American Centuries . . . view from New England

www.memorialhall.mass.edu

Teachers and students alike will find extraordinary resources at the Memorial Hall Museum Online. This site has absolutely fabulous materials waiting to be utilized for a variety of projects and lessons. You’ll find a large library of primary resources, curricula, and interactive student activities. Here’s a peak at the collection . . .

The Digital Collection
“American Centuries features a digital collection of approximately 1,800 objects and transcribed document pages from Memorial Hall Museum and Library. An image of each of these items appears on an Item Page accompanied by interpretive text available on age-appropriate levels. Museum staff authored the text content with review by teachers, school librarians, and nationally recognized scholars.”

Turns-of- the-Centuries Exhibit
“One section of the American Centuries site is an interactive exhibit that focusses on three past "turns of the centuries"—1700, 1800 and 1900. Each of these Turns was a major benchmark in American history: the Colonial period; the Federal period; and the Progressive and Colonial Revival period. In the exhibit, five themes are explored across these time periods: Native Americans, African Americans, Newcomers (settlers, and immigrants), the Land, and Family Life. Interactive "Slide-shows" and Roll-over Activities enliven each exhibit item.”

In the Classroom
“This site includes an array of classroom lessons on the elementary, middle, and secondary levels written and tested by classroom teachers under the direction of curriculum specialists. The curricula use primary resources available on the site. Activities are designed for independent and cooperative learning.”

My Collection
“With the click of the "Add to My Collection" button available on each Item Page, a user can compile a virtual collection drawn from the museum’s Digital Collection. This "collecting" can be done just for fun or as part of a user’s research project. My Collection can be printed out in its own format and can be placed on any of several themed chronologies to create a customized Chronology.”

Activities
“A menu of interactive activities is provided on this site. They are fun ways of exploring the past while gaining skills in using this website. The activities also provide experience in using primary resources. To date, the activities are "Dress Up" which details the clothing of an 18th century woman; Now Read This which challenges the user to try his or her abilities reading old documents; and Scavenger Hunt which sets the user on a search for specific items in the Digital Collection.”

Chronology
“The image of a collected item or items from the Digital Collection can be placed on a customized Chronology that gives it historical context. There are several Chronologies from which the user may select including ones based on New England History, US History, World History and Art among others.”

People and Places
“This is a mini-encyclopedia of personalities, events and places that are useful to know when exploring the history of New England. Entries can be viewed in alphabetical or chronological order and either in their entirety or by category. Some entries include portraits or photographs. Clicking on an entry opens a small new window with additional information.”

Source: Memorial Hall Museum - Deerfield, Massachusetts