"This black t-shirt, which says “Silence = Death” with a pink triangle, symbolizes the struggle against AIDS.
Lessons & Activities
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
60 minutes
Date Posted:
11/8/2022
Our Democracy: A National Youth Summit civic education series
Over the course of the 2022–2023 school year, we'll release classroom resources that address the driving question, "How do the stories we tell about our past shape our democracy?"
Each case study uses museum objects and artifacts,
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
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
60 minutes
Date Posted:
10/13/2016
This learner resource includes a 26 minute documentary where Charles Moore explains the context of many of his most famous civil rights images. Then, students examine the images and think about the importance of photojournalism to the civil rights movement. Finally, students are presented with An
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
10 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
Louisa Susannah Wells was a female colonist who was loyal to King George III, who was banished from America and returned to England after the War of Independence. Listen to a dramatic reading of her narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions.
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
11 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
Samuel Kelly was an English sailor, who recorded his experience of a voyage to Philadelphia in 1787. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resource is part of a series called “Life at Sea: 1680
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
20 minutes
Date Posted:
4/6/2012
Alan Harvie and John “Sarge” Ransome served about the SS Honomu sailing the Murmansk Run to the Soviet Union. Listen to their story, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resource is part of a series called “Maritime Voices: Merchant Ma
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
9/12/2009
In this activity, one of three on the Bracero Archive website, students will examine two public laws and other primary resources related to the Bracero worker program and apply their knowledge to evaluate whether the program was carried out as intended.
The Smithsoni
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
9 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
Joseph Hawkins was one of many workers aboard a slave ship in the 1700’s. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resource is part of a series called “Life at Sea: 1680 to 1806,” which includes fiv
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/3/2011
In lesson from the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, students examine a primary source that might seem both familiar and strange: a yearbook from Rutgers in 1860, complete with farewell messages from classmates. On close study, the messages from reveal much about the
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
