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):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
1/22/2011
In these 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 and answer questions about them to learn more about railroads, transportation, raci

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
5/21/2009
Have you ever wondered how the lights in lighthouses are so bright? In this activity, students will examine a Fresnel lens to develop an understanding of how some lighthouse lenses work. They will then apply their knowledge of the lighthouse lens technology to imagine a new invention using a ligh

Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/3/2010
With the right resources, learners of any age can engage with the topics of nonviolence and civil rights. This webpage is a gateway to lesson plans, videos, family activities, and instructional media related to the nonviolent civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The content within these

Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/7/2009
This object-based learning activity revolves around the gold nugget that began the California gold rush. In this resource, students will learn how examining the gold nugget can help them understand the story of the gold rush and its importance to the story of westward expansion. After explor

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
8/20/2009
Community service is an important part of being a good citizen. In this activity, students will discuss an episode from Freedom on the Menu, a work of children's literature about an important event during the Civil Rights Movement; identify a problem in their local community and then vol

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
6/10/2008
In this activity, students will learn how to make their own fish kites, called koinobori. Koinobori are an important expression of Japanese culture that became an important part of life for children in Japanese American internment camps during World War II. This resource is included in an OurStor

Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/11/2009
This activity challenges students to think about the 1898 Standard Voting Machine and the democratization of the voting process in the United States. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and three lesson plans focused on th

Grade Range:
K-5
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/20/2008
In this activity, children will learn the story of the flag that inspired the national anthem. An OurStory module entitled Making the Star-Spangled Banner, the resource includes links to hands-on activities and a list of recommended readings. OurStory is a series of m

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
11/20/2008
In this activity, children will actively read The Flag Maker, using these suggested reading questions. They will be better able to read for understanding and answer questions using written and image resources. It is included in an OurStory module entitled

Grade Range:
9-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
11/8/2009
This object-based learning activity revolves around an 1898 Standard Voting Machine, the fight against voting fraud and the extension of voting rights in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Students will learn how voting technology was used to democratize the voting process in the