School Programs
Explore Natick's beginnings as a Praying Indian village and compare Native American
and Colonial life-ways through primary sources and with hands-on learning
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Program Objectives
- Introduce use of primary sources
- Compare and contrast Native American and Colonial life-ways
- Experience local history
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Logistics
The program can accommodate up to 30 children in three groups of 10 as they rotate through the three stations.
Appropriate for 2nd-4th grades.
Free, donations gratefully accepted
The Museum is wheelchair accessible. There is only one restroom in the building, and it is not wheelchair accessible.
School groups are welcome to picnic on the grounds. During inclement weather, the Museum can provide space for up to 20 people for lunch or snack sitting on the floor.
The school must provide transportation to and from the Museum and at least one chaperone for every five children. Bring clip boards if you have them.
Buses may park easily in front of the building or behind the building on Mill Street.
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Program Outline
Part I -- In school preparation
Introduce the use of primary sources using materials that NHS has adapted from the Library of Congress Teacher Resources
1 hour, with or without a museum educator.
Part II -- Museum visit
a) Welcome and orientation
After a brief introduction, we start with a hands on activity where the kids use their detective skills to identify objects related to the four basics of life—food, clothing, shelter and transportation—for both cultures. Next, the kids work in teams to find objects around the Museum that are pictured on a worksheet and answer questions based on closer observation. Wrap up with a quick tour of Museum highlights. 45 min
b) Weather permitting, we take a 20 minute walk around South Natick and imagine how the landscape looked in 1651 when the town was first settled by Praying Indians.
c) The walk ends at the English graveyard where we show students how to use grave stones primary sources. Students will document a stone and complete a treasure hunt. 20 min
We are very flexible and can adapt this program to your time constraints and specific topics of interest.
Part III – Back in the classroom
Teachers can extend learning back in the classroom using materials developed by NHS.
a) Write a story about how Praying Indian or Colonist would have used one of the objects seen in the museum.
English 19.11, 19.12, 19.13,
b) Use 18th, 19th and 20th century maps to answer questions about how Natick has changed over time.
History Concepts and Skills 4 & 5, and Standard 3.8.
c) Observe copies of paintings and illustrations from the Historical Society archives and describe details of life-ways of different cultures.
History Concepts and Skills 2, and Standard 3.2, 3.4 and 3.11.
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Program Benefits:
- Reinforce learning using multiple types of intelligence
- Meet MA state curriculum standards
- Use primary sources
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Curriculum Connections
The Natick Historical Society School Program ties directly to state curriculum standard 3.12: Explain how objects or artifacts of everyday life in the past tell us how ordinary people lived and how everyday life has changed. (H, G, E) In addition, the visit reinforces learning related to Concept & Skills 2 and History and Geography Standards 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.9, and 3.11.
Post visit activities are designed to reinforce learning from the museum visit while providing opportunities for practice of language arts strands.
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If you can’t make it to the Museum
The Natick Historical Society is also available to deliver an abbreviated program in the classroom. You can choose one or all of the following modules:
Explore objects hands on
View powerpoint presentation of Museum and South Natick highlights
Analyze copies of primary sources such as paintings, engravings and documents from the archives to learn about Indian and Colonist life-ways.
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