Old Ironsides: USS Constitution Museum, Charlestown, Massachusetts


	Students learn about the types of food sailors ate onboard USS CONSTITUTION 200 years ago. Courtesy USS Constitution Museum

The USS Constitution Museum offers a variety of engaging programs for groups, schools, and educators that meet many state and national learning standards for all grades levels. Thematic, age-appropriate (Grades K-2 and 3-5) facilitated programs in the Museum exhibits and at your institution are available at a special admission rate and by reservation only.

Your group may tour the Museum on their own with a reservation, although we encourage a guided tour for a more comprehensive learning experience. It is to your advantage to make a reservation, as all groups are granted entrance on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about our faciliated programs, please contact the Museum Learning Coordinator at (617) 426-1812 extension 146, or send an e-mail to MuseumLearning@ussconstitutionmuseum.org.

Educators: Please see our Teacher Resources for more information on how to include USS CONSTITUTION in your curriculum!

Community and Courage Aboard "Old Ironsides"

Learn about CONSTITUTION's courageous crew who worked together as a team to successfully operate the Ship. In this hands-on program, students role-play the different jobs on the Ship, discover the food sailors ate, explore through story-telling the courage and sense of community that existed amongst the men, and participate in a team-building activity while singing a sea chantey.

Available September–June

•	Time: 60 minutes per program
•	Grades: Kindergarten–2nd grade
•	Class Size: 10–30 students
•	Cost: $100.00
•	Chaperones: 1 chaperone for every 10 students required.

Massachusetts Curriculum Links:

•	Grade K: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills 7; MA Social Studies Learning Standards K.5, K.8; BPS History and Social Studies Topics 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11
•	Grade 1: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills 1, 8; BPS History and Social Studies Topics 2, 4, 5, 6
•	Grade 2: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills 2, 8; BPS History and Social Studies Topics 1, 2


	Students listen intently to "David's Story" and wait eagerly to try their turn at dressing the part. Courtesy USS Constitution Museum

David’s Story New!

Students learn about what life may have been like onboard USS CONSTITUTION as a young sailor during the War of 1812 through the true-life experiences of eight-year-old boy David Debias, who hailed from Boston’s free black community on Beacon Hill. Program participants actively learn through hands-on history about the War of 1812 and tackle a sailor’s responsibilities of knot tying and scrubbing the deck!

A version of this program can be presented at your school. Scheduling depends on staff availability.

•	Time: 60 minutes per program
•	Grades: Kindergarten–5th grade
•	Class Size: 10-30 students
•	Cost: $100.00
•	Chaperones: 1 chaperone for every 10 students required.

Massachusetts Curriculum Links:

•	Grade K: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills - 1, 5, 7; MA Social Studies Learning Standards - 8
•	Grade 1: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills – 1, 8; MA Social Studies Learning Standards – 1.3
•	Grade 2: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills – 2, 9; MA Social Studies Learning Standards – 2.10
•	Grade 3: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills – 2, 3, 9; MA Social Studies Learning Standards – 3.9
•	Grade 4: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills – 3; MA Social Studies Learning Standards – 4.3
•	Grade 5: MA Social Studies Concepts and Skills – 3; MA Social Studies Learning Standards – 5.32b

As part of the "Discovery Port" program, students investigate the clothing worn by sailors and officers in 1812.
Courtesy USS Constitution Museum

Discovery Port

Using hands-on, active learning in the Museum’s galleries, your students discover what life was like on board "Old Ironsides" two hundred years ago and why she is part of American history. Museum educators guide you to stops at different "Ports," where students try activities that were part of sailors’ every day life. Keeping time with an hour glass and ship’s bell, learning what sailors ate and drank, donning a reproduction uniform, and swinging in a hammock are just a few of the activities that await your students at each new port!

Available September–June

•	Time: 90 minutes per program
•	Grades: 3rd –5th
•	Class Size: Up to 40 students
•	Cost: $150.00
•	Chaperones: 1 chaperone for every 10 students required.

Massachusetts Curriculum Links:

•	Grade 3: Learning Standards—#3.9, #3.12
•	Grade 4: Concepts and Skills—History and Geography #3
•	Grade 5: Concepts and Skills—History and Geography #1, #2 and Learning Standards—The First Four Presidencies, and the Growth of the Republic of the United Stages to 1820 #5.32


	Visiting a classroom with our"Launching to Legend" program. Courtesy USS Constitution Museum

From Launching to Legend

Our popular "From Launching to Legend" program makes YOUR classroom come alive with the history and tradition of USS CONSTITUTION. Using hands-on activities, role-playing and inquiry techniques, students learn about the ship from the keel up. A Museum educator will help students discover how "Old Ironsides" triumphed in the War of 1812 and became one of America’s national treasures. Students will try on period uniforms, read primary documents, learn about daily life on board ship and much more. Let your classroom be swept away on a voyage of history, bravery and tradition that is USS CONSTITUTION.

Scheduling depends on staff availability.

•	Time: 60 minutes per program
•	Grades: 3rd – 5th
•	Class Size: 15–60 students per presentation. Up to three presentations per day.
•	Cost: $150.00 for first program, $75.00 each additional

Massachusetts Curriculum Links:

•	Grade 3: Learning Standards—#3.9, #3.12
•	Grade 4: Concepts and Skills—History and Geography #3
•	Grade 5: Concepts and Skills—History and Geography #1, #2 and Learning Standards—The First Four Presidencies, and the Growth of the Republic of the United Stages to 1820 #5.32