This panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt honors activist Roger Lyon, who died of AIDS in 1984.
Lessons & Activities

Grade Range:
5-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
5/17/2016
Students will gain historical reasoning skills by studying primary sources and comparing them to secondary sources. They will become more familiar with the conditions in Japanese American concentration camps through the personal writings of Stanley Hayami, a high school student who was incarcer

Grade Range:
K-1
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
10 minutes
Date Posted:
3/5/2012
Use this guide to actively read September 12: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright, a very basic picture book about children’s reactions to September 11, 2001. Part of an OurStory module from entitled September 11, 2001, this activity includes discussion prompts and background

Grade Range:
K-2
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
15
minutes
Date Posted:
6/30/2013
Take a close look at two architectural drawings to learn about symmetry and scale. Part of an OurStory module entitled Building Beautiful Buildings, this activity includes step-by-step instructions, images of museum objects, and background information on architecture. OurStory is designe

Grade Range:
K-2
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
60
minutes
Date Posted:
11/19/2008
What do museums do? In this classroom activity, students will recognize the Smithsonian Institution and be able to explain what a museum does. This is accomplished through the use of discussion questions and activities in which they relate stories from prior museum visits or share ideas for a mus

Grade Range:
K-2
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
20
minutes
Date Posted:
7/11/2013
Think about your favorite building in the world.If it's nearby, go out and take a picture of it, if not, pull a photo out of a book or off of the internet. Then use this picture to identify all of the geometric shapes you can see that make up the building, shapes the building's architect used to

Grade Range:
K-2
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
20
minutes
Date Posted:
11/19/2008
Just how big is the Star-Spangled Banner? In this classroom activity, students will visualize the area of the famous flag by measuring pieces of string and attaching them to create an outline of the Star-Spangled Banner. This activity is included in the online exhibition entitled The

Grade Range:
K-3
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
30 minutes
Date Posted:
7/11/2013
Learn how architects use paper to represent plans for buildings. Make two- and three-dimensional representations of your home using close observation and measurements. Part of an OurStory module entitled Building Beautiful Buildings, this activity includes step-by-step instructions

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
5 minutes
Date Posted:
3/8/2012
Dance is just one way to turn music into something you can see. Your computer can take music and turn it into a different kind of visible art. Part of an OurStory module entitled An American Story in Dance and Music, this activity includes step-by-step directions for exploring your compu

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
3/12/2010
Learn more about First Lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Baines Johnson and her work to protect the environment and bring beauty to every community. This module from the OurStory program includes active reading suggestions and discussion questions for the illustrated biog

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
30
minutes
Date Posted:
3/22/2012
A field trip to a jazz concern can give you a look at how Duke Ellington and jazz music are still alive today. In this activity, students will use discussion prompts to make the most of their visit. This activity is part of an OurStory module entitled Duke Ellington and Jazz. OurStory is