New-York Historical Society Launches Summer Online with History-Themed Classes, Teacher Workshops and More

The New-York Historical Society, the oldest museum in New York City, presents an exciting summer slate of digital social studies classes, workshops, and activities-most of which are free-for young people, educators, and families that provide valuable historical context to our present times. From online lessons that explore complicated moments in history to a fully digital July 4th celebration, New-York Historical offers programs and activities for every age through early August.

HISTORY @ HOME: PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS

Weekly Live Student Sessions by grade band: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-12
New-York Historical educators lead weekly interactive U.S. history investigations in real-time. Lessons are content-based, inquiry-driven, and thematically and developmentally appropriate for each grade served. Students study images, artifacts, and historical documents, and learn to think critically about the history of our nation. Grades K-1 will learn about the diverse people that make up the city of New York, while grades 2-3 will learn to be junior historians while exploring Black history. Grades 4-5 will discover the long history of American protest, and grades 6-12 will examine the complicated history of westward expansion. No log-in or membership is required. All you need is internet access with audio accessibility.

Weekly Civics Lesson Plans for Summer School and At-Home Learning

Weekly lessons provide teachers and parents with asynchronous lessons that students can complete over the summer to expand their understanding of civics and consider their role in American democracy. Two lessons will be released each Wednesday, one for grades K-5 and another for grades 6-12. Each lesson will include slides, vocabulary, and links to additional resources. Each lesson will end with an extension activity that encourages students to explore different modes of civic engagement, including letter writing, public speaking, and art making.

Weekly Teacher Workshops
Weekly one-hour remote professional development workshops every Wednesday from 5-6 pm help teachers access New-York Historical's digital resources, learn American history content, and collaborate with colleagues from the comfort of their home.

Weekly History Happy Hours for Teachers
Teachers are invited to join New-York Historical every Thursday from 6-7 pm to network with fellow educators, chat with a guest scholar, and learn about online resources that will help them plan their next remote lesson. Each event focuses on a different topic relevant to this unprecedented moment. Upcoming topics include the history of presidential campaign ads and transitional justice in democracies.

Tech Scholars
Registration is now open for this online workshop for high school students who self-identify as girls. Students learn to code online in a supportive, all-girl environment and build their own digital projects (games, apps, websites) as they explore how women across the spectrum of race, class, and sexuality exercised power and effected change. Participants are mentored by a wide range of women leaders in technology and learn about career options.

Citizenship Project Civics Classes
The New-York Historical Society offers free online citizenship classes for green card holders preparing for the naturalization interview. The interactive online naturalization preparation course covers all 100 questions from the USCIS Civics Test. Participants learn about American history and government using objects, paintings, and documents from New-York Historical's collections via videoconferencing. Online citizenship classes are taught in English and are accessible to English language learners. We also offer an online citizenship class in Spanish for people who qualify for the English language exemption.

Women & the American Story
This free website provides curricular resources that illuminate women's contributions to the American past for parents, teachers, and older students at a time when only 13 percent of the historical figures in American history textbooks are women. The site-the first comprehensive, digital women's history resource for schools across the country-features primary sources, historical background essays, engaging biographies, and classroom activities that cover the roles women played during various time periods in American history.

ONLINE SUMMER CAMP

Camp History @ Home: Women March
Mondays-Thursdays, July 20-August 13
$400 per Camper ($350 per Member Camper)| Limited financial aid available
Recommended for ages 8-12 (siblings and household adults welcome)
Show us what a feminist looks like! This summer, join us from home via Zoom to explore the exhibition Women March and be inspired by Vashti Harrison's celebrated book Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. Campers will explore the power of collective action both before and after the historic 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment that granted some women the right to vote and discover the stories of powerful Black women who shaped American history. Campers will use primary sources, archival materials, and conversations with subject specialists to build research skills to explore unsung heroes of the women's movement such as Sarah T. Garnet and Mable Lee. The program will culminate with a self-published "who's who" picture book of women's rights activists that will help inspire the next generation of feminists. Author Vashti Harrison will join campers live for the final session.

SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

Reading into History @ Home: A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
Online | Sunday, June 28 | 2-3 pm | Ages 9-12
Celebrate Pride Month by joining New-York Historical online to discuss A High Five for Glenn Burke with author Phil Bildner. Step up to the plate with the book's protagonist, sixth grader Silas Wade, as he conducts his research project about former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke-the first openly gay baseball player and the man who invented the high five. Silas' project about Burke paves the way for his own coming out story. Primary sources from our collection will help deepen the discussion.

Celebrate July 4th @ Home
Online | Saturday, July 4 | 10 am - 3 pm | All ages
Celebrate Independence Day from home with New-York Historical! Our free, virtual offerings will include historical interpreter Joel Cook reenacting Frederick Douglass' speech "What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" and a program in collaboration with the Jackie Robinson Museum that explores Robinson's legacy of activism. Families will also be invited to curate their own museum and participate in singalongs, crafts, and storytelling throughout the day.

Hablemos @ Casa
Online | Every other Thursday | 2:30 pm
Want to engage in Spanish or practice your language skills? Join us every other Thursday for Hablemos @ Casa, when families log on remotely to listen to stories in Spanish and explore the lives of historical figures. Upcoming dates include July 2, 16, 30 and August 13 and 27.

Living History @ Home
Online | Most Wednesdays | 1 pm
Get creative while you learn about history! Join us for a virtual Living History program series via Zoom with our Living History Coordinator Cheyney McKnight as we explore the people from the past who fought for equality, including abolitionists, suffragists, and civil rights movement era activists.

Little New-Yorkers @ Home
Online | Tuesdays and Fridays | 3:30 pm
Join us via Zoom every Tuesday and Friday for story time and crafts! Each class includes a special Little New-Yorkers hello song, silly dances and songs, a story book reading, and a craft to do at home.

Photo Credit: Paulina Perera-Riveroll