolution as we investigate how archeologists find an item from long ago under the ground, to how historians use observation skills to figure out what it might be, and finally how a curator decides to display it in a museum. In this four week session, we’ll learn about the staff members who do these jobs at the museum and end with working together to write a label for some of our own objects.
Week 1:Under the Museum
Before we built the museum, we dug in the ground and found a bunch of items that belonged to the people who lived here long ago. We’ll get to look at some of these objects and try to figure out what they were and what they tell us about who used to live on the corner of 3rd and Chestnut!
Week 2: Thinking Like a Historian
What do you do when you find an object that we don’t recognize any more? How do historians figure out what it’s job was? This week we’ll look at some items from the 18th century and try to use our thinking caps to find clues that would tell us what it does and who it might belong to.
Week 3: Things that Can Tell a Story
How do you take care of things that are over 200 years old? This week we’ll meet a member of the museum staff who can tell us about what we do with an item once we figure out what it is and why it might be important. Everyone will get a chance to ask their own questions and we’ll learn about how you use objects to tell a story about the past.
Week 4: Now It’s Your Job!
In our final week together, we’ll take all the things we’ve learned and apply them to four objects that really exist in our own museum. We’ll use our historian skills to look at full and partial objects, figure out what they could be, what they could mean, and then write a label together, telling the public why it’s meaningful to the American Revolution.

Expected Outcomes:

Participants will:
History
Elementary School (Grades 1-5)
15 Students/ Families
Tuesdays, July 6 – 27, 2021
2:00 – 3:00 pm

About the Museum of the American Revolution:

The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.

About the Educator: Rebecca Franco

Rebecca Franco is the Family Programs Manager at the Museum of the American Revolution, where she is dedicated to making the causes and people of the Revolution come alive for the next generations. After almost a decade of programming experience for youth and families, Rebecca is a passionate advocate for intergenerational learning and supporting every young person, regardless of their background, in finding the subject that sparks their own passion for learning.