Teacher Resources

The Bostonian Society offers a range of educational resources, including lesson plans, primary documents and school programs. To schedule a school program or a visit to the Old State House Museum, please check out Group Visits and Programs.

Essay Contest

Win a FREE Boston Duck Tour and Visit to the Old State House for Your Class

To promote an appreciation for our state's history, The Bostonian Society and Boston Duck Tours sponsor an annual essay contest for greater Boston area school children in grades 5-8. Students in grades 5-6 are invited to submit an essay of 300-500 words; students in grades 7-8 are invited to submit an essay of 500-700 words. The First Place student in each grade group receives a free Duck Tour and visit to the Old State House for his/her class (up to 36 people including chaperones). Winning schools are responsible for providing transportation to Boston for the Duck Tour and visit to the Old State House. The tour must be booked for a date no later than May 31, 2013. 


Boston's historic Old State House will be 300 years old in 2013. This year, we invite students to write an essay on a topic related to the rich history of the Old State House. Students may choose to write about an event that took place at or near the Old State House or a person who was in some way associated with the building. Examples of events include the Boston Massacre (1770), abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison's escape from an angry mob (1835), and Queen Elizabeth II's Bicentennial visit to Boston (1976); examples of people include Thomas Hutchinson, John Adams, and James Otis. Feel free to contact Jim Healy at Boston Duck Tours if you have any questions about the essay topic. Jim may be reached at 617-438-4915 or by email. Entries should be received no later than November 2, 2012. Send entries to Jim Healy, Boston Duck Tours, 4 Copley Place #4155, Boston, MA 02116.


Judges for the 2012 Essay Contest will be Martin Blatt, Supervisory Historian, Boston National Historical Park; Professor Robert Allison, Chair, Suffolk University History Department; and and Nat Sheidley, Historian and Director of Public History, The Bostonian Society.


For more information about Boston Duck Tours, please visit their website by clicking here.

Congratulations to all of the winners . . .

In grades 5-6:
  1. Jeanna Gailius, "The Lion and the Unicorn" (St. Mary of the Hills School, Milton,
    MA)
  2. Mary Kathryn Holland, "William Lloyd Garrison" (St. Mary of the Hills School,
    Milton, MA)
  3. Neamhain Berry, "Boston's Historical Old State House" (St. Mary of the Hills
    School, Milton, MA)

In grades 7-8:
  1. Aiden Largey, "An Important Tragedy" (St. Agatha School, Milton, MA)
  2. David Berry, "The 300 Year Old Bostonian" (St. Agatha School, Milton, MA)
  3. Jack Keras, "Prytaneum Bostoniense: Si Muros Hos Loqui Possent" (St. Pius X School, South Yarmouth, MA)

 

Boston Massacre Primary Documents

The following kits are designed to provide primary sources about the Boston Massacre that can be incorporated into the classroom. Each kit provides primary documents as well as suggested classroom activities that can be adapted for multiple grade levels.

Boston Massacre Game

An educational tool, this web site is designed as an investigative game for upper elementary and middle-school students. Using images of the event and testimony from the trials, students learn about this incident, its historical significance and how it was used to further the Patriot cause.

Click here to play the game