Educators

History in Your Hands is an innovative, object-based instructional resource. The Chicago History Museum partnered with nineteen Chicago Public School teachers to develop classroom artifact kits and accompanying learning activities through the History Connections and Artifact Collections project. The resulting lessons span a broad range of topics and themes in Chicago and United States history and More

Designed for children ages 6 to 12, My Chicago uses the symbols and design of the city’s flag to explore our rich and diverse history. The curriculum illustrates Chicago’s past and present by drawing on the Museum’s collections, including a variety of photographs, documents, and images of artifacts. The activities are appropriate for use in the classroom More

Inspired by the Museum’s collection, local classroom teachers wrote and tested History Lab lesson plans. They are grouped into twelve topics. Lessons from each unit may be used independently or as a set. Each lesson includes a lesson plan, student materials, and reproductions of artifacts and/or photographs from the Museum’s collection. These materials may be downloaded, More

Enrich your instruction with Great Chicago Stories, an award-winning suite of twelve historical fiction narratives and supporting classroom resources. Download the narratives and unit plans, which were written and classroom-tested by local teachers. Use the interactive history map to click on then-and-now images of locations from each narrative. Investigate historical evidence using question prompts and More

These resources were originally developed in 2008 for Catholic Chicago, a temporary exhibition, and can be adapted for use in the Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibition. The gallery conversation cards will help you frame your exploration of the Museum and highlight seven themes related to life in Chicago—people, place, work, community, education, reform, and celebration. Build More