Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Playing Historical Detective
Students become detectives, reading and analyzing documents and artifacts as clues to the life of a nineteenth century woman, Annie Steel. The students then use various materials to create a series of collages.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Memorials: Art for Remembering
The lessons in this issue familiarize students with memorials in which they examine four memorials from around the world and examples in their own community. In a culminating activity, students identify and create a memorial for someone...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: My Wonderful World
Interactive map of the world in which students select a continent and begin exploring using online resources from the Smithsonian Institute.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Abraham Lincoln: The Face of a War
A detailed lesson plan of Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. In a PDF file, the complete instructional activity is provided along with visual aides needed for the instructional activity. Draws on...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Black History Teaching Resources
Explore an exciting collection of teaching resources, activities, and lesson plans honoring Black History Month.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Lesson Plan: Black Wings: American Pioneer Aviators
With this resource, teachers can select the most appropriate academic level and download a lesson plan that contains images, Word documents and PDF resources for teaching about the history of black Americans in aviation. Excellent...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson
With this leasson plan, students will learn about prominent African American artist William H. Johnson and his influence both on the history of art and black American culture. Select a link for the desired grade level version of this...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian: Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities
Smithsonian Institution presents ?Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities?. Through this series of six interdisciplinary lessons, students will look at such things as the organisms in different marine ecosystems, the...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Carbons to Computers: The Typewriter
Created a little less than 150 years ago, the typewriter was the forerunner for the computer. This page offers a detailed history of the birth of the typewriter along with several visual examples.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Prehistoric Climate Change and Why It Matters Today
Introduce students to environmental issues by studying a time of rapid global warming that occurred 50 million years ago. Lessons, video segments and interactive activities will engage students as they learn about average annual...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: What's Your Problem? A Look at the Environment in Your Own Backyard
The Smithsonian provides a guide that classrooms can use to explore the environment in their own backyard. For example, a second-grade class in Colorado interviewed people in their community to inquire about the state of the local...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Idea Labs: Prehistoric Climate Change
Sort fossil leaves from 55 million years ago into groups with smooth or 'toothed' edges. Then, use a formula to calculate the percentage of each type and, from there, look at how high the temperature might have risen when global warming...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Tomorrow's Forecast: Oceans and Weather [Pdf]
A lesson unit for Grades 4-9 on how the ocean affects climate and weather. Includes worksheets (also in Spanish) and maps.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Portraits: Written and Visual
A wonderful resource on the lives and work of American authors, Louisa May Alcott and Samuel Clemens. You will get a unique look at them through the study of their portrait and their writing. Includes two great lesson plans.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Landscape Painting
A Smithsonian website plus lesson plans on the art of landscape painting. Includes details on landscape painting techniques to create the illusion of depth and space as well as information on four landscape artists.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: From Carbons to Computers, the Changing American Office
A site including lesson plans, photographs, and text about the offices of yesterday and those of today. Topics discussed include office equipment, office organization, globalization, and technology. Also included is an historical...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Artifact & Analysis: Historical Interpretation
A companion to American history courses, Artifact & Analysis features historical artifacts and documents about consumerism and the nation expanding, teacher's guide, writing assignments, and essays.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Native American Dolls [Pdf]
Students examine dolls from the online collections at the Smithsonian and connect them with the correct cultures. Includes lots of background information about Native American clothing and how the way each cultural group dresses reflects...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Legendary Coins and Currency
Archived images of coins from a beautiful online exhibition on the history of money.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution: Star Spangled Banner and the War of 1812
This site discusses the history behind the Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key, written during the War of 1812. Visitors can view an image of the actual American flag which flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore and...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian: Creativity and Resistance: Maroon Cultures in Americas
An education resource guide based on an exhibit on the role of "Maroons," who were escaped slaves in Latin America who established communities with extensive cultural contacts. The guide includes activities which can be used in middle...
Smithsonian Institution
Gifts and Blessings: The Textile Arts of Madagascar
To the people of Madagascar woven cloth is more than just something nice to wear. Come explore the topic of textiles and their importance to these African people.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African Art: Wrapped in Pride: Ghanaian Kente
Learn about African kente cloth, including how it is made, when to wear it, and how to wear it. Accompanying interactive lets you can design your own kente.