Night at the Museum: Why History Matters

7th Grade, Orchard View Middle School

Why does history matter in the modern world?

In "Night at the Museum," students research ancient civilizations with the task of showcasing why history matters in the modern world. Rather than producing standard research reports, students translate their learning into formats designed to engage a real audience: board games, original artwork, scripted skits, and other creative artifacts. The project culminates in a community showcase event where families and community members move through the exhibits, with students explaining the connections between ancient practices, ideas, and institutions and the world we live in today. The work asks students to make an argument, not just report facts, about the relevance of the past.

Community Partners

  • Muskegon Art Museum
  • Lakeshore Museum

Standards Alignment

Michigan 7th Grade Social Studies (World History and Geography): 7-WHG Era 1 (Beginnings of Human Society), 7-WHG Era 2 (Early Civilizations and Pastoral Peoples), 7-WHG Era 3 (Classical Traditions, World Religions, and Major Empires); 7-P3 (Issues and Persuasive Communication); 7-P4 (Civic Participation) | ELA: Research, informational writing, narrative writing, and presentation standards (standards alignment to be confirmed)

The Third Coast Learning Collaborative is a collective project of Orchard View Schools, Reeths-Puffer Schools, Human Restoration Project & Open Way Learning. This work is independently evaluated by RAND.

All resources and information are registered under a Creative Commons attribution, non-commercial, share-alike international license unless otherwise noted.

‍The contents of this website are developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. This grant is 100% directly funded through federal funding totaling $3,995,537 beyond in-kind matching funds. All involved parties will contribute in-kind time to make the project a success at an in-kind rate of $429,173.