As COVID-19 deaths spiked in 2020, Suzanne Firstenberg’s public art installation "In America: How could this happen…"
Lessons & Activities
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
50 minutes
Date Posted:
3/5/2012
Field trips to memorials are great ways to learn about how communities remember important events. In this activity, students will do a digital field trip to learn more about the Pentagon’s memorial for September 11,2001, and then visit a local memorial. Part of an OurStory module en
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
30
minutes
Date Posted:
11/4/2009
Maria's Comet is a work of children's literature about a young girl who longs to study the stars. Included in an OurStory module entitled Exploring the Sky, this activity includes strategies that will help adults and children actively read Maria's Comet together.
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
6/10/2008
In this activity, students will learn how to answer questions by examining objects as well as learn about a book about Native American culture named When Clay Sings. This worksheet can help guide students while visiting a museum, library, website, or any location where objects are used t
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
110 minutes
Date Posted:
3/8/2012
In 1943, Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi created Appalachian Spring, a ballet that told the story of an American pioneer community. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring this history through children's literature, museum objects, and hands
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
10 minutes
Date Posted:
3/31/2014
Everyday objects such as pennies and dollar bills can go unnoticed in our lives. We use them all the time, but how often do we really look at them? Taking the time to investigate a familiar thing in detail and then learning to design something similar will strengthen your child’s observati
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
6/30/2013
Take a trip out into your community, or into a town nearby. Look around you; what do you see? Using provided resources on different styles of architecture, identify and discuss the different architecture your see, how it is similar on some buildings, and different on others. Part of an OurStory m
Grade Range:
K-4
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
15 minutes
Date Posted:
3/22/2012
In this activity, children will watch a short silent film recorded in 1930 and get a sense of a Harlem club during the Jazz Age. Part of an OurStory module entitled Duke Ellington and Jazz, this activity includes a link to a newsreel video from the Smithsonian Archives Center, discussion
Grade Range:
K-5
Resource Type(s):
Reviewed Websites, Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
90 minutes
Date Posted:
10/19/2016
This historical investigation is aligned with the C3 Framework and is from C3teachers.org.
This inquiry is an exploration into government that begins by looking at the historical roots of democracy in
Grade Range:
K-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
9/4/2020
These activities help young learners build skills in literacy, creativity, and communication while using everyday materials and exploring interesting topics. A series of five, each activity uses objects from across the Smithsonian as a jumping-off point for learning through play as well as tips for
Grade Range:
K-5
Resource Type(s):
Reviewed Websites, Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
90 minutes
Date Posted:
10/19/2016
This historical investigation is aligned with the C3 Framework and is from C3teachers.org.
This inquiry is an exploration into governments around the world; it examines how the fundamental principles
