Teaching and Learning
Ford’s Education provides dynamic learning experiences for all teachers and students.
Our programs and resources explore the leadership and legacy of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War Washington. Through historic site visits, virtual field trips, student matinees, classroom resources, professional development programs and oratory programs, we offer powerful and unforgettable opportunities to express, explore and engage. Come learn with us!
Featured Programs
Student Matinees
Ford’s Theatre offers weekday student matinees and lessons to complement your curriculum.
Oratory Residency and Festival
Working with a Ford’s Teaching Artist, students bring Lincoln’s words to life through a group performance.
Field Trips
Plan a historic site visit to learn about the events of April 14, 1865, and the lasting impact of Lincoln’s assassination on our nation.
Virtual Field Trips
No matter where you are, you can learn about President Lincoln’s assassination and Civil War Washington through our distance-learning programs.
Write Your Next Chapter!
High school students, you have something to say. Let’s make sure people hear it. Learn to lead with your voice—and use it to open doors.
Ford’s Approach to Oratory
Abraham Lincoln was a powerful orator who used his words to inspire and unite. Reflecting this legacy, the Ford’s Theatre Oratory Approach offers easy-to-implement tools that help every student develop public speaking skills and find their own powerful voice.
Teaching Lincoln’s Assassination and Legacy
We offer ready-to-use classroom resources focused on how to teach President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination and the Civil war. These resources engage students in grades 3-12 with compelling primary source-driven content, interactive activities and newly added short-form videos that bring the power of place into your classroom.
Education Resources
Use these resources to help your students make meaningful connections to the past and how Lincoln’s legacy can inspire them to become civic leaders in their communities.
A New Birth of Freedom: Lincoln, the Founding and the Fourth of July
These lessons invite students to learn about the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address to explore the meaning of freedom, America’s birthday and how leaders like Lincoln and Douglass talked about the Fourth of July.
Type: Classroom Activities, Lessons
Levels: Grades 3 to 12
Podium Points
Ford’s Theatre has identified nine elements of effective public speaking. This lesson teaches students use those elements and helps them recognize how to use them effectively.
Type: Classroom Activities, Lessons
Levels: Grades 3 to 12
Before History Is Written
In this lesson, students will step into the role of a curator—someone who observes a historical moment, examines the evidence left behind and make intentional choices about how that moment is remembered and represented.
Type: Classroom Activities, Lessons
Levels: Grades 6 to 12
Our Reach
4,895
Virtual Field Trips
7,474
Free Student tickets
110
Free buses
