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:
10-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
380 minutes
Date Posted:
12/17/2012
Studying the presidency offers students a new way to explore the democratic political process and to expand their understanding of how this process has shaped the nation's history and continues to influence their own lives. What does it mean to be the president of the United States of America? Wh

Grade Range:
4-6
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
380 minutes
Date Posted:
11/26/2012
Studying the presidency offers students a new way to explore American history. What does it mean to be the president of the United States of America? What is the relationship of the presidency to the American people? Using artifacts and documents, students can begin to uncover this uniquely Ameri

Grade Range:
7-9
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
380 minutes
Date Posted:
12/17/2012
Studying the American presidency offers students an unparalleled opportunity to explore the democratic political process and to deepen their understanding of how this process fits into the whole of American history. While learning about subjects as diverse as campaigns, the media, and presidentia

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
220 minutes
Date Posted:
4/27/2010
Investigate the authentic journal of Alex Van Valen, a man who set sail in 1849 to stake his claim in the California gold fields, to discover what life was like during the gold rush. This dynamic project from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History includes student questions to help

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
175 minutes
Date Posted:
8/11/2010
For more than a century, women in the United States struggled to obtain the right to vote. In 1920, the suffrage movement finally achieved victory with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring

Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
175 minutes
Date Posted:
11/30/2010
Railroads have moved people and cargo around America for more than 180 years. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring the history of trains in America. Focused on actively reading Jingle the Brass, a historical fiction picture book about a ride on a steam l

Grade Range:
K-6
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
160 minutes
Date Posted:
3/18/2011
Robert Smalls was born a slave in South Carolina, but made a daring escape to freedom on the ship CSS Planter and joined the Union in fighting to end slavery in America. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring one aspect of the Civil War. Focused on actively reading

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
150 minutes
Date Posted:
11/20/2008
This activity is a field trip that takes adults and children to historic places to learn through asking questions and seeking answers through observation and using experts. Children will be better able to observe details and ask questions. It will help children build an understanding of a specifi

Grade Range:
5-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
135 minutes
Date Posted:
8/3/2012
In this lesson, students will examine the difference between history and memory by debating the legacy of Benedict Arnold. Using video clips of an actor playing Arnold, students are invited to debate his actions and determine how history should remember him.