A visit to the Museum of Appalachia gives students tangible examples for abstract concepts in your historical studies, and it offers a wealth of opportunities for them to develop conceptual thinking skills as they explore the world of the pioneers.

Over 10,000 students annually visit the Museum, and we're proud of the assistance we can offer to educators to help them "teach the Museum." 

On behalf of the Museum of Appalachia Board of Directors, thank you so much to UT-Battelle for the generous donation of $10,000 for our "Everybody Tours" fund. The gift will enable an estimated 3,333 students to tour the Museum and learn about regional history in this exciting and memorable setting. This means so much to the Museum -- and to the schoolchildren.

Thanks to

Anderson County Commision

for contributing to our "Everybody Tours" fund.

Download the "Everybody Tours" application here

Field  trips with 30 students or more can be scheduled to participate in our interactive program, complete with student-played percussion instruments and instruction in "old-time" music  This fun program introduces students to authentic mountain music and provides an orientation for their Museum tour.

Educator packets with bibliographies as well as pre- and post-visit classroom activities may be downloaded and printed out for classroom use.  They are available in .pdf form for Grades K through 3 and Grades 4 through 8.  You must have the free Adobe Reader on your computer in order to view these files.  If you need to download the Reader, you may get it from the Adobe website by clicking on the following button: 

Teachers can choose among four field trip options in order to best match the Museum learning experience to their curriculum.   All options of the program are divided by grade, except for student question/answer sheets, which are divided into primary, intermediate. and high school levels.

1. Our standard walking tour with newly revised question/answer worksheets, or "Tour Guides." We have incorporated more "thought questions" and opportunities for discussion. Click the one of the buttons above for the appropriate "Guide" for your school age group in .pdf format.
   
   
2. With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Science, we have developed new walking/interpretive tours with teaching materials tied to Tennessee's TCAP requirements for Grades 3 through 8.  Teaching materials include lesson plans and discussion topics, concentrating on several State Performance Indicators for Criterion Referenced Tests in Social Studies and Reading/Language Arts. Links to the different grade levels are here
   
   
3. We currently are putting the finishing touches on new, hands-on Focus Tours where students will be able to concentrate their time at the Museum on learning more about traditional skills, such as weaving, spinning, or leather-working.  Materials fee additional.
   
   
4. Teachers can bring their students to the Appalachian Heritage Day for Students, the Thursday immediately preceding our annual Tennessee Fall Homecoming. Special rates apply. 

Please phone the Museum at (865) 494-7680 to schedule your visit with us. You can also receive information about student admission rates and discounted rates for chaperones.