Return to the U.S. Navy Museum page
Return to the U.S. Navy Museum page
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Teacher Resource Page | Scheduling Information | General Tours
Grades 1-4 | Grades 5-8 | Grades 6-12
Cost:
Admission to the Museum is free. There is no charge for tours or programs.
Scheduling:
To schedule a guided tour or program or for more information, contact the Director of Public Programs (TTY/Voice) (202) 433-4995.
Parking
Free bus and car parking is available in front of the Museum.
The Museum is a self-guided facility. Scavenger hunts for children are available at the Museum's front desk. For those interested in a general guided tour experience, read below for the Museum's offerings.
Highlights of the U.S. Navy Museum (All Levels)A sea bag of notable naval artifacts from the Museum's collection.
Learn Navy signal flags | Read a poem about a sailor's life at sea
Check these links before your tour:
No naval uniform is complete without the proper hat or cover, as it is called in the Navy. Students compare hats--officers and enlisted, outdated and contemporary--tour the Museum, and create their own hat. Recommended for Grades K-2
Pre-visit materials available.
To learn more about Navy uniforms, click here:
Ships to the SeaFrom frigates to aircraft carriers and submarines, U.S. Navy ships have unique characteristics. Students learn how Navy ships have evolved over two centuries. Pre-visit materials introduce students to ship types and nautical terms. At the Museum they tour the collection and build a wooden ship model. Groups follow up their visit to the Museum with a tour of the destroyer USS Barry. Recommended for Grades 2-5
Pre-visit materials available.
To learn more about naval ships, click here:
To the Ends of the Earth and Beyond
Naval expeditions and explorations to Japan, the polar regions, in space and underwater. The Master Navigator program is a great hands-on component of To the Ends of the earth and Beyond. Students put themselves in the shoes of a 19th Century sea captain and learn the principles of celestial navigation in the U.S. Navy Museum's Pathfinding on the Seas exhibit. Recommened for Grades 5-9.
Pre-visit materials available.
Check these links before your tour:
Charting American History
The Navy's role in American history from the Revolution to the Space Age.
Check these links before your tour:
Dive, Dive!: An Introduction to Submarine History & Technology
Underwater travel has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. With the element of surprise as a major objective, designers worked to create an environment capable of supporting human life in an enclosed vessel that could maneuver underwater. In this program, students learn about the development of American naval submarines from the 18th century, manually powered Turtle to the modern day nuclear-powered submarines. Using a pre-visit activity book, students conduct experiments to help them understand the major operations of a submarine, stealth, buoyancy, speed, maneuverability, detection and habitability. On a tour of the Museum, they learn more about the history of submarines and how submarines work through looking at submarine models and the newly renovated submarine exhibit. The program culminates with a hands-on activity. Recommended for
Pre-visit materials available.
Teacher Lesson Plan: Build and Maneuver a Submarine
To learn more about underwater craft, click here:
In Harm's Way: The Navy in World War II
From Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the U.S. Navy played a critical role in World War II. Besides a guided tour of the exhibition "In Harm's Way," teachers may choose from a variety of pre-visit activities that offer their students insight into different aspects of the war. Campaigns to Victory contains self-directed learning activities that highlight the naval experience. Students continue their investigation of the Navy's role in World War II during their tour of the exhibition. Playing for Keeps, a videotape of an original play commissioned by the Museum, offers a dramatic look at the range of personal and emotional issues confronting sailors during combat. A curriculum guide, complete with activities and historical background accompanies the videotape. Victory Bingo highlights the images and events of the homefront and is played like traditional bingo. Workbooks on the Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns are available for students as self-guides to the exhibition. Pre-visit materials available.
To learn more about the Navy's role in World War II, click here:
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