New Experiences for Middle School

Enrich your field trip with these self-guided gallery experiences. Designed especially for middle-school students, the activities complement the Museum’s exhibitions.

Imagining Lincoln and Juárez

Engage students through sight and sound as they explore key artifacts in Abraham Lincoln Transformed and Benito Juárez and the Making of Modern Mexico. Use iPods programmed with environmental sounds and an accompanying worksheet to discover more about these important 19th-century leaders. Reserve this experience for your group using the field trip reservation form. Download the history soundscape audio files, citations, and gallery worksheet for use in your classroom. Visit classroom resources for Lincoln and Juárez curriculum materials.

> Download the history soundscape audio files

> Download the history soundscape citations (PDF, 109 KB)

> Download the audio experience gallery worksheet (PDF, 47 KB)

> Learn more about the Lincoln Bicentennial

Chicago: Crossroads of America

Enhance your time in the exhibition Crossroads with these self-guided role-play activities.

Next Stop: 'L' Ride Home from the Fair

Climb aboard Chicago’s first ‘L’ car and imagine riding home from a visit to the 1893 world’s fair in Jackson Park. Using character cards, students assume turn-of-the-century personas and engage their seatmates in conversations about their favorite parts of the fair.

Jazz talk

Take a seat in the Jazz and Blues Club to enjoy rare footage of legendary Chicago performers. Jazz Talk cards challenge students to use period slang to step back into the Roaring Twenties.