GRADES PRE-K-2

Work and Play from Long Ago

In this museum tour for our youngest visitors, students will explore how communities past and present have provided for their needs. Students will compare work done long ago to work today by trying out different "jobs" related to building, making clothes, and preparing food. After their "work" is done, students play with reproduction historic toys.

Grade K: HIS 2.a, 9.a, 12.a ECO 3.a, 4.a CIV 2.a, 6.a
Grade 1: HIS 3.a, 9.a ECO 4.a CIV 14.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a GEO 2.a
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-4, L.3, L.6

GRADES K-2

Native Peoples of Quinnetukut

This program introduces students to the lives of Native communities from our region, with a focus on the relationships between the local environment and local Native cultures. Through multi-sensory learning and handling reproduction artifacts, students will explore characteristics of pre-colonization Native communities, including foodways, homes, and technologies. Students will listen to a local Native story and learn how oral histories carry on a community's culture.

Grade K: HIS 2.a, 9.a, 10.a, 12.a GEO 1.a
Grade 1: HIS 3.a, 9.a GEO 3.a, 4.a, 5.a, 6.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a, 12.a GEO 2.a, 4.a
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-4, L.3, L.6

GRADES 1-2

What Makes a Community?

Students use a large floor map and “building” blocks to strengthen map skills and vocabulary while creating and analyzing a new town, then use our exhibit space to explore how community life differed in the past in the Making Connecticut exhibit. The third part of the program focuses on how decisions are made in communities, as well as ways that children can be good citizens and contribute to their communities.

This program is free for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools, and $3 per student for all other schools. Bus support may be available, for more details please visit Civics Education for Connecticut Students Project. 

Grade 1: HIS 9.a ECO 4.a CIV 14.a GEO 5.a, 7.a, 8.a, 9.a
Grade 2: HIS 4.a ECO 7.a, 12.a, 13.a CIV 5.a, 6.a, 6.b, 8.a, 10.a GEO 1.a, 2.a
CCSS: R.7, SL.1-6, L.3-4, L.6

GRADES 3-5

People and Place: Native Peoples of Connecticut

Explore culture and change in the region we now call Connecticut by looking at the lives of the Native Peoples that live here. By listening to a local Native story, analyzing maps, and examining historical artifacts, students will learn how Native Peoples, in the past and present, have shaped the land and communities that make up the Connecticut we know today.

Grade 3: HIS 2.a, 2.b, 3.a, 10.a ECO 3.a CIV 4.a, 6.b GEO 2.a, 3.a, 4.a, 4.b, 6.a
Grade 4: CIV 14.a GEO 5.a, 5.b, 7.a, 8.a
Grade 5: HIS 5.a GEO 4.a, 8.a
CCSS: R.2, R.7, SL.1-4, L.3, L.6

GRADES 3-5

This is Connecticut!

What makes our state so special? From the mighty white oak to the tiny nutmeg, and from “Constitution State” to famous (and not-so-famous) Connecticut people, students will explore the unique stories behind our state’s history and symbols. After learning about Connecticut people, places, events, and innovations, students will test their knowledge in a Connecticut Trivia Quiz Show!

Grade 3: HIS 1.a, 3.a, 12.a ECO 3.a GEO 2.a, 3.a, 4.b, 6.a, 8.a
Grade 4: CIV 14.a GEO 2.b, 3.a, 5.a, 8.a
Grade 5: ECO 3.a CIV 14.a
CCSS: R.4, R.7, SL.1-4, SL.6, L.3-4, L.6

GRADES 3-5

The Legend of the Charter Oak

Why is the white oak a symbol of Connecticut’s strength and independence? During this program, students bring the people and events from the legend of the Charter Oak to life using a variety of dramatic techniques, period costumes, and specially-designed props. Afterwards, students evaluate primary sources, including colonial maps, to draw their own conclusions about the famous legend.

This program is free for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools, and $3 per student for all other schools. Bus support may be available, for more details please visit Civics Education for Connecticut Students Project.

PLEASE NOTE: This program does not include an exhibit component. For $2/student, explore the museum with a gallery visit add-on!  (See below.)

Grade 3: HIS 2.b, 10.a CIV 6.b GEO 3.a
Grade 4: His 9.a
Grade 5: HIS 9.a, 16.a CIV 4.a, 8.a
CCSS: R.2, R.6-7, SL.1-4, SL.6, L.3, L.6

GRADES 3-5

The Three Branches of Government

In this program, students explore Connecticut’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to discover who makes the rules in Connecticut. To better understand the role of each branch, students elect a governor from among their classmates, debate a bill, and hold a mock trial (student reading required). Through role-playing and active participation, students learn the purpose of rules and laws, explore the separation of powers, and discover the rights and responsibilities of individuals.

This program is free for Priority School Districts and Title I Schools, and $3 per student for all other schools. Bus support may be available, for more details please visit Civics Education for Connecticut Students Project. 

PLEASE NOTE: This program does not include an exhibit component. For $2/student, explore the museum with a gallery visit add-on! (See below.)

Grade 3: CIV 1.a, 2.a, 4.b, 6.a, 12.a, 13.a
Grade 4: CIV 6.a, 12.a
Grade 5: CIV 3.a, 10.b, 14.a
CCSS: R.2-4, SL.1-4, SL.6, L.3-4, L.6

GRADES 3-8

On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut

This program uses hands-on activities to introduce students to stories of moving to Connecticut. During the workshop, students work in teams to examine artifacts and documents from curated immigration trunks and uncover different family stories about moving to Connecticut from Ireland, Germany, China, Georgia, and Puerto Rico. In the Making Connecticut exhibit, students try out the kinds of jobs done by different immigrant groups who arrived in Connecticut in the 19th and 20th centuries.

PLEASE NOTE: See below for add-on options for this program for a deeper dive into the immigrant experience through primary sources or exhibit exploration.

Grade 3: HIS 1.a, 2.b, 10.a, 11.a ECO 3.a GEO 4.a
Grade 4: HIS 5.a GEO 5.a, 6.a, 11.a, 12.a, 12.b
Grade 8: HIS 5.a ECO 1.a
CCSS: R.1-2, R.4, R.7, R.10, W.4, W.8-9, SL.1-6, L.3-4, L.6, RH.6-8.1-2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-8, RH.6-8.10

GRADES 5-8

Connecticut and the Revolution

Students will investigate how the American Revolution impacted Connecticut residents by exploring the war through a variety of perspectives. What led Connecticans to become Patriots or Loyalists? How was the war different for those on the battlefield than for those on the homefront? What did America's War for Independence mean for Connecticut's enslaved and Native residents? Students will explore these experiences through museum exhibitions, primary sources, reproduction artifacts, and hands-on activities (including signing an 'Oath of Allegiance' with a quill pen and ink).

This program is available at a discounted rate thanks to the generosity of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.

PLEASE NOTE: For $2/student, add on a Primary Source Workshop for a deeper dive into the experiences of everyday Connecticut residents living through the American Revolution, through their own words. (See below.)

Grade 5: HIS 1.a, 4.a, 4.b, 6.a, 10.a, 16.b, 16.c ECO 1.a, 3.a CIV 8.a, 14.a
Grade 8: HIS 4.a, 10.a CIV 3.a
CCSS: R.1, R.4, R.6, R.10, SL.1-4, L.3-4, L.6, RH.6-8.1-2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6-8, RH.6-8.10

GRADES 8-12

Slavery and Resistance in Connecticut

Students reflect on the changing perception of freedom as they learn about the history of enslavement in Connecticut. Through primary source analysis and compelling discussions, students will learn about the enslavement of Native Peoples and Africans from the early colonial period into the 19th century. Students will examine multiple perspectives on slavery, explore ways people resisted and fought against slavery, and learn about the impact of slavery on the history and economy of Connecticut.

Grade 8: HIS 1.a, 1.c, 3.a, 6.a, 10.a, 12.a, 12.b
African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies: Supports LO3-4, LO7, EQ2-4, EQ6-7 and Lessons 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and 3.1
CCSS: R.1-2, R.4, R.6-7, R.10, W.4,  W.9, SL.1-4, L.3-4, RH.6-12.1-2, RH.6-12.4, RH.6-12.6-8, RH.6-12.10

Grades 10-12

Black and Latino Studies at the Museum

Bring your students to the Museum for a class and a tour! A museum educator will teach a 45-minute Black and Latino Studies lesson of your choosing (select from one of our ten digital resource packs), followed by a tour of our exhibitions.

Grades 3-12

Gallery Visit

Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $2 per student

Give your students additional time to explore the Making Connecticut exhibit in small, chaperone-led groups with activity cards. This option is perfect for classes participating in The Legend of the Charter Oak or The Three Branches of Government programs, which do not include a an exhibition component, or for groups that want more exhibition exploration time. Click here for information about other rotating exhibitions.

Grades 4-8

Primary Source Workshop: Connecticut and the Revolution

Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $2 per student

Add on to your "Connecticut and the Revolution" program with a deeper dive into the multitude of Connecticut experiences and perspectives during the War of Independence. By analyzing the primary sources left behind (such as personal letters and other documents), students will uncover how different Connecticans experienced and were affected by the Revolution.

Grade 5: INQ 1.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a, 4.b HIS 4.a, 4.b, 6.a, 10.a, 16.c
Grade 8: INQ 1.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a HIS 6.a

Grades 3-8

Community Case Study: Puerto Rican Hartford

Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $2 per student

In this add-on for "On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut," students will take on the role of an investigative reporter, exploring the experiences of Puerto Ricans moving to Hartford in the 1950s-70s.  Using oral histories and historic photographs, students will piece together stories of how Puerto Ricans addressed challenges and created community in their new home.

Grade 3: INQ 1.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a, 4.b HIS 2.b, 3.a, 10.a, 11.a CIV 6.a GEO 4.a
Grade 4: INQ 1.c, 3.a, 3.b, 4.a, 4.c HIS 5.a, 9.a GEO 5.a, 5.b, 6.a
Grade 8: INQ 1.c, 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a HIS 5.a

Grades 3-8

Finding Home in Hartford
Available starting March 2026

Length: 30 Minutes
Cost: $2 per student

Add on to your "On the Move: Immigration and Migration to Connecticut" program by exploring a new Connecticut Museum exhibition all about immigration and migration to Hartford. This exhibition, opening in 2026, uses graphic novel vignettes to tell stories about movement, identity, and belonging in Hartford's North End. Students will engage with the exhibit through activities, investigating how immigrants and migrants shape and are shaped by their new neighborhood.