These trunks promote the use of primary source material, enrich curriculum with activities, and generate a greater understanding of North Dakota’s history and culture.

Intended Audiences

The ND Studies trunk program is developed for use at the fourth through eighth grade level but can be modified for other audiences. The materials inside complement North Dakota Studies and National History Day in North Dakota, and/or can serve as a self-contained study unit. Trunks are a great resource for interdisciplinary content. Libraries, historical societies, museums, senior citizen centers, youth groups, and others can all benefit from the trunk.  

Contents

• Objects are scientific specimens or 3D artifacts that reveal stories about important concepts. The trunks contain both historical items and reproductions. Encourage participants to touch and examine the objects, while stressing respect for historical materials and the importance of preservation.
• Documents illustrate events, people, and concepts related to a specific topic.
• Audiovisual materials incorporate a variety of media formats and may include photographs, CDs, DVDs, and USBs. These deliver a range of content from period appropriate music to oral history interviews to videos.  
• Teacher’s guides provide lessons and activities for each topic. Additional information may include topic overviews, suggested readings, glossaries, timelines, maps, and explanations of primary and secondary sources in the trunk and how to use them. Review individual trunk objectives and the historical overview before using the objects, documents, and audiovisual materials.

A fillable PDF form will be available soon to place your order.