Marissa Volpe with Bruce Randolph School student during a museum of memory workshop. 

Educator Resources

History education has the power to transform lives and strengthen communities. During these challenging times, History Colorado offers a variety of engaging in-person and online learning opportunities for all ages. Aligned to academic standards and anchored in meaningful discourse, virtual field trips, rentable programs, and other digital resources provide school students with rich primary sources and critical thinking wherever they learn.

Learn about field trips at one of History Colorado's museums →

History Colorado Coming to Your School

 

Classroom Resources

Museums for Digital Learning (MDL)

The Museums for Digital Learning website (museumsfordigitallearning.org) offers dynamic, free to use, digital museum content for K-12 educators. Searchable by subject and grade, teachers across the country can engage with authentic, curated  museum collection resources, and activities  that meet national education standards. Museums nationally are continuing to contribute interdisciplinary resources on a regular basis. The MDL website has been funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and is presented in collaboration with History Colorado, the Newfields Lab at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, and the Field Museum. Visit the website to learn more about MDL’s offerings. 

Full Informational Video →

In Partnership With:

MDL partnerships

 

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    Lesson Plans

    The following literacy lessons were developed by Denver Public School teachers using primary sources from both the collections of History Colorado and other public domain sources. Be sure to check out our lesson plans for Hispano history and National Parks and Monuments as well.

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    Primary Source Sets

    Below is a list of primary source sets. You can access more on the Colorado Department of Education website. Be sure to check out our online exhibits which connect to the source sets below.

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    Online Exhibits & Digital Badges

    Online exhibits make Colorado history come alive through creative presentation of authentic artifacts, historical images, and audio-visual materials. Interactive and social media components provide forums for conversation relating past themes and issues to contemporary life.

    Complete a series of online activities to earn Digital Badges for your Mozilla Backpack. More resources for teachers are below.

    Access all online exhibits here.

  • Exhibits and Loan Registrar Kimberly Kronwall speaking to a group of visitors in the Stephen H. Hart research center by a large table.

    Career Exploration at History Colorado

    Interested in learning more about the diverse career opportunities in museums and the preservation fields? History Colorado offers career exploration programs that aim to help students discover a range of jobs available in museums and historic preservation offices. Students will meet with museum and preservation staff to learn more about their roles and career paths and how that led them to work at History Colorado. The goal is for students to gain insight into the variety of career paths in the museum, archaeology, and preservation fields before entering the professional world. 

  • Students on a field trip at El Pueblo History Museum.

    Virtual Field Trips

    We’re bringing our popular Colorado history field trips right to you. History Colorado provides Virtual Field Trips that explore the state’s history, people, and environment in fun and educational ways. Aligned with Colorado Academic Standards, the programs are taught by our talented educators in History Colorado museums all over the state. With Title I discounts and availability every week, our Virtual Field Trips are accessible for every classroom.

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    Recommended Children's Books

    See our lists of biographies, fiction, nonfiction and textbooks on Colorado's history geared for kids.

Community Lending Resource

Interested in learning about how History Colorado creates exhibits and cares for objects in the collection? Contact Kimberly Kronwall (kimberly.kronwall@state.co.us) to find out more about pre-packaged Curated Colorado Stories that local libraries, historical societies, and/or community centers can host in your area. Educators creating their own exhibits with students can also request a professional manual with object and exhibit guidelines. You can also preview each Curated Colorado Story by visiting the Collection’s Online Portal here.

Military History Programs

If you would like to know more about Colorado’s role during World War II, contact our military history team! Curator Dr. Chris Juergens and Access Coordinator Sydney Mauck offer guest presentations about the 10th Mountain Division and its unique connection to Colorado for middle or high school classes. Contact Sydney (sydney.mauck@state.co.us) to discuss scheduling. Programs are offered at no cost to schools, thanks to generous private donations.

More online resources

Echoes from the Collection

Echoes from The Collection is a 15-minute history program that takes listeners on an audio adventure of our state's archives. The first season features dramatic readings drawn from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) Pioneer Interviews that were conducted by New Deal historians.

Season 1 features the challenges and achievements of Coloradans from across the state doing their part in extraordinary circumstances. Stories of community dances held in general stores, the discovery of "Colorado's First Beet," and attending school in a sod building will delight and engage listeners. Each episode focuses on a single theme, highlighting the experiences of people living in Colorado in the 1870s, 80s, and 90s.

Find all 5 episodes on Soundcloud.
 

Colorado Biographies

Read up on the historical figures that shaped the history of Colorado and the West with articles written just for students.
 

Colorado National Parks & Monuments

Find out fun facts about our state's National Parks and Monuments.
 

Colorado Experience Documentaries

A historical documentary series produced by Rocky Mountain PBS, dedicated to preserving & celebrating the people, events & places that have shaped Colorado. These 30-40 minute videos are perfect for distance learning.
 

History Colorado talks on YouTube

Lots of History Colorado's great speakers have moved online to our YouTube channel. Find talks from historians, authors, artists, preservationists, and more.
 

Colorado Encyclopedia

The Colorado Encyclopedia provides articles specially written for 4th-, 8th-, and 10th-grade reading levels. Educator resources also included.
 

Colorado's Historic Newspapers Collection

A service of the Colorado State Library, the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection currently includes more than 1.8 million digitized pages, representing more than 450 individual newspaper titles published in Colorado from 1859 up to 2019.
 

History Colorado on SoundCloud

Tons of our audio materials are available on SoundCloud, including Echoes from the Collection, the stories of LGBTQ Coloradoans, and oral histories from around the state.

History Colorado Education Newsletter

Sign up here to receive news from History Colorado compiled just for educators.