Maritime History School Programs

Beyond Shackles

Program code: O, E, I
Grades 5 - 12

During this program, students will investigate the African American experience in North America, from the first Africans to arrive in Spanish territories during the 1500s to the various roles played during the American Civil War. By the mid-nineteenth century, not every African American was a slave; some were spies, some abolitionists, some were free, some worked on the Underground Railroad, and some even served in the militaries of both sides.

Virginia SOLs:
VS.1, VS.7(c); USI.1, USI.2(c&d), USI.9 (a,c,d,f); VUS.1(a), VUS.6(e), VUS.7(b&e)

National Standards:
NSS-USH.5-12.4 ERA4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)

A Nation on the Brink

Program code: O, E, I
Grades 5 - 12

For many years prior to the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, the United States had been embroiled in social, economic and political turmoil. Students will examine the impact of key events leading up to the secession of the southern states prior to the American Civil War. Focus will be placed on the invention of the cotton gin, the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Election of 1860.

Virginia SOLs:
VS.1, VS.7(a);USI.1, USI.2, USI.8(a,b,c), USI.9(a&c); VUS.1(a), VUS.6(e), VUS.7(b)

National Standards:
NSS-USH.5-12.4 ERA4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
NSS-USH.5-12.5 ERA 5: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)

The Age of Exploration

Program code: O, E, I
First through twelth grade

This popular program takes students on an imaginative journey through time. They will explore an era when cartographers were still mapping the world and mariners were discovering new landmasses, thus fueling the desire for knowledge and riches. Museum teachers will lead discussions about the economic and cultural life of the Old World, present spices for hands-on examination, and discuss the importance of these spices to those cultures. Other factors that accelerated the interest in exploration are also examined. Third grade and above will see and handle navigational instruments spanning the period from ancient times to the golden age of sail. Be sure to visit our Age of Exploration Online Exhibition to learn more about early exploration.

Meets the following Virginia Standards of Learning:
History and Social Studies: Primary - 3.3, 3.5; Secondary - 3.6, 3.8
Science - Secondary - 3.11
Health - Secondary - 3.1
Math - Secondary - 3.5, 3.15, 3.16, 3.18
Economics - Secondary - EPF.1 

The Bay Way

Program code: O, I
Kindergarten through seventh grade

This program is designed to give students an overall view of the Chesapeake Bay. The history, geography, economic development, and industrial growth of the Bay are all explored through an examination of specialized occupations and artifacts. Be sure to visit our Chesapeake Bay: Our History and Our Future Online Exhibition to learn more about the Bay.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: K.1, K.4, K.5, K.6, 1.4, 1.6, 2.2, 2.7, 3.7, 3.8, VS.1, VS.2, VUS.12, VUS.14

Christopher Columbus & The Great Exchange

Program code: I, O, E
Third through twelfth grade

When Columbus sighted land in 1492, he had no idea of the impact European plants, animals, and diseases would have on the native species of the Americas. In return, animals and foods from the New World changed life for those in the Old. Imagine a time without chocolate! That was one of the items traded between two worlds in the Great Exchange. Examine the different kinds of exchanges made and how they impacted the cultures and lives of the people from 1492 to today.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: 3.3, 3.5,WH.11.4, WH.11.5, USI.3, USI.4, WHII.1, WHII.2, WHII.4, WHII.5, VUS.2

Riding in a Log Canoe

Program code: I, O, E

Before the English reached the shores of Virginia, our area was inhabited by a thriving culture of Native Americans. With the interpretation of artifacts and gallery exhibits, your class can explore the world of the Powhatans. Students will examine their methods of travel, trade, hunting, and fishing, as well as learn about the daily lives of men, women, and children in Powhatan society. Be sure to visit our Chesapeake Bay: Our History and Our Future Online Exhibition to learn more about the world of the Powhatans.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: K.1, K.7, 1.6, 2.2, 2.8, VS.2, VS.3, VS.4, VS.5, G 2.4, G 2.8

Sailing into Thanksgiving

Program code: I, O, E
Kindergarten

Leaving England for the New World, the Pilgrims sailed across the ocean on their small ship the Mayflower. Join us in learning about life on board the Mayflower and how the ship moved, about the Pilgrims and their life in America, and what inspired the Pilgrims to celebrate the first Thanksgiving. Students will learn a Thanksgiving song and have an opportunity to make a miniature Mayflower.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: K.1, K.2, K.3, K.4

Life at Sea

Program code: I, O, E
Kindergarten through twelfth grade

This exciting program literally opens a sailor’s sea chest and allows students to investigate items that would have been carried and used by a typical 19th-century sailor. Students will discover items such as clothing, food, eating utensils, tools, and musical instruments. Students will learn a craft in a hands-on experience that illustrates the daily life of a sailor. The program material will be adapted to meet the requirements of the grade level of the students.
Be sure to visit The Monitor: History and Legacy Online Exhibition to learn about the life of 19th century sailors onboard a navy ship.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: K.1, K.2, 1.6, USI.1, USI.5, USII.1, USII.3, WHII.8, VUS.8

Pirates

Program code: I, O, E
Second through fifth grade

This program introduces students to the lives and adventures of the pirates, both men and women, who raided the East Coast and the Chesapeake Bay. Students will examine some of the reasons for piracy, the myths and lore of pirates, and the history of piracy. Typical pirate weapons and examples of the money in use during that time are presented, as well as slides of the pirates and their signature flags.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: 2.5, VS.4, USI.5(c)

Lighthouse Lore

Program code: I, O
Kindergarten through third grade

Explore the role that lighthouses have played in helping ships safely navigate the waterways. Learn what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper and how lighthouse design and technology have changed through the ages. Lighthouses from around the Chesapeake Bay and along the coastlines of the United States will be explored in this enlightening program that uses both gallery artifacts and a slide presentation. Be sure to visit our Chesapeake Bay: Our History and Our Future Online Exhibition to learn more about Lighthouses. 

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: K.2, K.6, K.8, 1.6, 2.3, 3.8; Science: K.2, K.5, K.8, 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 2.6, 2.7, 3.8, 3.10, 3.11

Clash of Armor: The Battle of the Monitor and the Virginia

Program code: I, O, E
Fourth through twelfth grade

The development of ironclad ships during the American Civil War was a technological advance that would forever change the face of naval warfare. Using artifacts from the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, Museum teachers will introduce students to the development of ironclad ships and history’s first ironclad-to-ironclad combat. Students will also be introduced to the MonitorNational Marine Sanctuary and discover how the wreck site is being excavated and artifacts are being recovered and conserved here at The Mariners’ Museum. Be sure to visit The Monitor: History and Legacy Online Exhibition to learn more about the Battle of Hampton Roads. 

SOL/CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: VS.1, VS.7, USI.1, USI.9, USII.3, VUS.1, VUS.7

Titanic

Program code: I, O, E
Fourth through twelfth grade

The moving stories of the Titanic’s passengers and crew are told using visual images and hands–on reproduction items. Students will examine the ill-fated ship and the lives of the people onboard her, and the events surrounding her 1912 sinking.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE:
History and Social Science: WHII.8

Captive Passage: Investigating the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Program code: I, O, E

This hands-on program will help students discover how the institution of black slavery shaped the history, culture, and commerce of four continents over the course of five centuries, and how its impact is still felt today. Drawing heavily on primary source material, students will identify the economic, cultural, and racial origins of the slave trade. Firsthand accounts of the slave trade by enslaved Africans, slave traders, and abolitionists will give students the chance to explore the human side of this “peculiar institution.” Reproduction artifacts and musical instruments give students the opportunity to explore firsthand the transference of African culture across the Atlantic to the Americas. Through the use of maps and other teaching materials students will examine the Triangle Trade, and come to a better understanding of the role slavery played in the development of the Americas.

Middle school and high school students are encouraged to bring to their museum experience questions they may have about the history of slavery, the impact the trade had on enslaved Africans, and the development of the societies of those that enslaved them. Museum Educators will facilitate discussion and discovery in this lively, hour-long program.

Be sure to visit our Captive Passage: The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Making of the Americas Online Exhibition to learn more about the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

SOL/ CURRICULUM OBJECTIVE: 
History and Social Science: K.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 3.8, 3.12, VS.3, VS.4, USI.4, USI.5, USI.8, USI.9, USII.5, WHI.10, WHII.4, WHII.5, WHII.8, WG.1, VUS.2, VUS.3, VUS.6, VUS.7

This program is made possible by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy as part of its African-American Heritage Program which includes the African-American History in Virginia Grant Program. Through these programs, the Foundation seeks to increase understanding of African-American history in Virginia, to promote research and documentation, and to encourage people from all parts of the nation and the world to visit these sites.