School Programs
At the Museum
- Available Tuesday thru Friday
- 90 minutes to 2 hours in length, depending upon age of students
In your classroom
- Available Tuesday thru Friday
- 45 minutes or length of class period
MHHM education programs integrate primary sources and reproductions to create an in-depth, hands-on learning experience for students. Educators inspire students to learn about the everyday history that happened at Macculloch Hall and the civic engagement of Thomas Nast.
Programs can be at in your classroom or at the Museum unless otherwise noted. Every student will receive a complimentary family pass to bring their families back to the Museum.
To schedule school programs please fill out our inquiry form by clicking the button below.
School Programs
Grades 1-3
A Home is a Community
1st-2nd grade, 45 minutes
A community is made up of individuals who have their own individual stories, which allow them to bring something special to the group. In this program, students will learn about who the Macculloch family was, discuss similarities and differences in their own families, and explore how community members created a sense of belonging at Macculloch Hall.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.2.CivicsPD1, 6.1.2.CivicsCM.3, 6.1.2..HistoryCC.1, 6.1.2.HistoryCC.3
Leaders & Decision Makers
Grades 1-2 | 45 minutes
Who leads a community? Mary Louisa Macculloch grew up in Macculloch Hall and was the leader of the home and community organizations. W. Parsons Todd founded the museum in 1950 and was a mayor of Morristown. Both people were leaders in their communities, but what makes a good leader? Students explore who is in charge in school, in the U.S., and at the museum.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
Change Makers at Macculloch Hall
Grades 2-3 | 45 minutes
Macculloch Hall was home to advocates who made change in their communities: Senator Jacob Miller and suffragist Alice Duer Miller. This program explores two ways individuals can make change in their communities, and how they can make their voices heard in a democracy. Students will participate in a voting activity and make a poster to convince their community to change a policy.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.2.CivicsPI.4, 6.1.2.CivicsCM.1, 6.1.5.CivicsPI.1, 6.1.5.CivicsPI.2, 6.1.5.CivicsPI.3, 6.1.5.CivicsPD.2
Lessons from the Garden
Grades 2-3 | 1.5 - 2 hours
Going green! While touring the restored historic garden, this program explores the ways that the Macculloch family reused and recycled everyday materials. Educators share about different soil types while participants plant seeds to take home and learn about the historic vegetable garden at Macculloch Hall. Participants will have the opportunity to handle earthworms while learning about vermicomposting to make rich soil.
- At Macculloch Hall Historical Museum only
- Program runs rain or shine
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.2.GeoPP.1, 6.1.2.GeoHE.1, 6.1.2.GeoHE.2, 6.1.2.GeoGI.1, 6.1.2.EconET.2, 6.1.2.EconEM.3, 6.1.2.HistoryCC.3, 6.1.5.GeoPP.2, 6.1.5.EconET.3, 6.1.5.EconEM.5, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.9
Grades 4-5
Meet the Maccullochs
Grades 4-5 | 45 minutes
What was life like for George Macculloch and his family in the early 1800s in Morristown, and how do we know? Learn about the Macculloch family and Macculloch Hall through primary source letters and objects. This program allows students to handle historic artifacts to discover what they were used for and to try using a dipping pen and ink to copy a letter written by Mr. Macculloch.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.2.CivicsCM.1, 6.1.2.GeoHE.1, 6.1.2.GeoHE.2, 6.1.2.HistoryCC.2, 6.1.2.HistoryCC.3, 6.1.5.CivicsCM.5, 6.1.5.GeoPP.2, 6.1.5,GeoHE.2, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.9, 6.1.5.HistoryUP.6
Building the Morris Canal
Grades 4-5 | 45 minutes
Find out why George Macculloch was the “Father of the Morris Canal” and why New Jersey needed a canal. This program explores how canals worked, what life was like on a canal, and what resources were being transported. Students will handle real objects associated with the Morris Canal and examine 19th-century photos of the Morris Canal.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.5.CivicsCM.1, 6.1.5.CivicsCM.3, 6.1.5.CivicsCM.5, 6.1.5.GeoPP.2, 6.1.5.GeoSV.2, 6.1.5.GeoHE.2, 6.1.5.GeoGI.2, 6.1.5.EconET.1, 6.1.5.EconEM.4, 6.1.5.EconNM.3, 6.1.5.EconNM.4, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.1, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.9
Fighting for Change: Thomas Nast & the Civil War
Grades 4-5 | 45 minutes
The political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew for newspapers to influence people during the 19th century. His art advocated for a more equitable society. Students will analyze a Nast image from the Museum’s collection and identify at least two visual choices Nast used to persuade his audience. This program explores how artists can use images, symbols, words, and emotion to persuade people and fight for social change.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.5.CivicsDP.2, 6.1.5.CivicsPD.2, 1.2.5.Cr1c, 1.2.4.Cr3c, 1.5.5.Cn11.a,
Grades 6-12
Meet the Press: NY Civil War Weekly Newspapers
Grades 6-12 | 45 minutes
Explore the role of illustrated newspapers during the Civil War and the life of Thomas Nast. Students work in teams to design a front page for an 1862 newspaper, selecting images and creating headlines to capture their audience's interest. This program explores how media portrays events and why it is important to fully examine the source.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.5.GeoPP.1, 6.1.5.GeoSV.1, 6.1.5.EconGE.1, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.2, 6.1.5.HistoryUP.6, 6.1.5.HistorySE.2, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.b, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.c, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.g, 6.1.12.GeoSV.4.a, 6.1.12.HistoryCC.3.a, 6.1.12.EconNE.3.a
A Call to Arms
Grades 6-12 | 45 minutes
Join Lindley Miller, a Macculloch grandson, as he enlists in the Union Army and works to command his own regiment. Examine and read Lindley’s letters home from the front and his poetry written during the Civil War. This program will also include a close-looking exercise using Thomas Nast’s painting “The Departure of the Seventh Regiment to the War,” which was the regiment that Lindley joined.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.5.HistoryCC.2, 6.1.5.HistoryUP.5, 6.1.5.HistoryUP.6, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.a, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.b, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.5.g, 6.1.12.CivicsPR.4.a, 6.1.12.HistoryUP.4.b
Capturing the Slave Ship Erie
Grades 6-12 | 45 minutes
Learn about the United States’ African Squadron and the patrol of the west coast of Africa in which Henry Miller, a Macculloch grandson, served. Students will investigate the events of August 8, 1860, when Henry Miller, on board the S.S. Mohican, assisted in freeing nearly 900 would-be enslaved people en route to America. Students will examine primary sources to learn about the trial of the Erie’s Captain Nathaniel Gordon.
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.5.CivicsHR.3, 6.1.5.GeoPP.6, 6.1.5.GeoSV.1, 6.1.5.GeoSV.2, 6.1.5.GeoGI.1, 6.1.5.HistoryCC.7, 6.1.5.HistoryUP.6, 6.1.8.CivicsHR.3.b, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.4.b, 6.1.8.HistoryCC.4.a, 6.1.12.HistoryUP.3.b, 6.1.12.CivicsPR.4.a
Thomas Nast and The Grand Caricaturama
Grades 9-12 | 2 hours and 15 minutes
Examine Thomas Nast’s large-scale paintings, part of his Grand Caricaturama series. Students will analyze Nast’s “The Last Ditch” and “The Palace of Tears” at MHHM, and “Swinging ‘Round the Circle” at the Morristown and Morris Township Library, and will discuss the historic events and individuals included in the Grand Caricaturama. This program invites students to identify and discuss the five literary tools used by Nast in his paintings.
- At Macculloch Hall Historical Museum only
Meets the following New Jersey Student Learning Standards:
6.1.12.HistoryUP.4.a, 6.1.12.HistoryCA.4.c, 6.1.12.HistoryCC.3.a, RI.9-10.7, RI.9-10.9, 9.4.12.CI.1, 9.4.12.IML.9, NJSLSA.R7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2.F