"What is that sound?" asks an eager 4th grade student while filing into the historic courthouse.  It is the sound of the clock tower chiming 9 AM, and the start of another exciting morning for students, teachers, parents, and CCHA volunteers.

Begun in 2013 as a collaboration between CCHA volunteers and Chatham County Schools, the field trip experience is based on dovetailing the museum's content with North Carolina’s Essential Standards for Social Studies and Depth-Of Knowledge Guidelines. Now in our 12th year, we meet each summer to review materials with the standards and adapt based on teachers and chaperones input to ensure students have an interactive exploration of Chatham County history. During the morning session, students rotate in small groups through four activity areas: the museum room, the artifacts room, the grand foyer, and the courtroom Once the stations are complete, students return to the courtroom for the finale, a visit with a costumed reenactor and presentation of honorary CCHA membership certificates.

Each year, the reach of the field trips has expanded to include more schools and now serves over 800 Chatham 4th graders. The generous support of business and community donors allows the CCHA field trip volunteers to offer these field trips at no cost to students.

Put together during the summer months, the field trip schedule sets the dates for the participating school groups for the course of the upcoming school year. We are always accepting new volunteers to support students learning about Chatham County history. Please schedule a time to come observe and learn more about becoming a field trip volunteer. For more information, contact us at FourthGrade@chathamhistory.org.

Field Trip Resources

• Goldilocks Court Case Introduction
• Goldilocks Trial Read Roles
• Civil War Soldier's Letter