Docent-led tours for school groups are appropriate for students of all ages and will be tailored to fit the needs and curriculum of each group, while also providing a positive and enjoyable learning experience. Most of these tours are inquiry-based, with docent questions designed to provide opportunities for visitors to describe what they see, and when able, draw conculsions about what the object is about based on visual evidence. Tours are aligned with state and national academic standards and the Connecticut Mastery Tests.
Book a Tour
Please book your tour online. We will request the following information:
- Teacher's name
- Mobile phone number
- E-mail address
- Grade level
- School name
- Mailing address
- Number of students
- Number of classes
- Three possible tour dates
If you have any questions or are unable to book online, please contact Education (ycba.tours@yale.edu | +1 203 432 2858).
Cost
All school tours are free of charge.
Self-Guided Tours
Groups are free to visit the Center on their own without a docent-led tour. To avoid conflicts with scheduled tours and classes‚ please contact the Tour Coordinator (ycba.tours@yale.edu | +1 203 432 2858) four weeks in advance to register. Students must be chaperoned at all times. Please note that the Center's docents and Yale faculty have priority in the galleries.
Accessibility
The Center is dedicated to providing the best learning experience possible for all school visitors. Tour topics for school groups are available to all students and can be adapted to meet the needs of each particular class. When booking your tour, please alert us of teaching strategies and activities that will best match the needs of your students.
Yale University Art Gallery
The Center and the Yale University Art Gallery are adjacent to each other. If you are thinking of scheduling a visit to both museums on the same day, we ask that you consider your possible dates for a docent-led tour well in advance.
Suggested Tours
Learning to Look
Students will be introduced to the practice of looking at art in a museum, while building their observation skills and descriptive vocabulary.
Art That Tells a Story
By examining the details depicted in different kinds of paintings, students will learn how works of art, like written text, can tell a story.
Art and Writing/Text and Image
Students will compare and contrast how artists and writers use their art forms to provide information to tell a story, and help the viewer/reader make connections. Students will examine concepts such as character, setting, main idea, point of view and artists/authors purpose.
Animals in Art
Students will explore the many different ways and reasons animals are portrayed in art. By identifying and evaluating facial expressions, gestures, and other details, students will draw conclusions about the animals portrayed in the Center’s collections.
Characters in Art
Students will examine how artists convey information about the people they portray. A visual description of physical attributes, body language, and relationships will be used to help students understand personality, motivation, and other character traits.
Britain in the Age of the American Revolution
Students will study a range of British paintings to explore how they reflect the daily life and artistic production of eighteenth-century Britain. Students will draw conclusions about the relationships between America and England at the time of the Revolutionary War by examining paintings of British cities, countryside, people, and industry.
Examining Empire
Students will explore the development of the British Empire and discuss its global effects. Through examining works of art painted by British artists in the colonies, students will examine the confluence of cultures.
Satire and Caricature
Students will explore the use and function of humor in the visual arts. How do artists make us laugh? High school students are invited to view drawings‚ prints‚ and rare books in the Center's Study Room.
Romanticism in British Art
Students will explore how artists from the Romantic period portray emotion, revolution‚ nature‚ and the artist as hero. Students will learn to recognize the variety of artistic styles and frequent literary references used by painters such as J. M. W. Turner‚ William Blake‚ and John Constable. High school students are invited to view drawings‚ prints‚ and rare books in the Center's Study Room.
Shakespeare and the Visual Arts
This tour introduces students to depictions of performances Shakespeare’s plays. Students will view works made during Shakespeare’s lifetime. High school students are invited to view drawings‚ prints‚ and rare books in the Center's Study Room.
The World of Jane Austen
This tour provides a visual context for Jane Austen’s novels and the era in which the author lived. Students will make connections between texts they have read and the works of art on display.
Understanding the Architectural Experience
This tour investigates paintings of buildings and the iconic architecture of the Center itself. Docents will introduce concepts of proportion‚ space‚ and volume‚ as well as design elements. Students will examine how the buildings relate to their inhabitants and their environments.