Classroom Integration: A Sailor's Life for Me!
Ready to use A Sailor’s Life for Me with your students? There are many options for exploration among a range of learning materials: primary sources, objects from the Museum’s collection, hands-on activities, publications and stories of real people from the War of 1812.
Get started with these 3 simple steps:
- Play through Sail to Victory or Explore Old Ironsides on your own.
- Review the Annotated Scenes for particular topics that you may be interested in exploring with your students.
- Search for lessons by subject or grade level on the USS Constitution Museum website.
A Sailor’s Life for Me! connects to the Common Core Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. For an in-depth look at how they connect, click here.
High Curriculum Integration
Estimated Time: Several days to a week using interdisciplinary learning
Students play Sail To Victory online as a group or on their own. Before, during, and after playing the game, students further their online learning with facilitated activities, lessons, and homework. The activities or lessons suggested in Educate correspond to scenes students will experience in Sail to Victory.
Suggestions
- Weave in discussion throughout Sail to Victory play. Prompt students to share what they have learned about the ship, a sailor, or what they predict will happen as they begin to learn the ropes aboard Constitution during the War of 1812. Have students read the Journal of Ordinary Seaman Jesse Williams, or learn about another sailor in Sailor’s Stories.
- During game play, have students watch the battle narration of USS Constitution‘s battles with HMS Guerriere, HMS Java, and the HMS Cyane and Levant. Explore Sailor’s Stories, objects and primary sources to supplement student’s knowledge of the battles during the War of 1812.
Medium Curriculum Integration
Estimated Time: Several classes, one full day
Use scenes in Explore Old Ironsides to introduce the War of 1812 and a sailor’s life on USS Constitution. Pick specific scenes to explore with students that introduce activities and lessons targeted to objectives or subjects. This level of integration can also include students playing Sail to Victory with fewer facilitated activities or lessons (see High Integration).
Suggestions
- Play through Sail to Victory on your own time, and note specific games or topics that you would like to highlight.
- Use the Search Feature on USS Constitution Museum’s website to find specific topics, age-appropriate activities, or types of resources (objects, primary resources, etc.). The activities and lessons that you find will pair with a specific Explore Old Ironsides scene. View the individual scene, which will help further your selected lesson with other suggestions.
Low Curriculum Integration
Estimated time: 1 class period
Use a single lesson to introduce a concept or objective. Students can view Explore Old Ironsides or Meet Your Shipmates individually or as a team, and then use a quick activity to reinforce their experience.
Suggestions
- Play an interactive game online, complete an activity, or play a group game to exert some energy or have some fun together – all which teach an element of history about Constitution in the War of 1812.
- Interested in teaching a specific topic with quick classroom activities? Visit Annotated Scenes.
