Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "This House"

Clues Within These Walls

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:27:27 GMT

On this page, students will find some of the methods historians and curators used to learn about the house at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Students will learn how to use primary source documents, photographs and architectural clues to answer questions such as: Who lived in a house and what the neighborhood was like? When was the house built? How do historians discover how a house changes over time? Also included is a link to House Detective: Finding History in Your Home, a research guide that will help students conduct investigations of their own home. This activity accompanies the online exhibition, Within These Walls.

House Detectives: Finding History in Your Home

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:24:19 GMT

This printable guide shows students how to research the place where they live and can be used as a tool for individual or small group research. It will help them conduct research on their home or local building, describe their research process and summarize their conclusions based on analysis of the research. This activity is one of the educational resources included in the online exhibition entitled Within These Walls.

Go Back in Time

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:39:30 GMT

In this interactive game, students will match primary source materials and museum artifacts to the appropriate time period in order to learn about the everyday lives of Americans from different eras of our nation's history. This activity is one of the educational resources included in the online exhibition entitled Within These Walls.

Within These Walls Homepage

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:26:59 GMT

Students will learn how the Smithsonian acquired the house at 16 Elm Street Ipswich, Massachusetts and saved more than a dozen family stories and 200 years of American social history. They will also learn some of the methods historians and curators used to learn about this house's past, the ways that it changed over time, and the people who lived in it.