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The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

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The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden

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This site examines the job of a president, the balance of power with the Supreme Court and Congress, and ways presidents have communicated with the public. Features include the battle sword of George Washington, the lap desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the top hat worn by Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Reading
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Museum of American History
Date Added:: 07/11/2003

Be a Movie Director -- Game

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Be a Movie Director -- Game

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Find the right vehicles for a new movie from the America on the Move collection, then watch the movie that you’ve created on the big screen. See how much you know about the history of transportation with the interactive games in this online collection. You can find information, artifacts and photographs in the collection as well.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Game; Lesson; Reading
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Museum of American History
Author:: Project Director; Steven Lubar
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

Botany & Art and Their Roles in Conservation

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Botany & Art and Their Roles in Conservation

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The lessons in this issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom introduce the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, specifically their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. “Very little of the world’s flora has been fully studied,” says one Smithsonian botanist, “and time is running out.” In the first lesson, students gets to know six endangered plants. They examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of the plants as they consider this question: If a scientist can take a picture of a plant, are there advantages in having an illustration? They go on to consider some of the big questions that botanists themselves must ask: Which of these species are most in need of conservation efforts? Are any of these plants more worth saving than others?In the second lesson, the students try their own hands at botanical illustration, following the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. All that is required for the lesson are pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier.

Subject:: Agriculture Studies; Arts Education; Science; Environmental Science; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Diagram/Illustration; Lesson; Reading; Unit of Study
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund
Author:: Smithsonian Institute
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

Botany and Art: Their Roles in Conservation

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Botany and Art: Their Roles in Conservation

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Students are introduced to the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, and specifically to their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. Students examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of endangered plants and consider the conservation value of an illustration over a photographic image. In a second session, students try their own hands at botanical illustration and follow the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. Pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier are required.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Author:: Smithsonian Institutions
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

CivilWar@ Smithsonian

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CivilWar@ Smithsonian

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This site examines the Civil War through collections of artifacts. Topics include slavery and abolition, Abraham Lincoln, the first Union officer killed, soldiering, weapons, leaders, cavalries, navies, life and culture, Appomattox, Winslow Homer, and Mathematics and Statistics. A Civil War time-line is included.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Reading
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Portrait Gallery
Date Added:: 10/05/2004

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Cloud Dreamer

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In pretending, we learn to navigate with ease between real and imaginary worlds while learning the differences between them. Using our imaginations encourages original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy, and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. Pretend play helps us learn to think visually and spatially and to both capture and express ideas.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Lemelson Center
Date Added:: 07/10/2003

Decoding the Past: The Work of Archaeologists

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Decoding the Past: The Work of Archaeologists

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This site introduces students to archeology -- the study of material remains to learn about past human experiences. This lesson (Grades 3-8) discusses various challenges of an archaeologist: locating a site that will yield clues about the people who once lived there, conducting excavations, and more. Students identify artifacts from a contemporary setting, describe the function of each artifact, identify methods for dating soil layers, and interpret soil profiles.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 09/10/2004

Establishing Borders: The Expansion of the United States, 1846-48

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Establishing Borders: The Expansion of the United States, 1846-48

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This site offers geography and history activities showing how two years in history had an indelible impact on American politics and culture. Students interpret historical maps, identify territories acquired by the U.S., identify states later formed from these territories, examine the territorial status of Texas, and identify political, social, and economic issues related to the expansion of the U.S. in the 1840s.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Diagram/Illustration; Lesson; Reading; Unit of Study
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 09/24/2004

The Fish Wars: What Kinds of Actions Can Lead to Justice

The Fish Wars: What Kinds of Actions Can Lead to Justice

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This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members and their supporters, images, news footage, an interactive timeline, and other sources about an important campaign to secure the treaty rights and sovereignty of Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest. Scroll to begin an exploration of the actions Native Nations took to address injustices.

Subject:: Indigenous Perspectives; Treaty Education; Social Studies; Geography; History
Material Type:: Lesson; Module
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Author:: Native Knowledge 360
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

Food & Culture of Pacific Northwest Natives

Food & Culture of Pacific Northwest Natives

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This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, objects, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the efforts of Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest to protect and sustain salmon, water, and homelands. Scroll to begin an exploration of the Pacific Northwest history and cultures.

Subject:: Indigenous Perspectives; Treaty Education; Social Studies; History
Material Type:: Lesson; Teaching/Learning Strategy; Unit of Study
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Author:: Native Knowledge 360
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

George Washington: A National Treasure

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George Washington: A National Treasure

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This Teacher Resource Guide is designed for incorporation into history and social studies curricula. It will introduce your students to some of the events and issues that shaped George Washington’s life. The activities should enhance your students’ knowledge of Washington and expand their horizons about this complex and interesting man.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Portrait Gallery
Date Added:: 10/05/2004

Introduction to the Nature Journal

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Introduction to the Nature Journal

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The purpose of this lesson is to show learners how to keep a nature journal. How to reflect, respond, and question the observations they see in the world.

Subject:: Arts Education; Environmental Science; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Diagram/Illustration; Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

The Invention of the Electric Guitar

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The Invention of the Electric Guitar

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This online exhibit explores the history and development of the electric guitar. It includes information about the instrument designers and the musicians who influenced the creation of new guitars and innovations in their sound. Examples of about 40 different guitars are included with descriptions of each. There is also information on how different types of acoustic and electric guitars operate with the sounds of each available for listening. Finally, addition information, references, and links are included.

Subject:: Arts Education
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Author:: Monica Smith
Date Added:: 05/18/2012

Making Friends with Franklin

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Making Friends with Franklin

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This site introduces students to the world of Ben Franklin and other natural philosophers at a time when the word science had not yet entered our language. Portraits of Franklin's colleagues, an overview of his life, and experiments showing how electrical charges attract and repel are part of this lesson (for Grades 3-8).

Subject:: Education
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 09/10/2004

Mali Empire and Djenne Figures

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Educational Use

Mali Empire and Djenne Figures

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Archeology offers the most tangible evidence of earlier civilizations. Although archeology has already provided invaluable information pertaining to the life styles and skills of the peoples from this region of West Africa, the archaeological record is still incomplete. The figurative sculptures featured in this resource furnish one part of the historical puzzle of this region. These handsome terracotta sculptures are from the Inland Niger Delta region near Djenne (pronounced JEH-nay; also spelled Jenne), one of several important trading cities that grew and developed during the Mali Empire.

Subject:: Arts Education; Drafting & Design; Social Studies; History
Material Type:: Activity/Lab
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Museum of African Art
Date Added:: 02/09/2004

Minerals, Crystals, and Gems: Stepping Stones to Inquiry

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Minerals, Crystals, and Gems: Stepping Stones to Inquiry

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This site introduces students to mineral science and the scientific process -- observing things, forming hypotheses, and drawing conclusions. Students watch crystals grow, go on a scavenger hunt for minerals, and create a classroom exhibit of rocks and minerals (for Grades 3-8).

Subject:: Earth Science
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 09/10/2004

A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution

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A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution

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This activity “Becoming aware of the Japanese American Internment Camp Experience” is intended to help students become aware of, and sensitive to, the Japanese American interment camp experience. They will develop a sense of empathy by simulating the situations which Japanese American children faced.

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: National Museum of American History
Date Added:: 09/28/2004

Mystery Skull Interactive | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

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Mystery Skull Interactive | The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program

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When scientists discover a new fossil skull, they compare it to skulls that have already been identified as particular early human species. In this activity, you get the chance to be the scientist!

Subject:: Arts Education; Social Studies
Material Type:: Activity/Lab; Diagram/Illustration; Simulation
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Date Added:: 10/11/2018

Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination

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Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination

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This site helps students see how plants and animals interact to accomplish pollination. Students (Grades 3-8) identify plant and animal parts involved in pollination, connections between pollination and food production, relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, and ways flowers have adapted to encourage pollination.

Subject:: Education; Biology
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 09/10/2004

Portraits, Visual and Written

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Portraits, Visual and Written

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This site features Louisa May Alcott and Samuel Clemens. See excerpts from Alcott's girlhood journal and Little Women. Read Clemens' explanation of his white suit in Mark Twain's Autobiography and the last chapter of Tom Sawyer, where Huck Finn has fled the Widow Douglas's civilizing influence. Help students see that their own lives and views can be a basis for creative writing.

Subject:: Arts Education; Visual Arts; English Language Arts; Social Studies
Material Type:: Lesson
Provider:: Smithsonian Institution
Provider Set:: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
Date Added:: 07/05/2006