Books

Head to Head: History Makers

Grade Range:

5-12

Resource Type(s):

Lessons & Activities

Date Posted:

4/16/2018

Head to Head invites students to think deeply about how American history has been shaped in countless ways by people in different eras and from diverse backgrounds. The learning begins with the guiding question: Who changed American more?

American Enterprise: Market Revolution 1820s-1850s

Grade Range:

5-12

Resource Type(s):

Interactives & Media

Date Posted:

3/1/2016

Investigate the market revolution in the 1800s through the stories of five Americans from the Merchant Era. Optimized for desktops and laptops.

American Enterprise: Ramsay's Ledger

Grade Range:

8-12

Resource Type(s):

Primary Sources, Interactives & Media

Date Posted:

3/1/2016

Decode a historic ledger that belonged to William Ramsay, a merchant in Alexandria, Virginia in the mid-1700s.

Educator Guide for World War I: Lesson and Legacies

Grade Range:

6-12

Resource Type(s):

Lessons & Activities

Date Posted:

3/19/2018

In honor of America's entry into "The War to End All Wars" in 1917, World War I: Lessons and Legacies explores the war and its lasting impact and far-reaching influence on American life. From the Great Migration to the 1918 flu pandemic and from the unionizat

The Suffragist

Grade Range:

5-12

Resource Type(s):

Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities

Date Posted:

3/1/2018

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History presents a filmed version of its on-the-floor program, The Suffragist. This set of three classroom videos examines the actions taken by suffragists in 1917 as they fought to win the right to vote. Students meet Rebecca, a histo

The Suffragist Educators' Guide for the Classroom Videos

Grade Range:

5-12

Resource Type(s):

Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities

Date Posted:

3/15/2018

Through a set of three classroom videos, examine the actions taken by suffragists in 1917 as they fought to win the right to vote. Students will meet Rebecca, a historical character from Takoma Park, Maryland, who

What Will You Stand For? Video

Grade Range:

6-12

Resource Type(s):

Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities

Duration:

02.32 minutes

Date Posted:

10/23/2018

Throughout American History, young people have led, influenced, and defined the outcomes of our elections and politics. By organizing, lobbying, advocating, protesting, and voting, young voices supply our democracy with a never-ending source of fresh ideas, concerns, and hopes. This tradition con

What Will You Stand For? Video Discussion Guide

Grade Range:

6-12

Resource Type(s):

Lessons & Activities, Worksheets

Duration:

02.32 minutes

Date Posted:

10/26/2018

World War I: Lessons and Legacies

Grade Range:

6-12

Resource Type(s):

Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities

Date Posted:

11/15/2017

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

Grade Range:

K-12

Resource Type(s):

Reference Materials, Interactives & Media

Date Posted:

7/22/2017

What happens when a people decide to govern themselves? America’s national treasures come to life in this compelling exhibition that examines the bold experiment to create a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” American Democracy: A Great Leap of Fait

Bull Run

Author:

Paul Fleishman

Reading Level:

Late Elementary School,Middle School

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

Fleishman's depiction of the first Civil War battle relies on individual voices to give a human face to history. The result is at once intimate and sweeping, a heartbreaking and remarkably vivid portrait of the Civil War and war itself.

By the Dawn's Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner

Author:

Steven Kroll

Reading Level:

Early Elementary School

Genre:

Non Fiction

Historic illustrated story of Francis Scott Key's creation of what would become the U.S. National Anthem.

Caesar Rodney's Ride The Story of an American Patriot

Author:

Jan Cheripko

Reading Level:

Early Elementary School,Late Elementary School

Genre:

Fiction

The story of Caesar Rodney, who was determined to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Captain of the Planter: The Story of Robert Smalls

Author:

Dorothy Sterling

Reading Level:

High School,Middle School

Genre:

Biography

The story of Robert Smalls who began life as a slave, captained a ship that took his family to freedom, and later became Congressman who worked during the Reconstruction period.

Charley Skedaddle

Author:

Patricia Beatty

Reading Level:

Middle School

Genre:

Fiction

Awards:

Twelve-year-old Charley Quinn loves the excitement and the gang fighting that are part of his life in New York City's Bowery in 1864. When his sister's fiance threatens to send him to an orphanage, Charley runs off with Union army enlistees and is taken on in Virginia as a drummer boy.

Charlie Needs a Cloak

Author:

Tomie dePaola

Reading Level:

Early Elementary School

Genre:

Fiction

A story illustrating the process from sheep to sewing to create a new cloak.

Children of Puerto Rico

Author:

Michael Elsohn Ross

Reading Level:

Late Elementary School

Genre:

Non Fiction

Learn about the geography and cultures of Puerto Rico.

Children of the Great Depression

Author:

Russell Freedman

Reading Level:

Late Elementary School,Middle School

Genre:

Non Fiction

Awards:

A clear and understandable outline of the Depression ere in photo-essay format featuring the black and white photographs of Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and many others.

Children of the Wild West

Author:

Russell Freedman

Reading Level:

Late Elementary School,Middle School

Genre:

Non Fiction

A photographic look at life for kids on the frontier.

Chinese Railroad Workers

Author:

Susan Sinnott

Reading Level:

Late Elementary School

Genre:

Non Fiction

An account of the labor, treatment, and accomplishments of Chinese workers on the railroad during the 19th century.

Award Key

Caldecott Medal

Most distinguished American picture book for children (annually).

Coretta Scott King Award

Distinguished books by authors and illustrators of African descent which promote an understanding and appreciation of the American dream (annually).

Golden Kite Award

Outstanding examples of text, illustration, fiction and nonfiction (four awards annually).

Newbery Medal

Most distinguished contribution to American literature for children (annually).

Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award

Outstanding work of historical fiction published by a U.S. publisher set in the New World.

Books

Search History Explorer

Head to Head: History Makers

American Enterprise: Market Revolution 1820s-1850s

American Enterprise: Ramsay's Ledger

Educator Guide for World War I: Lesson and Legacies

The Suffragist

The Suffragist Educators' Guide for the Classroom Videos

What Will You Stand For? Video

What Will You Stand For? Video Discussion Guide

World War I: Lessons and Legacies

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

Bull Run

By the Dawn's Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner

Caesar Rodney's Ride The Story of an American Patriot

Captain of the Planter: The Story of Robert Smalls

Charley Skedaddle

Charlie Needs a Cloak

Children of Puerto Rico

Children of the Great Depression

Children of the Wild West

Chinese Railroad Workers

Featured Authors

Staff Picks

Award Key