Curated OER
"Disapproved": Censorship of Film in Pennsylvania
Students analyze primary source documents of the 1920s to find the roots of film censorship and understand Pennsylvania's leadership in this movement. They analyze government censorship documents that banned a film in Pennsylvania and...
Curated OER
Periodic Table of the Elements
Students experiment with transition metals. In this transition metals lesson students find the common properties of transition metals and conduct an experiment using one of them. Students then answer questions regarding what they...
Curated OER
Learning About the Great Inventor: Thomas Edison Lesson Plans
Thomas Edison facts can inspire students to create their own inventions, and persevere despite adversity.
Curated OER
The Ingredients Needed for a Musical National Park
Students identify musical sites that are worthy of being included as units of the National Parks System. They anthologize American music from primitive times to today.
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: Nature's Fury
Students explore the human experience. In this business ethics lesson plan, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the American natural disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries and the implications they presented.
Curated OER
Three D Constellations
Students address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson plan is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.
Curated OER
Earth Movers and Shakers
Students explore how the centuries-old invention of the lever led to today's applications in mobiles and crowbars. They watch a video on the lever, then utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to guide their experiments.
Curated OER
Science
Third graders study light and shadow, participate in mirror activities, and build a periscope.
Curated OER
Evita: The Woman Behind the Myth
Students explore the meteoric rise of Eva Duarte Peron, First Lady of Argentina. Born in poverty, Eva Peron rose to become the most powerful woman in Latin America and one of the most powerful women in the world.
Curated OER
Sky Watching
Learners examine telescopes and understand how they have helped us better understand the sky. In this astronomy lesson plan students complete a worksheet and a lab activity.
Library of Congress
Loc: The Spanish American War in Motion Pictures
A great web site about the first war that was ever filmed in motion pictures. Very complete collection on all aspects of the Spanish-American War.
![George Eastman House: Motion Picture Timeline [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "George Eastman House: Motion Picture Timeline [Pdf] Handout")
George Eastman Museum
George Eastman House: Motion Picture Timeline [Pdf]
Follow the evolution of motion pictures and motion picture devices on this pictorial timeline.
Other
History and Discovery of Cinematography
Self-published textbook, by film historian Paul Burns, on the history of filmmaking. Covers pre-cinematic technologies and events and ends with the discovery of motion pictures in the late nineteenth century.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Tracing the Roots of America's Motion Picture Industry
In the late 1800's, Thomas Edison and his fellow inventors were key in the American film industry's boom.This web site provides a podcast and accompanying transcript tracing the roots of the film industry in America. Podcast [21:27]
Other
Media History Digital Library: Technical Journals Collection (1916 1965)
A large collection of original journals that focus on the technology behind motion pictures, covering cinematography, photography, projection engineering, etc.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Magic Lanterns, Magic Mirrors
Like fun house mirrors, motion pictures over the past one hundred years have reflected, challenged, influenced, and altered our visions of ourselves and the world in which we live. This virtual Exhibition was produced by the Photographic...
Other
Media History Digital Library: Early Cinema Collection (1855 1930)
A large collection of original trade papers and journals that focused on the early motion picture industry covering periods from 1894 to 1949.
Other
Media History Digital Library: Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Collection
A large collection of original magazines that document the evolution of the American broadcasting industry from 1896 to 1964, covering radio, television, and motion pictures.
American Movie Classics Company
The Film Site: Film History Before 1920
A storehouse of information about early film history, which discusses the development of the science and art behind motion picture technologies. Also looks at the how films were exhibited, the first feature-length films, early stars, fan...
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute Online: Motion Photography
Learn about the history of motion in photography. Eadweard Muybridge was very interested in photography and "had nothing to do but try" motion photography. Read his story here. Included are resources for the teacher and activities for...
Other
Media History Digital Library: Year Books (1916 1964)
A huge collection of original year books and annuals produced by the movie industry and covering the period from 1916 to 1964. These document the evolution of the motion picture industry. Sub-categories of the year books include film...
Other
Media History Digital Library: Non Theatrical Film Collection (1918 1973)
A large collection of original publications that focused on non-theatrical uses of motion pictures, including education, training, advertising, propaganda, and amateur clubs and individuals.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Eadweard Muybridge's Photography of Motion
From the National Museum of American History this is a description and analysis of the photography of expatriate Englishman Eadweard Muybridge. "Freeze Frame: Muybridge's Photography of Motion" iclude's examples of Muybridge's work...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making:by the People, for the People
A great lesson plan that explores the attempts to revive the American economy after the Great Depression through the New Deal programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Included are a video, text and questions, and primary source materials. A...