This panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt honors activist Roger Lyon, who died of AIDS in 1984.
Lessons & Activities
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:
K-6
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
90 minutes
Date Posted:
3/9/2012
Almost all Americans have family histories that trace back to other countries. By using this OurStory module, children and adults can enjoy exploring the experiences of immigrants who came to America and the ways that immigration has changed life in America through children's literature, museum o
Grade Range:
K-8
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
9/4/2020
"Summer Road Trip” is a new 40-page activity guide that uses the vast collections and expertise of the Smithsonian to take learners on their own summer “road trip” of discovery. Through hands-on activities, puzzles and games, students will explore topics in STEM, history, and the arts. The gui
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
8/2/2016
Grab Bag Inventing is an activity that allows participants to try playful inventing and helps them recognize their own creative abilities. Participants work together in small groups to design inventions using common materials.
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
9/4/2012
This “getting to know you” activity asks kids to show who they are by composing a portrait made of their objects. It also introduces or reinforces an idea central to historical research—objects hold stories about the people who own them and when they lived. This activity suite is desig
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
5/31/2012
Explore jazz through listening activities, interviews with musicians, and background information on SmithsonianJazz.org. Prominently featured on this site are two suites of learning activities: one focusing on Duke Ellington for elementary students and one focusing on Louis Armstrong for middle a
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
1/25/2010
This webiste, from the Lemelson Center’s Spark!Lab, uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention. Students can play games, conduct science experiments, explore inventors’ notebooks, and even invent! Spark!Lab, the newest hands on space fo
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-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/22/2010
Prototype Online: Inventive Voices is a podcast series from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center that reveals the stories behind the invention—motivations, successes, and disappointments—and highlights the persevering spirit shared by all who call themselves “inventor.”
Grade Range:
K-12
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/15/2017
Working with a teacher, students will recreate some of the electrical experiments originally performed by Benjamin Franklin between 1746 and 1754. These hands-on experiments highlight Franklin’s innovative contributions to science and government. Visitors will experience static electricity and
