S.C. Sea Grant Consortium

Coastal Heritage Curriculum Connection

Explore Curriculum Connection guides, which are written to accompany each issue of Coastal Heritage, a quarterly publication of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Coastal Heritage, Spring 2019 issue: Coastal Museums: Showcasing Homegrown History

Focus Questions

  • What roles do coastal museums play in South Carolinian communities? How have these roles changed over time?
  • What types of exhibits might you see in a coastal museum?
  • What are some ways that coastal museums secure the funding needed to operate?
  • Describe a “house museum”. How does this differ from the collection of a traditional history museum?
  • What was the first museum in the country? How many current members are there in the South Carolina Federation of Museums?

Alignment to South Carolina Academic Standards

This issue of Coastal Heritage discusses the collections of a number of coastal museums. These museums address a wide variety of standards, as they each tell a different portion of the history of the state. The relevant museum has been listed after each South Carolina Social Studies Academic Standard.

Kindergarten Social Studies

K-1.3 Identify his or her personal connections to places, including home, school, neighborhood, and city or town. (All museums listed)

K-4.1 Compare the daily lives of children and their families in the past and in the present. (Heyward House Museum)

2nd Grade Social Studies

2-1.4 Summarize changes that have occurred in the local community over time, including changes in the use of land and in the way people earn their living. (Horry County Museum)

3rd Grade Social Studies

3-5.6 Describe the growth of tourism and its impact on the economy of South Carolina, including the development of historic sites, state parks, and resorts and the expanding transportation systems that allow for greater access to our state. (Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage)

4th Grade Social Studies

4-2.3 Explain the impact of the triangular trade, indentured servitude, and the enslaved and free Africans on the developing culture and economy of North America. (Garvin-Garvey Freedman’s Cottage)

7th Grade Social Studies

7-1.1 Compare the colonial claims and the expansion of European powers through 1770. (Saint Elena History Center)

8th Grade Social Studies

8-4.6 Compare the differing impact of the Civil War on South Carolinians in each of the various social classes, including those groups defined by race, gender, and age. (Georgetown County Museum)

High School – U.S. History and the Constitution

USHC-7.6 Analyze the causes and consequences of social and cultural changes in postwar America, including educational programs, the consumer culture and expanding suburbanization, the advances in medical and agricultural technology that led to changes in the standard of living and demographic patterns, and the roles of women in American society. (Colleton County Museum and Farmers Market)

Lesson Links and Educational Resources

Bring the Museums to You!

While this issue of Coastal Heritage is all about the amazing experiences to be had at coastal museums, if you are unable to bring your class to a museum, consider using the  virtual 3D tours  found on South Carolina ETV’s “Know it All” website . In addition to these 3D museum tours, you can also find digital media about a wide variety of social studies curricula items including historical places throughout the state.

Primary Source-Based Lesson Plans

Funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s “Teaching American History” federal grant program, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History has created a compendium of standards-based lesson plans detailing the history of the state by time period. Search through classroom activities spanning from precolonial to present day that tell the stories of South Carolina.

StudySC Lesson Plans

Created by the South Carolina State Library, StudySC provides a database of lesson plans created by schools, educators, museums, and parks that can be filtered by grade level, topic, or keyword. These lesson plans can be used in conjunction with visits to historical sites to create a more meaningful learning experience for your students.

Field Trip Opportunities

Find Your Local Coastal Museum!

This Coastal Heritage issue highlights several coastal museums that may be of interest to you and your students. If you don’t live in a coastal area and are curious about museums near you,  check out The South Carolina Federation of Museums to find one that you and your students can visit. You can also follow the links below to find more information about the specific museums listed in this Coastal Heritage issue.

Back to Coastal Museums: Showcasing Homegrown History