Ohio Historical Society's Distance Learning

The mission of the Ohio Historical Society is to help people connect with the past in order to understand the present and create a better future. As a part of that effort, our award winning distance learning programming provides an interactive, informative, and engaging experience that differs from the typical classroom activity by bringing history to life while reinforcing the importance of past events with real life experiences.

Explore a variety of cross-disciplinary programming in our three themed styles.

- Interact with first person characters from the past in our Back In Time series.
- Get the facts from a professional in our
Ask the Expert series.
- Test your knowledge of social studies in our
So You Know... game show series.

Discover for yourself why schools, libraries, community centers, children’s hospitals, and assisted living facilities across the country and continent connect to the past through our catalog of live, interactive programs presented by the Ohio Historical Society.

In order to participate in our distance learning programming, you will need access to the following:

• video conferencing unit
• video cameras
• microphones
• television monitors or a projector
• high speed internet connection

Our distance learning presentations are offered year round, on-demand. Programs are priced at $100 for Ohio groups and $150 for out of state groups, plus line fees when applicable.

Advance registrations are required two - three weeks in advance and can be scheduled online or by faxing or mailing in our printable request form. We recommend groups who have not previously participated in our programming scheduling a test call with us prior to the date of your program. We require 24-hour notice for any cancellations, but will not charge for presentations that are cancelled due to inclement weather or other emergencies. The full presentation fee will be charged to sites that cancel with less than 24-hours notice. You may also contact our studio with any scheduling requests, questions, comments, or program suggestions at 614.298.2965 or toll free at 1-800-640.7679, or by email at dl@ohiohistory.org.

New Programs

So You Know the Civil War
Recommended for grades 4 - 12. Presentation length is approximately 45 - 55 minutes.
Video clip: 10MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 9.3MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
No other period in our nation's history has captured interest more than the events of 1861 through 1865. Although this struggle is distant in time, it is a period that is confusing and complex to understand. As we observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, test your knowledge of the causes, conflicts, and consequences of this era by scheduling So You Know the Civil War.
Your students will compete against one another in our So You Know game show series as they answer questions about the people, places, and events of this War Between the States. Demonstrate your knowledge of the Civil War by scheduling So You Know the Civil War.

Categories vary by grade level and may include a combination of the following:

• Before the War - events prior to the outbreak of the Civil War
• Civil War Geography - famous places, boundaries, and geographical features of the Civil War
• Civil War Battles - famous places and battles of the Civil War
• Civil War Leaders - famous civilian and military leaders of the Civil War
• All About Abe - questions about Abraham Lincoln
• State Status - defining what states were free or slave states or territories
• Picture This - analyzing Civil War era photographs/visuals
• A Soldier's Life - a day in the life of a soldier
• Slavery - history of slavery, abolitionism and famous abolitionists
• Law of the Land - pre and post Civil War legislation
• Timeline - organizing the events prior to, during, and after the Civil War
• Ohio and the Civil War - Ohio related names and places of the Civil War
• Women and the War - the role of women in the Civil War
• The Aftermath - events and legislation passed after the conclusion of the Civil War
• So You Know - miscellaneous Civil War facts

Current Program Offerings

Exploring History: Glaciers, Grooves, Fens and Forts
Recommended for grades 3 - 5, but adaptable for most grade levels. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 11.2MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 9MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
In this natural history program students meet Dr. Zooki, an eccentric scientist who will take them along as he explores and examines the geological effects of the Ice Age thousands of years ago. Students will interact with him as they learn the cause and effect relationship of three natural landforms that resulted from the glaciers and the sequence of their creation.

Ohio's Mound Building Cultures
Recommended for grades 3 - 6, but adaptable for most grade levels. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 5.9MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4.7MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Explore the mound building cultures of ancient America in this presentation hosted by Dr. Bradley Lepper, Curator of Archaeology for the Ohio Historical Society. Students will learn about the various types of mounds, how mounds were built, why mounds may have been built, what daily life might have been like as a member of these cultures, and how these cultures evolved as they virtually visit various mound sites in Ohio and throughout the nation.

Show Me, Tell Me About When Cultures Meet: The Impact Europeans Had On American Indians
Recommended for grades 1 - 6. Presentation length is approximately 30 - 45 minutes, depending on grade level.
Video clip: 6.3MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 5.2MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
This presentation will introduce participants to the prehistoric Indian way of life of the Eastern Woodland Indians before contact with European settlers and how the Indian way of life was impacted by that contact. Discover how the Europeans changed the way the American Indians lived, how metal was introduced, and how furs were traded. Over the course of the presentation, students will learn about the difference between prehistory and history and will also look at historic trade items including clothing, cast iron pots, jewelry, tools, artifacts, and more.

You Can Make History
Recommended for grades K - 2. Presentation length is approximately 30 - 45 minutes, depending on grade level.
These 6 programs are designed to stand-alone or to be used in a series.

Students are introduced to Arbuckle, a 200-year-old turtle, who helps students understand history and the passage of time by comparing and contrasting their lives today with that of early settlers.

The presentations help students build a foundation for their knowledge of history and the effects of the passage of time and change. Each program uses music, stories, games, artifacts, and primary sources such as diaries, historic records, photographs and period drawings, and includes a special craft or activity. All programs encourage students to explore, discover, compare, contrast, and draw conclusion for themselves.

Trees! Trees! Trees! Students will learn how settlers used trees and why they were so important to them.
Video clip: 6MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 3.9MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

Is Anybody Home? Students will learn about the building of pioneer homes and the development of the farmstead.
Video clip: 5.9MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

What's In Your House? Students will examine the interior of a settler?s home, looking at furnishings and daily living needs.
Video clip: 5.6MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

What Shall I Do Today? Students will explore daily frontier life - gender roles, education, chores and responsibilities, along with leisure time activities.
Video clip: 6.1MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4.3MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

What Shall I Wear? Students examine how children their own age dressed in the past and the process of clothes making.
Video clip: 5.8MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

How Will They Know About You? Students examine ways 'you can make history,' through the use of primary sources such as diaries, journals, photographs, scrapbooks, heirlooms, and oral histories.
Video clip: 5.7MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 3.9MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window

Can She Trust You?
Recommended for grades 4 - 8, but adaptable for most grade levels. Presentation length is approximately 45 - 60 minutes.
Video clip: 6.5MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4.7MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Students interact with the residents of the 1860 era Ohio Village to help Rowena, a run-away slave, who is searching for assistance along her way to freedom, find the Underground Railroad conductor. Students will be asked to listen for clues in the conversations of the residents and will have the opportunity to ask questions as they try to determine which individual is the Underground Railroad conductor. Any of the characters have the potential to be the conductor.

The Bothersome Women
Recommended for grades 4 - 10. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 5.4MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 4.4MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
This program focuses on the rights and non-rights of women in the United States through the 19th century. Students will be drawn in to the activism and indifference that citizens were exposed to during this time. How did women get the right to vote? Who were their allies? Who were their opponents? Don't be blind! Speak your mind and schedule The Bothersome Women!

Ask the Expert
Recommended for grades 4 - 10. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 6.3MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 5.2MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Have a question? We have the answer! It's, "Ask The ...."! The staff and professionals of the Ohio Historical Society are at your disposal. Spend time talking with and interviewing a practicing professional in such topics as Archaeology, Geneaology, Historical Preservation, or Museum Collections. This is your opportunity to choose a topic and request an expert to interact with your clas on a tailor-made presentation. We also welcome suggestions for other topics/specialities to serve your class's area of interest. We'll give your class the resources they need!

Picture This: Interpreting the Past With Photographs
Recommended for grades 3 - 10. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 8.7MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 7.3MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Students will interact with an Ohio Historical Society archivist as they learn to interpret and analyze photographs stored in the Ohio Historical Society's photographic collection. They will learn the importance of images as a source of recording history and the stories these images tell. We'll examine details of fashion, architecture, technology, customs, lifestyles, gender roles and more from this revealing program. We'll also instruct students how to decipher the stories of images in their own photographic collections.

So You Know Ohio?
Recommended for grades 3 - 5. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 8.1MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 5.6MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Students will participate against their classmates in this highly interactive game show, testing their knowledge of Ohio history. There are a total of 10 different categories each relating to a different aspect of the Ohio Social Studies Proficiencies.

Categories include:

• How to Make History - A look at where we find historical sources
• Ohio's Symbols - A look at famous symbols of Ohio
• Places and Faces - A look at famous Ohio locations and people
• Which Came First? - Putting famous events and people in chronological order
• It's You Duty - A look at citizenship in Ohio
• The People's Choice - A look at government in Ohio
• Where's Waldo? - A review of map skills
• Show Me the Money - A look at economics in Ohio
• Ohio Hodgepodge - A look at famous Ohio places and people
• Likes and Dislikes - A look at different cultural groups in Ohio

So You Know the U.S. Government
Video clip: 8.5MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 8.7MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Think your class understands the workings of the United States Government? In this game show style presentation we’ll test and review your students’ knowledge of the origins, structure, and responsibilities of our government. We’ll test their knowledge of the documents that defined the foundations of our government and see how the three branches of government come together to govern our country. This presentation serves as an excellent means of introducing your students to the workings of government and also serves as a means of review for those classes that have recently completed lessons in government. Classes will be split into three teams with each team having the opportunity to select a question category of their choice per turn. We offer two banks of questions of varying difficulty for teachers to choose from depending on grade level. Teachers will also have the opportunity to submit their own questions in our Teacher’s Choice category. Test your class’s knowledge of government by scheduling So You Know the U.S. Government.

So You Know the Election
Recommended for grades 4 - 12. Presentation length is approximately 45 - 55 minutes.
Video clip: 10.3MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 10.3MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Superdelegates, Electoral Colleges, Popular vote, Democrat, Republican, Campaign, Debates, Candidate, Caucus, Primaries...What's It All Mean?!?!?!?!
Test your knowledge of the people, policies and events from the elections of the past and present by scheduling So You Know The Election.

Teams of students will compete against each other as they answer questions about the election process, the history of past elections, voting requirements and responsibilities, candidates, and more. Teachers will also be given the opportunity to submit their own questions for students in our Teacher’s Choice category. This is a great opportunity for teachers to test and inform their students about the concepts and events of elections of the past and present.

Show what YOU know about the election by scheduling, So You Know the Election.

Pieces of the Past
Recommended for grades 4- 10. Presentation length is approximately 45 minutes.
Video clip: 11MB Quicktime Requires Quicktime and will load in a new window
Video clip: 10.8MB Windows Media Video Requires Windows Media Player and will load in a new window
Is my Grandpa a primary source? Is a Facebook page a primary source? Does a primary source have to be old?

In this presentation students will receive an overview of primary sources and be able to answer those questions and more. Throughout the program students will meet curators, archivists and archaeologists at the Ohio Historical Society that will help students answer the questions, 'what is a primary source,' 'where do we find primary sources,' and 'how do we interpret primary sources?' This presentation will help students understand the concept of primary sources and to prepare them for primary source questions on standardized testing.