Curated OER
Put a Woman on a Stamp
Learners nominate a woman to appear on a postage stamp. They explore the contributions of American women. Explain to students that the U.S. Postal Service issues 25 to 40 new commemorative stamps each year.
Curated OER
Artists' Stamps
During an introduction to philately, the study/collection of stamps, your class can make their own commemorative stamp collections. This collection will honor various fine artists with their own stamp. What a great way to celebrate art!
Curated OER
Stamps and Cemeteries as Storytellers
Students discern the difference between commemorative and regular issue stamps while drawing conclusions about the time period. In this Stamps as Storytellers lesson, students design stamps using symbolism and historical data. In...
Curated OER
Black History Stamps
Students explore the lives and contributions of the many black Americans who are honored on U.S. commemorative postage stamps, make a presentation that synthesizes information about a historical figure and time, and write a persuasive...
Curated OER
Stamp of Courage
Students discuss the attributes that a hero can have and what it takes to be a Distinguished American, and be commemorated on a stamp. For this courage lesson, students research an everyday hero that they know about and create a...
Curated OER
Raven' Beauties
Ravensbruck was a concentration camp for women during World War II. This lesson provides background information on the camp, its effects in Prussia, and a design project intended to commemorate the women who died there. Learners make...
Curated OER
Stampin' Around Chicago
Students discuss the United States Postal Service and choose an artifact from one decade. In this art lesson, students research how the artifact chosen relates to Chicago and the United States. Students create their own postage stamp...
Curated OER
Mail Call!
Students explore the National Postal Museum through an interactive program. They explore how a stamp design gets proposed and who designs them. They also examine the history of the postal service.
Curated OER
Raven' Beauties
Students explore Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. For this philanthropy lesson, students research the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp for Women, commemorate the memory of the women of the camp in a postage stamp, and present the stamp to...
Curated OER
Raven Beauties
Students design a postage stamp to honor the Women of Ravensbr??ck, identify women who have made a difference in the lives of oppressed peoples, analyze why people commemorate others, and describe ways individuals can help others.
Curated OER
The Early Suffragists
Students research early suffragists in an effort to find the most influential leader of the movement. They give presentations and the class chooses a winner. They write letters to the postmaster suggesting they be placed on a stamp.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Philately
Learn the basics of philately (the study and collection of postage stamps). You can view slideshows of American and international stamps that have special value for collectors and sample the imagery used over the decades in the design of...
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Buffalo Soldiers
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1994 to commemorate the buffalo soldiers. Includes a short passage about the soldiers' military service record.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Gone With the Wind
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1990 to commemorate the film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's famous Civil War romance, "Gone with the Wind." Includes a short write-up about the film, which explains some of the...
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Explorer: Francisco Vazquez De Coronado Issue
Review key aspects of the career of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado from this captioned exhibit of a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1940 in commemoration of the four-hundredth anniversary of his 1540 expedition through the American Southwest.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo Issue
Learn about explorer Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo from this captioned exhibit of a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1992 to commemorate him.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Ponce De Leon Issue
Learn about key aspects of Ponce de Leon's career from this captioned exhibit of a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1982 to commemorate him.