9th – 12TH GRADE
Stories you wish you knew
Grades 9-12
The history of the United States is nothing more than ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things. Come and discover acts of heroism and bravery that make American history a great adventure. (Focus: history)
Solving History’s Mysteries
Grades 9-10
“Uh and why do I need to know this formula?” is every teacher’s favorite question! Come tour the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of Freedom and let your students discover for themselves how they use algebra and formulas every day. After touring the museum, their minds begin to wonder about survival rates, force of impacts, and all kinds of “what ifs”. Only math can provide the answers to those questions. Not only will they use their formula skills, they will want to use those skills because they created the mystery! (Focus: mental math, pre-algebra, algebra)
It Is In the Genes
Grades 9-12
Did you know that George Washington had blond hair? Which president had red hair? Who was the shortest president? What did Theodore Roosevelt look like when he was a teenager? Which presidents are related? The answers are in the genetics of the Presidents. After touring the Hall of Freedom and the Hall of Presidents, students will construct the genotype of a president by using his phenotype. Finally, they will take time to create a phenotype of the president as a child using his genotype. (Focus: genetics for life science, biology) (Please allow 2 hours to complete this tour)
A Moment In Time
Grades 9-10
History is much more than a list of facts and dates. It is the story of how people became a nation. After a tour of both the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of American Freedom, students will be transported back in time and asked to ‘live’ a day in the year. Each student will write and present a page from their diary describing what it was like to be a young person in America during a time of great conflict. (Focus: sociology, geography and writing)
Spies, Lies and Oh My’s
Grades 9-12
So, you think you know your history? You can identify all the key players? Well, come visit the hidden world of spies! Yes, in every gallery there is a spy or two hiding in plain sight and the things they did will make you say “Oh My!” After a tour of both the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of American Freedom, students will have an opportunity to put their best secret agent skills to the test. (Focus: U.S History and World History: note that this tour takes 2 hours)
The Race is On!
Grades 9-12
Need some new story problems? Just need to brush up on basic math skills? Perhaps, you have a class that needs a challenge. We will tour both the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of Freedom looking at history through numbers. Depending on the situation a small number is enough to change an entire war. Sometimes, bigger is better. After gathering the facts, students will compete to show off their math skills and understand the cost of their freedoms. (Focus: mental math, pre-algebra, fractions, formulas)
The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword
Grades 9-12
Four score and seven years ago someone said I have a dream, that one day we will have nothing to fear but fear itself….or something like that. The right words at the right time can move a nation. Our Founding Fathers, Presidents and national leaders knew how to use their pens! Come tour both galleries and see how history was set in motion by their words. Choose one of the following areas of focus and see if your students can follow in the ink strokes of their great leaders. (Focus: art, speech or journalism)
- Political Cartoons: students will create a political cartoon, propaganda poster,or comic book hero to communicate their view of an event found in the museum or translate an existing cartoon to text.)
- Famous Speeches: Students will use famous phrases from different speechesto inspire patriotism in their classmates.
- Headlines: Students will summarize an historic event by writing headlines for the local paper.
Declaration of Independence: Students will ‘translate’ the Declaration of Independence into present day language.
If I Could Have a Word, Mr. President
Grades 11-12
Who wouldn’t like to have a private conversation with the President of the United States? After a tour of both the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of American Freedom, students will be divided into pairs and assigned to a time period. Students will compose a conversation between the president of the time and a citizen. We will all have the privilege of eavesdropping on their conversations before we leave! (Focus: government, economics, writing, journalism and speech)
Ready, Aim, Fire
Grades 11-12
How would WWI be different without the tank? What was it like to fight with a single shot musket? What if weapons and technology had not changed and we still used muskets?! Come tour both galleries and follow the advancement in weapons through history. A little imagination combined with their knowledge of physics and chemistry and your students will walk away with a new appreciation for our men and women in the military. Especially after they fire the 1861 Parrot Rifle Cannon! (Focus: physics and chemistry)
**This tour is designed for physics/chemistry classes and is limited to 20 students. You must schedule this tour at least one month in advance as the cannon can only be fired on certain days and times during the week.
Team America
MS, JV, Varsity Athletic Teams and Cheer Squads
Down by two, it’s the final play of the game. It’s all on the line: Win or go home. Players are focused; fans are silent; the play goes into motion. And it’s……..… Did you ever think of the story of America like this?! Win or go home? Our founders did! They didn’t have a perfect season but they were determined to go the distance. Bring your team and let the original American All – Stars show them how to play! (Focus: this tour is designed for building unity within a team. It is limited to 25 students)
Meet the Presidents
Grades HS ESL
The Presidents are all dressed up and ready to make your acquaintance! Come and learn how each man helped establish the United States of America as a great nation. We will have a scavenger hunt for presidents and American symbols and even play a favorite game of the presidents. (Focus: history and geography, reading, writing and public speaking)
I Spy
Grades HS Spanish
I spy with my little eye, a book, a horse, a plane way up high. Can you find all these things? Come and give it a try! After taking a careful inventory of all the amazing things in the museum, an endless possibility for graphing and charting lies ahead! Who is the best detective in your class? (Focus: Level I Spanish, reading, writing and public speaking)
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
Grades HS Spanish
Reporters Needed! The events of the past decades need to be publicized and your students are just the ones to do it! We will tour both the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of American Freedom. Students will receive a ‘breaking news’ assignment and be sent out to “report from the field”. Maybe they will find a soldier to interview or a President with words for the American people. A few facts mixed with their imagination will produce an account to remember! (Focus: Level II Spanish, reading, writing and public speaking)
Please Note:
***All tours are grade-level appropriate and meet TEKS requirements. When you reserve your tour, please be sure to specify your grade level and tour choice. All tours are approximately 1 ½ hours long and have a maximum capacity of 40 students.
***All tours can be customized to correspond with the topic and subject matter pertaining to your specific class.