Engage your students as trail stewards
As an educator, there are many ways to get your classroom involved with the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. Bring the fundamental history of the War of 1812 to life with your own projects or using our resources.
Your participation as an educator can includes the following:
- Professional Development
Participate in training with the National Park Service and Living Classrooms and receive engaging classroom materials and resources. Learn about the causes and events of the War of 1812, how communities in the Chesapeake region were affected, and how this little-known war helped shape the United States. Hear more detail about your role as a “Trail Steward,” curriculum, resources and project ideas. - Selecting Your Class Curriculum
Connect your students to the history, resources and stories in their backyard. You have been provided resources at the professional development. Select and conduct one or more lessons relevant to the goals you set for this program. - Experiencing the Trail
You and your students will experience a special maritime voyage to explore the history along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. Students will engage in hands-on, inquiry based learning designed to highlight local history. Voyages will be coordinated with your Living Classrooms liaisons. - Creating a Trail Stewards Legacy Project
As you begin to implement your curriculum, give thought to your Trail Steward Legacy Project. What service learning project will enable your students to share what they have learned with their peers and their community? The National Park Service and Living Classrooms will help you develop your project as a “legacy” of the experience.
Contact us to learn more!
Resources for Educators
The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail has worked in partnership with Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and the Friends of Fort McHenry to provide lesson plans and classroom resources for teaching about the War of 1812.
Educational materials are also available in the War of 1812 Virtual Resource Center, an online portal for teachers and students. The resource center, hosted by Maryland Public Television’s Thinkport website for educators, includes a searchable database of traditional classroom materials as well as scanned and transcribed primary sources, music, video clips, images, and maps. The Resource Center also provides information about ways that students can experience the War of 1812 firsthand, either through a field trip or virtual experience. On the site, students can play educational games, use an interactive map and “build” their own museum exhibit using images and objects related to the war.