“The students and teachers loved how the program made history come to life. The presenter was interesting and engaging. The students greatly enjoyed the artifacts that were shared. This is our second year experiencing the Investigating History program and we hope to have many more years to come.”
Michele Cobb, Assistant Principal, Lee Antonello Elementary School
Imagine closely examining postcards from the Prohibition Era, discovering the tricks to staying cool in Las Vegas before air conditioning or analyzing fingerprints just like a crime scene investigator. Students can do that and more, right in the classroom.
Investigating History brings the interactive Museum experience into the classroom. Museum educators travel to schools with historical objects and activities to deliver hands-on, standards-based presentations. Students use Common Core-aligned strategies to interpret primary sources and enrich traditional social studies and science curriculum.
All presentations are 50 minutes. The program is available in person and in a live virtual format via Google Meet or Zoom.
For more information, please contact the Educational Programming department at education@themobmuseum.org or 702.724.8629.
The creation of this program was generously funded by the Las Vegas Centennial Commission. Additional support provided by East West Bank, Union Pacific Foundation and the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation enables the Museum to provide free presentations to underserved schools in our community.
Program Topics
Building a Community in the Desert (Grades 2-7)
What do you need to build a city in a desert? Students learn how a railroad created Las Vegas as educators present objects and images related to the city’s 1905 settlement and its early years as a railroad town and desert community.
Curriculum strands: Las Vegas history, environmental history, environmental science
Las Vegas & Hoover Dam (Grades 2-7)
Why is the Hoover Dam so important to Las Vegas? Students will discover why the dam was constructed and what life was like for the workers who built the dam — both on the job and in 1930s Southern Nevada.
Curriculum strands: Las Vegas history, environmental history, environmental science
Las Vegas through the Ages (Grades 4-12)
A crash course in Las Vegas history! Educators bring the history of Las Vegas to life through objects, images, and stories — from the earliest Paiute inhabitants to the Mob’s influence to the modern suburbs and megaresorts.
Curriculum strands: Las Vegas history, organized crime
Mob-Mobile Investigation Experience (Grades 4-12)
Students experience some of the investigative technologies that have helped take down the mob — including bugging, video surveillance, and fingerprint analysis. This presentation employs The Mob Museum’s specially outfitted “Mob-Mobile” surveillance vehicle. Outdoor space is required.
Curriculum strands: criminal justice, forensic science
Forensic Science and the Fingerprint (Grades 4-12)
Did you know every person has a unique set of fingerprints? Educators introduce the science and history behind fingerprinting while students record and analyze their own fingerprints.
Curriculum strands: criminal justice, forensic science
African Americans in Las Vegas (Grades 7-12)
How have African Americans shaped Las Vegas? Learn about the discrimination African Americans faced in the city’s early years, how the Westside developed, and the impact of the civil rights movement.
Curriculum strands: Las Vegas history, Black history, U.S. history
Prohibition & American Society (Grades 7-12)
Students meet the Prohibition era’s movers and shakers — bootleggers, flappers, mob bosses, politicians, and more, as educators present objects and documents related to Prohibition and the resulting societal changes.
Curriculum strands: U.S. history, government, organized crime
Investigating the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (Grades 7-12)
Students learn about the rise of organized crime during Prohibition and examine the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which shaped the field of forensic science as well as Prohibition enforcement. Educators demonstrate to students how firearm examiners analyze and compare bullets.
Curriculum strands: U.S. history, criminal justice, forensic science, organized crime
Las Vegas and the Mob (Grades 9-12)
Mobsters did not establish Las Vegas, but they influenced its development in the 20th century. Students examine historical casino memorabilia while they discover who called Las Vegas home before the Mob, why the Mob came to Las Vegas, and how they controlled its major casinos for decades.
Curriculum strands: Las Vegas history, U.S. history, organized crime
Frequently Asked Questions
TALKING THROUGH TIME
Talking through Time is a content-rich educational program designed to reach seniors where they reside. Presentations are interactive, and they encourage conversations and personal recollections. Each one-hour presentation is focused on a topic in Las Vegas history and incorporates historical objects and fascinating multimedia.
For more information, please contact The Mob Museum at 702. 724.8629 or education@themobmuseum.org.
Topics include:
Las Vegas and the mob
Mobsters didn’t start Las Vegas, but they helped develop the city into what it is today. Discover who was here before the Mob, why the Mob came to Las Vegas and how they controlled its major casinos for decades. Casino memorabilia and other historical objects transport participants back to the Las Vegas of yesteryear, when mobsters like Bugsy Siegel, Moe Dalitz and Frank Rosenthal ruled the casino floor.
Las Vegas entertainers
What would Las Vegas be without its world-class entertainment? Discover how a dusty desert town became the capital of live entertainment. This multimedia presentation recalls the performances of some of the biggest names in Las Vegas history: the Rat Pack, Liberace, Elvis and many more. Learn about where the stars worked and played during their time in Las Vegas, and how big paychecks kept them coming back.
African Americans in Las Vegas
African Americans have played an important role in the history of Las Vegas since the city’s founding in 1905. This presentation explores the experience of local African American residents as well as the African American entertainers who graced Las Vegas stages. Learn about the challenges and discrimination African Americans faced in the early years, how the Westside developed and much more.