Menarche, or the onset of menstruation, generated much advice and many attempts to manage girls' bodies in a public w
Lessons & Activities
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/22/2010
Prototype Online: Inventive Voices is a podcast series from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center that reveals the stories behind the invention—motivations, successes, and disappointments—and highlights the persevering spirit shared by all who call themselves “inventor.”
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
9/10/2008
This online exhibition explores the role of transportation in American history. Students will learn about communities wrestling with the changes that new transportation networks brought; how cities change, suburbs expand, and farms and factories become part of regional, national and international
Grade Range:
5-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/20/2013
This game show template demonstrates the importance of examining multiple sources in historical interpretation and shows the type of information that can be gleaned from different types of sources. The game is based on the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and can be updated to reflect any tim
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
6/10/2008
Quilts do more than just keep us warm; they preserve history by telling us stories about the people who made them. In this hands-on activity, students will learn about women's history by studying quilts. They will then make a quilt square in honor of a person who is important to them. It is inclu
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
8/31/2011
In this lesson, students will learn the story of September 11 and the process for building a collection at the Museum by listening to curators discuss collecting objects to represent the September 11 terrorist attacks, interviewing family or community members who remember the events of that day,
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
5/1/2018
American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith traces the unfolding of America’s experiment with government “of, by, and for the people” and illustrates the fact that democracy involves civic engagement and participation.
This exhibition and its
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
6/10/2008
Historians gather information about the past by looking at primary sources. In this activity, students will practice using primary sources by to learn about slavery and the Underground Railroad by analyzing newspaper advertisements regarding runaway slaves from the Charleston Mercury. It is inclu
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
9/12/2009
This website provides online access to a collection of oral histories, photos, documents, and objects related to bracero history. Students can browse the archive, use social bookmarking tools to share resources, add their own notes and make a poster using items from the archive, and con
Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/5/2009
This teacher resource challenges students to think about the Jefferson desk and the Declaration of Independence as objects that are valuable sources of historical information. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects a
Grade Range:
5-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
1/22/2011
In this set of classroom activities developed for the exhibition America on the Move, students will use visual, analytical, and interpretive skills to examine primary sources including historical maps to answer questions about farming, transportation, immigration, and racism in
