Education
Virtual and Museum Field Trips
Virtual and Museum Field Trips
On-Site Learning: Nebraska History Museum
Click this LINK to request any of these in-person tours.
Please note these accommodations are available for your students. These options and basic follow-up questions will be found in the tour registration form.
*Students using mobility devices
*Students with hearing impairment
Nebraska Newsroom: What’s the Scoop? (60 Min., 10-64 students, 3rd-5th grades)
Field Trip: Extra, Extra! Read all about this field trip! Students will use historic objects from the Nebraska Unwrapped exhibit to imagine that they are reporters for the “History Now!” newspaper investigating the question, “Is it better to change or stay the same?” Equipped with interview questions, students find their assigned object and see what evidence it contributes to this question. Then it’s time to print the paper as each reporter writes a headline to share the results of their interview.
Cost: Participating students and their adults are free of charge. Donations are always welcome!
Pre-Visit: Give your students more time in the exhibits with this pre-visit preparation! Students get a preview of their field trip using a “Field Trip Story” slide deck and then start imagining the role they’ll play at the museum. Students start by discussing their observations about how reporters collect and share information, and then they give it a try by “interviewing” classroom objects. Flexibly fit this 20 min. pre-visit activity into your day using a one-page lesson plan we’ll attach to your confirmation.
Curious Curators: What Do They Do? (60 min., 10-75 students, 3rd-5th grades)
Field Trip: What happens if you give a curator a cool object? Students will discover what Curators do first-hand in this fun field trip that takes them to up to three different exhibits! Your class will leave with a book of your student’s curator notes on the two objects they loved the most.
Cost: Participating students and their adults are free of charge. Donations are always welcome!
Pre-Visit:Give your students more time in the exhibits with this pre-visit preparation! Students talk about museums, objects, and curators using a “Field Trip Story” slide deck. Then take some curator notes by observing a classroom object and recording the answers to three simple questions. Flexibly fit this 20 min. pre-visit activity into your day using a one-page lesson plan we’ll attach to your confirmation.
Exhibit Explorers: Make Your Way Through History (30-60 min., 10-125 students, 3rd-12th grades)
Field Trip: Students will explore up to three different exhibits with a half-sheet scavenger hunt for each in this self-guided experience. Pencils, worksheet copies, and writing boards will be provided.
Cost: Participating students and their adults are free of charge. Donations are always welcome!
Pre-Visit: Give your students more time in the exhibits with this pre-visit preparation! Students talk about museums, objects, and curators using a “Field Trip Story” slide deck. Then take some curator notes by observing a classroom object and recording the answers to three simple questions. Flexibly fit this 20 min. pre-visit activity into your day using a one-page lesson plan we’ll attach to your confirmation.
Chronologically Nebraska 9th-12th grades: (45 minutes, 10-50 students):
Test your knowledge of Nebraska History as you explore the Nebraska History Museum! Groups can build their own timeline of Nebraska historical events using our Chronologically Nebraska card game and the information you find in the museum! Play as one big team or small groups to prove your historical expertise or as a fun way to explore the museum!
Make History: Vote! (3rd-6th grade, 60 minutes, 10-64 students)
We’ve all heard of voting before; you might have even voted at school! But why is voting so important? Students take a closer look at voting and why it is so important to a healthy democracy while exploring the Smithsonian exhibit “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.”
Virtual Pre-visit: In preparation for your upcoming visit, classes will connect virtually with a museum educator to explore the exhibit’s themes, Nebraska connections, and necessary vocabulary to make the most of your learning experience! This pre-lesson lasts 15 minutes and is scheduled alongside your field trip.
Media Literacy: Influence and Influencers (7th-8th grade, 60 minutes, 10-64 students)
In a world full of influencers and social media it might be hard to imagine that media has been used to influence the public since our country’s founding. Using the Smithsonian’s exhibit “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith,” students will investigate how the media has been used to influence American politics throughout our history.
Virtual Previsit: In preparation for your upcoming visit classes will connect virtually with a museum educator to explore the exhibits themes, Nebraska connections, and necessary vocabulary to make the most of your learning experience! This pre-lesson lasts 15 minutes and is scheduled alongside your field trip.
Media Literacy: Read Between the Lines (9th-12th grade, 60 minutes, 10-64 students)
Media is everywhere and we are constantly consuming it. Students will learn how to identify, examine, and read between the lines of agenda in the media. Using the Smithsonian’s exhibit “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith,” students will use critical thinking skills to discover hidden meanings in media that can have an impact on our democracy.
Virtual Previsit: In preparation for your upcoming visit classes will connect virtually with a museum educator to explore the exhibits themes, Nebraska connections, and necessary vocabulary to make the most of your learning experience! This pre-lesson lasts 15 minutes and is scheduled alongside your field trip.
Virtual Field Trips
Connecting Virtually
Classrooms only need an internet connection and a computer or laptop with a webcam and microphone to participate in our virtual programs. Our primary video conferencing tool is Google Meet, but we can connect through Zoom and Microsoft Teams by request.
Learning can be done from anywhere! History Nebraska’s virtual programs remove distance as a barrier, enabling students and educators across Nebraska to explore our state’s rich history and diversity from the comfort of their classroom. Programs are aligned to Nebraska academic standards and aim to promote critical thinking, empathy, and curiosity.
Piecing Together the Past in 10 questions or less! (Recommended for 4th-6th grades)
Senator George W. Norris: The Life of a Public Servant (Recommended for 3rd-5th grades)
The Oregon Trail: Chance Choice and Chimney Rock! (Recommended for 4th-6th grades)
Bison in America (Recommended for 4th-6th grade)
George Norris and the Unicameral: How did Nebraska become a One-house Legislature? (Recommended for 4th-8th and 9th-12th grades)
Nebraska has the only one-house legislature in the United States. In this lesson, students will learn how Nebraska’s nonpartisan unicameral works, how state senators represent their constituents, and how one of Nebraska’s most famous politicians made it all possible.
Nebraska Trailblazers: The Buffalo Soldiers (Recommended for 2nd-5th grade)
Nebraska’s History is full of African American trailblazers. The program series Nebraska Trailblazers will explore how these figures in Nebraska’s history became some of the first, greatest, and most memorable in their fields. In this lesson, students will explore the rich and complicated history of America’s first black servicemen, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Students will learn the history and legacy of these soldiers who called Nebraska’s Fort Robinson home.
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