Elementary School Programs

Ed Eagle, the Moton Museum’s education ambassador, guides younger students through programs. Moton Museum content can be overwhelming; Ed serves as a friendly face to engage students and shares America’s history honestly. Elementary students will learn how to be good citizens, how to treat one another, and how important it is to be a good community member.

Barbara Johns’ Farm

TARGET AUDIENCE: Grades K–2

SOLS COVERED: K.2,1.1E, 2.2

Students will engage with the concept of change over time by using information taken from Barbara Johns’ memoir about her childhood. The program introduces students to the Johns family. Students will learn about what crops and food were grown by the family and which animals lived on the farm. The program’s goal is to teach students about rural living.

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Virginian Symbols

TARGET AUDIENCE: 1st Grade

SOLS COVERED: 1.12

Students will learn about the Commonwealth of Virginia and how symbols help represent a place. Students will learn about Virginian symbols then craft a representation of one of those symbols.

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American Symbols

TARGET AUDIENCE: 2nd Grade

SOLS COVERED: 2.13

Students will learn about the United States of America and the symbols that represent the nation. Students will learn about the role symbols play in representing a place. Students will learn about U.S. national symbols then craft a representation of one of those symbols.

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Famous African American Virginians

TARGET AUDIENCE: 1st Grade

SOLS COVERED: 1.3

Students will learn about African American Virginians who made an impact in the Commonwealth. Students will learn about Maggie L. Walker, Arthur Ashe, Barbara Johns, Rev. L. Francis Griffin, Oliver Hill, and Spottswood Robinson.

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“Is it real?” Artifacts, Replicas, and Primary Sources

TARGET AUDIENCE: Grades 2–4

SOLS COVERED: 2.1, 3.1, VS.1

Students will learn about primary and secondary sources along with how artifacts and replicas help tell history. Students will engage with artifacts and learn what makes that object an artifact versus a replica. The program’s goal is to help students realize the importance of preserving artifacts while learning how replicas help make history tangible.

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20th-Century Social Activists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Grade 4

SOLS COVERED: VS.9C, VS.9D

Students will learn about key figures in Virginia’s history, specifically in the 20th century, and how they used their platforms to help their communities in the Commonwealth and, at times, globally. Students will learn about Maggie Walker, Oliver Hill, and Arthur Ashe, among other prominent Virginians. Primary sources will help explain how each figure changed social aspects of the Commonwealth.

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STRIKE!

TARGET AUDIENCE: Grades 3–5

SOLS COVERED: VS.9C, USII.9A,

Students will be introduced to the conditions at Robert Russa High School that led to the 1951 student strike. Barbara Johns and other strike committee members organized their classmates to go on protest over the inadequate school facilities in Prince Edward County, VA. Students will investigate primary sources to learn about the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, what school was like at Moton, why the strike happened, and the resulting Brown v. Board case.

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View the Moton School Story Programs