Field Trips

Full Day (3 hours), Best for: Social studies, character education, ELA

A gentle introduction to democracy’s big questions, anchored in the exhibition’s core themes and Philosophy for Children-style discussion. Younger students explore what it means to have a voice, what fairness looks like, and what it means to belong to a community—questions the exhibition asks across 250 years of American history.

PATHWAY GUIDE →

Full Day (3 hours), Best for: Social studies, civics, ELA

This path takes students into the exhibition’s voting rights sections and asks them to think carefully about who has been included and excluded from American democracy—and why it matters. Students practice reasoning carefully about fairness, representation, and historical change.

Pathway Guide Forthcoming

Full Day (3 hours), Best for: Civics, social studies, ELA, advisory/character programs

The most rigorous of the three paths, designed for students ready to wrestle with genuine disagreement. Drawing on the Prindle Institute’s civil disagreement expertise and the exhibition’s full arc, students move from the founding debates through contemporary civic life and practice the skills democracy actually requires.

Pathway Guide Forthcoming

Full Day (3 hours), Best for: U.S. History, Government, AP Civics, ELA, Philosophy/Ethics

Democracy has always been an argument. From the founding debates over who counts as “the people” to contemporary fights over voting access, representation, and civic identity, the questions the exhibition raises are the same ones students are about to inherit. This path moves through all five sections of the exhibition and asks students to do what the Prindle Institute for Ethics does best: sit with hard questions, reason carefully across disagreement, and take seriously perspectives that challenge their own.

Pathway Guide Forthcoming

SS.3.CG.1 — Describe the components of Indiana and United States citizenship

SS.4.H.1 — Describe significant events and movements that shaped Indiana and U.S. history

SS.5.CG.1 — Explain the principles of democracy and the foundations of U.S. government

SS.6.CG.2 — Analyze the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy

SS.7.CG.1 — Explain how the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights protect individual rights

SS.8.H.4 — Analyze the causes and effects of major reform movements in U.S. history

SS.USH.1 — Examine the foundational principles and development of American democracy

SS.USH.6 — Analyze the causes, course, and consequences of the civil rights movement

SS.Gov.1 — Explain the principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and American democratic government

SS.Gov.4 — Analyze the rights, responsibilities, and roles of citizens in a constitutional democracy

ELA.4.SL.1 — Engage effectively in collaborative discussions with diverse partners

ELA.5.SL.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations, building on others’ ideas

ELA.6.W.3 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and evidence

ELA.7.SL.3 — Delineate a speaker’s argument and evaluate the soundness of the reasoning

ELA.8.SL.1 — Engage in collaborative discussions, presenting claims and findings clearly

ELA.11-12.SL.1 — Initiate and participate effectively in collaborative discussions, building on others’ ideas

ELA.11-12.W.1 — Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence

SEL.A1 — Demonstrate awareness of one’s own emotions and their impact on others

SEL.B1 — Demonstrate the ability to take the perspective of others

SEL.C1 — Apply cooperative and communication skills in group settings

SEL.D1 — Make constructive choices about personal and civic responsibility