Resources: Lessons & Activities
Caring for Pets
Caring for Pets Grades K-3. Lesson. In this 8-page colorful booklet, students learn about wants vs. needs of animals and humans and the responsibility involved in caring for pets. This lesson introduces students to the role of humane societies in our community and...
How to Play 18th Century Games
Grade 2-5, Video with activity. Let 8-year old Cheshire County student Ruby teach you and your students a couple of Colonial era games. Available on the Historical Society of Cheshire County's YouTube channel. Both of these games are available for loan to local...
Jennie B. Powers, local Progressive Era reformer
Grades: 9-12. Mini unit outline with links to a short film, documents and photographs. This unit asks students to define a progressive, in terms of the early 20th century definition. They will analyze the life of Jennie B. Powers, agent for the Keene Humane Society,...
Keene’s Early Neighbors
Grades: 3-4. Lesson/Story. Introduce students to some of Keene's real 18th and 19th century residents. Keene's Early Neighbors is a 2-part pdf, with biographies matching the city's 3rd grade program Keene Comes Alive. Written by: Horatio Colony House Museum director...
Learn About the Past with Walldog Murals
Grades K-2. Mini Unit. This unit introduces students to artifacts and how they can be used to tell stories about the past. The Walldogs murals will be the focus of study. Students will be able to demonstrate how artifacts tell stories by bringing in an artifact from...
Local Immigration History- the Finns of Cheshire County
Grades: 6-8, 9-12. Lessons (2). Students will learn about local immigration history by analyzing primary sources pertaining to the Finnish community in Cheshire County. These lessons are made available to teachers for free thanks to the support of the Finlandia...
Local News and the Progressive Era
Grades: 9-12. Lesson. Students will use Keene Sentinel articles and other historic documents to study progressive era reform movements at the turn of the 20th century. Articles show both what was happening in the Monadnock region and local response to national...
Meet Elizabeth: a 20th Century Abenaki Story
Grades: K-3. In this 7-page booklet, students learn about a local Abenaki family's story. Elizabeth Sadoques grew up in Keene, NH, as a child in the early 1900s. Her story is multi-generational and linked to her family's culture. Questions at the end test students'...
Railroads and Economics
Grades 3-5. Mini Unit. This unit of study focuses on the economic impact of the railroad. Students learn about local and national history of the railroad and how it fundamentally changed the way business was conducted. They learn essential vocabulary and develop...
The Wyman Tavern and Horatio Colony House
Grades: 3-4. Lesson/Story. Students can read about the history of two of Keene's historical sites, the Wyman Tavern (1762) and Horatio Colony House (1806). They will be introduced to important events and people in Keene's history. Students will gain a better...
Transcribing Local History
Grades: 7-8, 9-12. Don’t just READ history; CREATE history with your class! Turn your students into “student archivists.” Have them transcribe real historic letters and diaries as part of their classwork. This mini unit includes five lessons that introduce students...
Walldogs Murals: Teaching Us History Using Artifacts
Grades 3-5. Mini Unit. This unit deepens students' understanding of the role that local history played in developing the city of Keene's Walldogs murals. It can also be used to introduce local artifacts/primary sources to upper elementary students. Students will...