In this elementary microunit, learn about different types of museums, take virtual tours, and get some hands-on experience planning a museum road trip or creating a museum of your own.
NOTE: Depending on the age of your student(s), you may choose to use only some of the resources, or adapt them to fit resources that you have on hand or make the activity more age-appropriate. There is no wrong way to use this microunit!
Central Questions:
NOTE: Depending on the age of your student(s), you may choose to use only some of the resources, or adapt them to fit resources that you have on hand or make the activity more age-appropriate. There is no wrong way to use this microunit!
Central Questions:
- What is a museum?
- What types of museums are there?
- Why do we have museums?
- Who works in museums?
What is a museum?
If your student has ever been to a museum, think about the things you saw and what you did there.
With student help, define the term 'museum'.
Watch this video and see if there is anything else you can add to your definition.
- What did we see in the museum?
- What did we do in the museum?
- Have we been to any other places like that?
With student help, define the term 'museum'.
- With younger students, work with them to build a definition that is a complete sentence, such as, "A museum is a place where people can go to look at things." You might consider asking them what makes a museum different from a store or a concert or a library. You might ask them whether a zoo could be considered a museum. Be prepared to add to or revise the definition as you learn more about museums.
- With older students, let them be etymologists! Show them the origin of the word 'museum': a place sacred to the Greek Muses, and therefore a building dedicated to learning and the arts. It was originally used to refer specifically to the scholarly institute in Alexandria in 280 b.c. (source: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/museum). Consider having them briefly research what the Muses were, what the institute in Alexandria was, and create a visual representation that shows the origins of the word 'museum,' perhaps like this one.
Watch this video and see if there is anything else you can add to your definition.
What types of museums are there?
Ask students to list as many types of museums as they can think of. Help them remember museums they may have visited in the past. The list may include:
For each museum listed, ask students what they might expect to see in that type of museum.
Introduce students to some more unusual museums that that they might not be aware of.
Once you've explored some of these more unusual museums, ask students if their definition of a museum needs to change based on these new findings. Adjust as necessary.
- Art museums
- Science museums
- Planetariums
- Holocaust museums
- Children's museums
- History museums
- Natural history museums
- Zoos (if that fits your definition)
For each museum listed, ask students what they might expect to see in that type of museum.
Introduce students to some more unusual museums that that they might not be aware of.
- New England Maple Museum
- Mütter Museum (preview before showing students; probably for older students only)
- Warther Museum
- The Mystery Spot
- National Mustard Museum
- Toilet Seat Art Museum
- International UFO Museum
- Porter Sculpture Park
- Idaho Potato Museum
- Dinosaur Journey
- International Banana Museum
- Plastinarium (another that might be better for older kids)
- Instant Ramen Museum
- Cancun Underwater Museum
- Museum of Toilets
Once you've explored some of these more unusual museums, ask students if their definition of a museum needs to change based on these new findings. Adjust as necessary.
Why do we have museums?
Look back at some of the different kinds of museums that you listed, and then ask students the following questions:
Watch the following video:
- Why might someone want to open a museum like this?
- What kinds of people might visit this type of museum?
- What would the world be like if we didn't have museums?
Watch the following video:
With student help, or as an independent activity for an older child, create a mind map of all the different reasons we have museums using information from the video.
An extension for older kids might be an exploration of the ethics of museums (this PBS video provides an interesting overview). They might consider the following questions:
An extension for older kids might be an exploration of the ethics of museums (this PBS video provides an interesting overview). They might consider the following questions:
- What kinds of artifacts exist in local museums, or museums you've been to?
- How might those artifacts have been acquired?
- Why might it be important for people to see cultural artifacts from around the world?
- Does the public have a right to be able to see cultural artifacts from around the world in their own community?
- Do museums have a responsibility to return stolen or unethically obtained artifacts?
Who works in museums?
Museums need a wide variety of people to keep their exhibits up and running! Have students do a career investigation using any of the following videos:
Afterwards, consider having younger students write a diary entry of someone who holds a specific job in a museum or draw a picture of them doing their job. Older students might do further research into specific careers--salaries, education requirements, etc.--or look up actual job postings for a real museum.
- Night guard (also made famous in Night at the Museum, which would be a fun extension movie!)
- Museum curator
- Docent
- Artist in Residence
- Museum Scientist
- Fossil Preparator (blog post)
- Various jobs
Afterwards, consider having younger students write a diary entry of someone who holds a specific job in a museum or draw a picture of them doing their job. Older students might do further research into specific careers--salaries, education requirements, etc.--or look up actual job postings for a real museum.
Let's Tour a Museum!
If you have local museums that offer online tours or resources, this is a great time to take a virtual outing.
If you don't have a museum local to you, consider one of the following virtual tours:
As students "tour" the museum, ask them to write down what they notice about the exhibits, what they look like, what the exhibits have in common, what kind of information the museum provides, etc.
If you don't have a museum local to you, consider one of the following virtual tours:
- British Museum
- National Museum of Natural History
- The Guggenheim
- National Gallery of Art
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
- Pergamon Museum
- Rijksmuseum
- Van Gogh Museum
- The J. Paul Getty Museum
- Uffizi Gallery
- MASP
- National Museum of Anthropology
- Louvre
As students "tour" the museum, ask them to write down what they notice about the exhibits, what they look like, what the exhibits have in common, what kind of information the museum provides, etc.
Final Projects
Students might do any of the following activities to conclude their learning.
Plan a Trip
Plan a road trip for your family that includes stops at some interesting museums along the way. Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
Be a Docent
Give your family a tour of a room in your home, stopping and talking about all the most important parts. Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
Be a Curator
Turn your house into a museum! Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
Plan a Trip
Plan a road trip for your family that includes stops at some interesting museums along the way. Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
- A paper or digital road map (try this or this) with stops of interest included
- A budget for gas, snacks, and hotel rooms along the way
- A rationale for the museum visits that takes into account each member of the family
- A road trip playlist
- Choosing hotels and restaurants in the destination cities based on research
Be a Docent
Give your family a tour of a room in your home, stopping and talking about all the most important parts. Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
- A map of the "museum"
- A brochure about the "museum"
- A welcome speech and an introduction to the "museum"
Be a Curator
Turn your house into a museum! Depending on the age, interests, and abilities of the student, this might involve any of the following:
- Creating an art museum out of original art
- Finding items around the house that best represent your family--its members, their interests, things you enjoy doing together, etc.--then assembling them into a _____ family museum
- Filming a virtual tour of the museum
- Creating exhibit cards with information about each item