Virtual Field Trip to Independence Hall Your Students Will Love

Ever wished your students could walk the halls of American history without leaving the classroom (or homeschool)? Well, here's a solution! Get ready to bring history to life with this interactive virtual field trip to Independence Hall & the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!

This virtual field trip brings to life two of America’s iconic landmarks: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Through built-in links to Google Earth 360-degree views, informational text, engaging videos, and thought-provoking questions, this virtual field trip activity is designed to help your students learn about the significance and history of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell from multiple perspectives.

Not only do students explore the storied rooms of Independence Hall, such as the Assembly Room and the Governor’s Council Chamber, they also learn about pivotal moments such as early-government sessions and fugitive-slave hearings. They will learn about the historic speech that Frederick Douglass made in Independence Square. And your students will even “hear” the Liberty Bell ring, through an audio recreation.

This virtual field trip can be conducted teacher-led where you project the slides on the screen and serve as the "tour guide," or it can be shared with students as an independent assignment. You can quickly assign this through Google Classroom or your school's learning management system. If you are a homeschool parent, you can simply open the Google slides and begin.

All of the heavy prep-work is done for you. This is more than a webcam or a few videos. All of the content and informational text are built in and designed in a meaningful way to provide a structured learning experience. Student directions are found within the lesson, and direct links are included to specific Google Earth™ locations and videos.

This virtual field trip covers:

• Geographic location Philadelphia

• Independence Hall construction

• Significant events occurring at Independence Hall

• Assembly Room

• Long Gallery

• Governor's Council Chamber

• Fugitive Slave Hearings

• Frederick Douglass speech in Independence Square

• Congress Hall

• Old City Hall

• Liberty Bell (tour & audio of bell ringing)

• Common misconceptions about the Liberty Bell

Standards Alignment:

• Common Core Standards for Reading Informational Text

• Washington State Social Studies Standards for 5th grade U.S. History

Grading Rubric:

A grading rubric is included, which assesses: accuracy, thoroughness, validity, and writing conventions. Answers will vary throughout, as students are recording their observations and findings.

Whether you’re teaching 5th grade or middle school U.S. History, this virtual trip is a powerful way to build historical understanding, civic awareness, and critical thinking. It is designed to make American history far more than just names and dates.

Find this ready-to-go virtual field trip here: Independence Hall & Liberty Bell Virtual Field Trip