Below are downloadable tools to support your group’s participation in Town Meeting. Educators are strongly encouraged to use these materials in advance of your program.
Abolition and Social Change in 19th-Century New England Resources (for Before Your Visit)
Below are downloadable tools to support your group’s participation in the Abolition and Social Change in 19th-Century New England program. Educators are strongly encouraged to use these materials in advance of your program.
Students at all levels can access and enjoy the benefits of a field trip at Old Sturbridge Village through hands-on interaction, primary sources, and group discussion/reflection.
Review how field trips at OSV match up with specific curriculum standards:
Please feel free to utilize this know before you go guide, social story, visual schedule, and therapeutic self-guide for your visit. Created for visitors on the autism spectrum or those sensitive to stimulation, these resources will help to guide your trek around the Village, as well as prepare for a field trip or family visit. Please contact Museum Education with any questions by emailing osved@osv.org or calling (508) 347-0287.
3D Tours, Virtual Resources, and other Class/Home Activities
3D Tours
If you can’t visit Old Sturbridge Village in person, explore several of the Village’s buildings in this new 3D tour! Even if you have visited OSV many times before, this tour will allow virtual visitors to get up close to artifacts that are usually tucked behind barriers. Catalog the items in the Asa Knight Store, examine the pottery on the shelves in the pottery shop, and see what new discoveries you can make in the Freeman Farmhouse!
Throughout the tour, pins will allow you to look closer or learn new information. There are also new videos with some of the Village’s knowledgeable costumed historians to bring life to the spaces.
These lesson plans, hands-on activities, and primary sources will enhance the 3D tour experience for your students!
Each lesson plan includes a worksheet PDF, which you can download below. To make it easier for remote learners, we have also created a Google Classroom with fillable documents that educators can download and assign to their students.
See currently available lesson plans and more here.
Hands-On Crafts, Writing Prompts, & More
Get busy with projects inspired by the village! Download instructions by clicking the links below:
e-Civics | Free Virtual Education Programs for Kids
School classes and home school groups are invited to join us for self-paced, interactive e-civics social studies programs from the comfort of home! Our e-Civics programs are an opportunity to test out some great classroom resources that meet many of the latest social studies standards for grades 5 and 8-12 in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Click here to learn more.
Additional Resources
Click here for additional primary source documents, articles, and papers.