Local History Curriculum

Utilize a Packaged Local History Curriculum and Lesson Plans

Becoming a curriculum member enables your school to build a history education partnership with us!

The Historical Society of Princeton offers a local history curriculum that contains 23 individually packaged lesson plans. Each lesson leverages age-appropriate primary sources to help students learn about change over time in Princeton within seven themes: town development, transportation, communication, schooling, the economy, healthcare, and war/conflict. Each lesson culminates in an active learning activity in which students create an historical artifact. The artifacts can be used in the creation of a student-designed Princeton History Museum. Lesson plans are also included to help guide students through the synthesis, critical thinking, and writing skills to put together the museum. The curriculum gives students a basic understanding of Princeton’s diverse local history, as well as the building blocks of a community, helping them to form their own perspective on their town.

Upon request, Historical Society of Princeton educators may deliver these lessons directly.

The Picturing Princeton historic walking tour field trip offers a place-based learning experience that ties directly to the lessons in the curriculum.

Appropriate for grades: 3 through 6

Length of Unit: Up to 2 months, depending on the number of lessons delivered

Annual Curriculum Membership Cost: $600/school for first year; $250/school/year for subsequent years

Includes:

  • Access to curriculum package
  • One one-hour professional development session on delivery of curriculum
  • Access to HSP educators to directly present lessons (additional $100/lesson)
  • Field trip discount ($1 off per student for any Picturing Princeton field trip option)

NJCCC Standards: 6.1.2 and 6.1.5 in History, Civics, and Geography