Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Mobilizing Minds: Teaching Science and Math in the Age of Sputnik"

The Cold War

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:53:27 GMT

Students will learn how a "cold war" between the United States and the Soviet Union began after World War II in this section of the online exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. Americans led Western efforts to contain Communism. The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the origins of NATO and the arms race that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis are all discussed. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Cold War.

Exile: Cuba and the United States

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:44:35 GMT

In this lesson plan, students will research the events of the Cuban revolution and their effect on U.S.-Cuban relations and U.S. foreign policy by utilizing Celia Cruz's personal experience. They will then prepare a story about the revolution as if they were members of a television news team reporting on the events of the time. This lesson is a resource included in the online exhibition entitled ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz.

Slates, Sliderules and Software: Teaching Math in America

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:27:54 GMT

The focus of this online exhibition is the history of mathematics education in America. Beginning with the advent of public education in the early nineteenth century and ending in the modern Information Age, students will learn how advances in technology and changes in education theory have affected how math has been taught in American schools.

Fast Attacks and Boomers: Submarines in the Cold War

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:26:31 GMT

This website reviews the early history of submarines and their radical transformation after World War II. Students will learn how submarines were built, how they work, and what they do. They will also learn the story of submariners and their families, Americans who were on the front lines of the Cold War. This resource also includes a cold war timeline that covers the origins, major events, and the end of the Cold War.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:47:53 GMT

In this lesson plan students will examine primary sources to determine the level of threat caused by the buildup of Soviet nuclear missiles and weapons sites in Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and will analyze President Kennedy’s response. This resource was produced to accompany the exhibition The Price of Freedom: Americans at War by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.