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Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Jamestown, Quebec, Santa Fe: Three North American Beginnings

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the origins of Canada and the United States as Jamestown, Quebec, and Santa Fe celebrate their 400th anniversary.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Apollo to the Moon

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource offers an in-depth exploration of the U.S. space program and the role President John F. Kennedy took in setting the agenda for manned space flight to the moon.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Portal: Corals and Coral Reefs

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about corals and the importance of coral reefs to ocean ecosystems. Find out how reefs are created, what threats they face, and what kinds of conservation tactics are being used to protect and preserve them.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Does Our Background Shape Our Thinking About Environmental Issues? [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson where students explore the positive and negative impacts of human activities on the environment today and in the distant past, and examine how attitudes towards the environment might be shaped by one's experiences growing up....
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Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Smithsonian Automobile Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
See the wide range of gas-powered vehicles manufactured in America in the late 19th century. Click on each picture to read a detailed description of the vehicle, how it worked, and the history of its manufacture. From the Smithsonian...
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Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: The Hall of Arctic People

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the online version of the Smithsonian Institute's exhibit devoted to the people of the Siberian and North American Arctic. The mannequins around the walls represent the peoples of the Crossroads region, dressed in traditional...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: Harry Truman

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Portrait Gallery explores presidendtial actions in regard to the Cold War. Click on Harry Truman to see what actions and decisions he made during his term of office. Read about his meeting with Joseph Stalin at Potsdam, the...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: John F. Kennedy

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Portait Gallery explores the actions of presidents during the Cold War. Here find President Kennedy's decisions during the Berlin Crisis, the building of the Berlin War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Watch a video of...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: Richard M. Nixon

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Portrait Gallery explores the actions of presidents in regard to the Cold War. Read about the so-called anti-Communist warrior, Richard M. Nixon, and his opening of relations with Communist China. Watch Nixon's speech about...
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Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Roberto Clemente, Baseball Legend

For Students 9th - 10th
Great reference tool from the National Postal Museum online exhibits for learning about the life of legendary baseball star, Roberto Clemente, who was honored twice with a postage stamp in his memory. Includes images of memorabilia and...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Indigenous Saami in Northern Coastal Sweden

For Students 9th - 10th
The Saami people of Sweden are the focus of study for this Smithsonian research team. There are photos of Saami archaeological sites and descriptions of their cultural practices. Links for further research are provided.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: The Burgess Shale

For Students 9th - 10th
This terrific site from the National Museum of Natural History gives general information about the Burgess Shale and the fossils found within. Use the links to go the Burgess Shale specimens page where there are drawings of many of the...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: American Mammals: Hog Nosed Skunk

For Students 4th - 8th
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in a section titled "North American Mammals," offers a general overview of the North American hog-nosed skunk. Additional content includes detailed drawings, photographs, and a map showing the...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Powering the Past: Emergence of Electrical Utilities in America

For Students 9th - 10th
Looks at the history of electrical utilities in the United States from the time of Edison up to President Franklin Roosevelt.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Civil War@smithsonian

For Students 9th - 10th
Access to the Smithsonian's extensive collections that document the American Civil War.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Relative Dating in Archaeology [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Activities for the classroom that teach about stratigraphy and seriation, two methods used in the relative dating of objects in archaeology.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Black List Project: Al Sharpton

For Students 9th - 10th
The Reverend Al Sharpton, well known for his racial and political activism, is featured in a biography.
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Professional Doc
PBS

Pbs: Smithsonian: Resouces for Teaching and Learning

For Teachers K - 1st
This is a collection of resources for teaching and learning from the Smithsonian Institute including grade leveled interdisciplinary resources, classroom-ready content for contemporary issues, and Signature Smithsonian Programs.
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Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Price of Freedom: "I Want You" Poster

For Students 9th - 10th
View the iconic "I Want You" poster, versions of which were used to recruit forces for the U.S. armed services during both world wars. Also view the poster in context, with other posters and broadsides used to send Americans to war.
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Professional Doc
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Price of Freedom: 1860 Campaign Ribbon

For Students 9th - 10th
View a photo a 1860 Campaign Ribbon and read a brief description of the contentious election of 1860. Displayed in the National Museum of American History.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: The Star Spangled Banner: The Flag That Inspired the National Anthem

For Students 3rd - 8th
Use this site to discover the history of the flag that was the inspiration for our national anthem. Take the quiz and test your knowledge of the American flag. Included is information about the War of 1812.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

The Fabric of Moroccan Life

For Students 9th - 10th
This online exhibit at the National Museum of African Art highlights textiles, embroidery, and jewelry from Morocco. Besides having pictures of 67 artifacts, there is a section on the history of Morocco. The education link allows...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Nm Af A: In and Out of Focus: Images From Central Africa 1885 1960

For Students 9th - 10th
This exhibit from the National Museum of African Art has several series of photos taken mainly by Westerners from 1885-1960. Includes slideshows. Textual explanations accompany the photos.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Repatriation

For Students 9th - 10th
"Repatriation", returning to one's origin, is a program running through the Smithsonian examining Native American artifacts.