Outreach Programs

History comes to life in the classroom as students explore the New-York Historical Society's vast and varied collections in our interactive outreach programs. Using authentic touch objects and primary images, maps and documents, students experience hands-on history and deepen their understanding of New York’s and America’s past. Our inquiry-driven programs expand vocabulary and develop critical thinking skills.

All programs are led by a highly qualified New-York Historical Society Educator or Teaching Artist. Classes can have up to thirty-five students. Outreach programs are one class period, ranging from forty-five to ninety minutes, depending on the school’s schedule, and cost $75 per class. Choose from our menu of programs listed below, all of which align with and support the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies and New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies and the Arts. To register, visit www.nyhseducationdb.org.

E= Elementary | M= Middle | H= High School

Single Visit Outreach Programs*

Early New York

Life with the Lenape: Native Americans in New York E/M
Students will learn about the Lenape, the Native Americans who inhabited what is now New York City and parts of New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut. They will examine authentic replicas of objects the Lenape used to hunt, cook, trade, and play to understand how their lifestyle and culture developed prior to and during European settlement.

Life in New Amsterdam E /M
Objects from our touch collection help students learn about exploration and settlement, and how the daily life of Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam was shaped by interaction with Native American and enslaved people.

Life in Colonial New York E/M
Students will learn about Life in Colonial New York by studying authentic replicas of objects used daily by New Yorkers of the 17th and 18th century.

The American Revolution in New York E/M/H
Students will understand the causes, effects, and significance of the American Revolution. Teachers may choose from two different approaches. The first brings this important moment to life through an exploration of paintings, documents, and objects from our touch collection. The second immerses students in the life of a Revolutionary soldier through hands-on learning with authentic replicas.

The African American Experience

Slavery in New York E/M/H
Through exploration of images, documents, and objects from the touch collection, students will understand the importance of slavery in New York City history. This program examines the role enslaved people played in the development of New York under Dutch, British, and American rule.
Click here to view online exhibition.

Seneca Village: People and Community, 1825-1857 M/H
This unique, 19th century integrated community included a school, churches, and cemeteries that were razed to make way for Central Park. Students will study primary source documents to learn its story.

The Underground Railroad in New York E/M/H
How did the Underground Railroad affect people’s lives in New York State? Students will learn the importance of New York’s African-American community in the development and success of the Underground Railroad by analyzing paintings, artifacts, and documents from this period.

New York and the Civil War E/M/H
Featuring close observation of photographs, this program traces New York’s role in the Civil War. New Yorkers volunteered to fight, worked in factories that fed, clothed, and armed the soldiers, and funded the war. But, the divided city also debated issues such as slavery, war, and Abraham Lincoln.

The Nation Grows

The Erie Canal E /M
By investigating primary sources, students will understand how and why the Erie Canal was created, how it transformed New York City into America’s most important port and city, and what life was like for those who lived along the Erie Canal.

Westward Expansion E/M/H
Students explore the economic and romantic appeal of the West, the frontier experience and the impact of expansion on Native Americans from multiple perspectives.

Immigration: America Begins in New York E/M/H
Students will work with primary sources to explore the motives underlying immigration, and the experiences and challenges of traveling to and settling in a new country.

Industrialization E/M/H
Students will examine works of art and artifacts that show how industrialization impacted New York and the nation. From the robber barons to the factory workers, they will get to know the New Yorkers who experienced the problems and pleasures of a growing city.

New York-Focus

New York: Portraits of the City E/M/H
Through the study of paintings and sculpture, students take a chronological journey through New York examining historical images of the metropolis and rich images of its inhabitants and their lives along the way.

New York City: Then and Now E/M/H
Students will explore how New York City has evolved from the Dutch colonial period through the 20th century. By comparing works of art, artifacts, photographs, and prints from various moments in time to their modern day equivalents, they will understand the evolution of the city and learn to think critically about their everyday surroundings.

Nueva York E/M/H
Through investigation of artifacts and artwork, students will discover the vital role that the Spanish-speaking world and its people have played in the history of New York. The program can focus on one of three themes: Trade Ties; Cultural Interactions; or War, Revolution, and New York. Each teacher will receive a CD with curriculum materials to accompany the program.

Historical Inquiry and Discovery

Learning History through Paintings E/M/H
Students will read paintings as both works of art and historical texts. By examining portraits, cityscapes, and landscapes, they will learn how to describe, analyze, and contextualize paintings. This program can focus on a particular topic in American history, such as the American Revolution, the Civil War, or the history of New York City, or it can explore paintings from numerous periods and the stories they tell across the centuries.

Learning History through Maps E
Using the New-York Historical Society’s extensive historical map collection,
students will become historians and use maps as artifacts. After reviewing map-reading skills, they will study maps that depict New York over time to understand how and why the city grew and changed.

Objects Tell Stories E/M/H
Students will become historians and observe, describe and interpret replicas of historical objects. They will discover objects from the past and analyze what they tell us about the time and its people. In the process, they will develop their visual literacy and critical thinking skills.

Toys and Games E/M
This program demonstrates how we became Americans through the games
we played. Students will see examples of toys and games from the past and
consider how society influences and is influenced by the most basic elements
of life, including play.

*Single Visit Outreach Programs can be grouped into a series of four or more programs. For an additional fee, series can include a planning and skills-preparation workshop for teachers and a culminating project in which students demonstrate what they have learned

For the 4th grade, we recommend:
• Life in New Amsterdam
• Slavery in New York
• The American Revolution in New York
• Immigration: America Begins in New York

For the 7th grade, we recommend:
• The American Revolution in New York
• Westward Expansion
• The Underground Railroad
• New York and the Civil War

Multiple Visit Outreach Programs

The Art of History
Through examining works of art and hands-on art making, The Art of History mines the rich collections of the New-York Historical Society to teach students about important events and periods in New York and American history. Based on New York City’s Scope and Sequence for Social Studies and Blueprint for Visual Arts, this program presents five different history themes: Life with the Lenape: Native Americans in New York, Life in New Amsterdam, The American Revolution in New York, Slavery in New York and Immigration: America Begins in New York. Each theme consists of a mini-residency led by a teaching artist in which students examine artifacts, maps, documents and works of art as they explore art materials and create artwork that demonstrates what they have learned about American history. The Art of History is a unique opportunity to implement the Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies using the resources of the visual arts. Each series provides many opportunities for teachers to create related literacy activities. A planning session is built into each program for this purpose.

Grade-wide Enrichment
Create a dynamic, cohesive learning environment for your school in partnership with the New-York Historical Society. New-York Historical Society Educators work with every class each month over the course of an academic year, delivering hands-on social studies programs that align with the Social Studies Scope and Sequence for each grade. Students explore objects from our touch collection and artifacts, images, maps and documents from our museum and library collections to develop their history content knowledge and hone their critical thinking skills while teachers benefit from this classroom-embedded approach to professional development. Enrichment is available for the following grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, and Eleventh. The eleventh grade program is designed to build the critical thinking skills and content knowledge necessary to succeed on the Regents: US History & Government exam.

The School Outreach Program was launched with the support of The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.