"This black t-shirt, which says “Silence = Death” with a pink triangle, symbolizes the struggle against AIDS.
Interactives & Media

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
4 minutes
Date Posted:
3/23/2012
Meet Steven Turner, curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as he discusses the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. This video focuses on the history of acoustics during the 18th and 19th centuries, including demonstrations of wave models, tuning forks, siren

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Interactives & Media
Duration:
5 minutes
Date Posted:
5/19/2014
One of the most enduring national brand characters to appear in the early days of advertising is everyone's favorite sartorially gifted legume, Mr. Peanut. In this episode, host Tory Altman joins Kathleen Franz, professor at American University, to talk about the history of "spokes-characters" in

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
18
minutes
Date Posted:
3/15/2011
In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, learn what it takes to develop a great National History Day project from museum staff members who have judged the website, exhibits, and essay competitions at national level. National History Day is an annual competition that engages s

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Date Posted:
3/1/2016
Visit the world of teenage consumers and see the diverse objects that lived in teenagers' bedrooms during the Consumer Era.

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
60 minutes
Date Posted:
9/4/2020
We will host a panel discussion connecting stories of teenagers in the past fighting to address systemic injustice to those of the present. The 2020 annual summit will be centered on the case study of Claudette Colvin—a 15-year-old Black student in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Colvin refused to g

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
13 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
When John Jea joined a ship’s crew in 1806, he was not prepared for the dangerous conditions, hard work, and preparation necessary for life at sea. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resourc

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Worksheets
Date Posted:
9/1/2011
In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, James Gardner, Former Senior Scholar and Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, discusses the Museum's collection efforts and object stories following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The resource includes a teacher

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
22
minutes
Date Posted:
6/15/2011
In this episode of the History Explorer podcast series, Curator Katherine Ott discusses the anniversary of the defining of HIV and how it fits into the history of both science and our society.

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media
Duration:
5 minutes
Date Posted:
12/29/2020
This series introduces you to the lives of 10 Latinas, as told by curators, scientists, and educators across the Smithsonian. Join them as they explore stories of labor organizing, fashion, music, science exploration, performance, and art that have shaped the United States. The Latinas Talk Latinas

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
3/27/2013
Introduce students to using oral histories as primary sources with these interviews with jazz musicians recorded by the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities. The resource includes a guide for teachers and links to oral histories, and