Lesson Plans

With Tenement Museum resources, students become historians. Using our teacher-designed, teacher-tested lesson plans, students engage in inquiry and learn to use critical thinking to interpret objects, oral histories, and primary sources, while making history relevant to today. Our classroom resources support multi-state History-Social Studies and English Language Arts curricula and can be used with or without a museum visit.

We currently offer four kinds of resources for teachers, including unit plans, lesson plans, and family stories. Whichever resource you select, you will find primary sources such as video stories, oral histories, documents, and photos in each. Educators can sort by grade level, unit plan, lesson plan, family stories, or primary source type below.

Be sure to check out our new comprehensive suite of virtual field trips and sign up for our monthly teacher’s newsletter for tips from other teachers, event and webinar information, new resources, and more!

Video-garment-factory
All Grades

1980s Garment Factory Footage

View 1980’s Garment Factory Footage.

Video-Bella-shampoo
All Grades

Bella Discusses Halo Shampoo

Watch a child of refugees, Bella Epstein, discuss how she wanted to “look American” in...

Video-halo-shampoo
All Grades

Halo Shampoo Ad

Watch a TV shampoo advertisement from the 1950’s and consider the messages.

Video-Jose-spanish
All Grades

José discusses Spanish channels On TV

Watch a migrant from Puerto Rico, José Velez, tell us how he maintained his Spanish in...

Video-bridget-moore
All Grades

New! Meet Bridget Moore

Watch a Tenement Museum costumed interpreter plays Bridget Moore in 1868. 

Video-Bella-returns
All Grades

Bella Returning to 103 Orchard Street

A child of refugees, Bella Epstein, discusses returning to her childhood home.

Tools for Educators

Visit our Teacher Resources page for more tools, programs and information that can enrich learning and understanding about immigration and migration.

Learn More

Educator Newsletter

Sign-up here to receive our monthly educator newsletter featuring teacher resources, classroom activities, information on upcoming workshops and school program opportunities, and more.

Sign-Up