Menarche, or the onset of menstruation, generated much advice and many attempts to manage girls' bodies in a public w
Lessons & Activities

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
50 minutes
Date Posted:
11/19/2008
In the classroom activity, students will be able to explain the difference between primary and secondary sources, and explain how the value of using primary sources is important to history. By using primary sources to answer a series of questions, they will see that, much like detectives, histori

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
30 minutes
Date Posted:
1/5/2010
Do you have what it takes to be a comic book hero? Take a close look at a comic book from the 1950s and 60s about nonviolence in the civil rights movement and think about ways those tips could help you today. Included in an OurStory module from Smithsonian's National Museum of America

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:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
15 minutes
Date Posted:
3/9/2012
It's in the numbers! Explore how charts and data maps can help you see immigration patterns in history. Part of an OurStory module entitled Coming to America, this activity includes data sources, discussion questions, links to free online tools, and background information. OurStory is de

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
30
minutes
Date Posted:
4/19/2012
Use the Densho Project website to learn about realpeople who lived in internment camps, and then create baseball cards to tell their stories. Part of an OurStory module entitled Life in a WWII Japanese American Internment Camp, this activity includes instructions, discussion prompts, lin

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
20 minutes
Date Posted:
11/19/2008
The national anthem describes an actual event in American history. In this classroom activity, students will be able to recite the first verse and paraphrase "The Star-Spangled Banner." Students will also be able to explain why Francis Scott Key wrote these words in 1814. This activity is include

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Primary Sources
Duration:
15
minutes
Date Posted:
3/9/2012
How can the Statue of Liberty be used in a timeline? Take a close look at an object made by an immigrant, then tell your family or cultural stories through a timeline. Part of an OurStory module entitled Coming to America, this activity includes a guided exploration of a museum artifact,

Grade Range:
3-5
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
50 minutes
Date Posted:
4/19/2012
This activity will encourage children to look for math in their everyday activities, and introduce science concepts behind the game of baseball. In this activity, students will use discussion prompts to make the most of their visit. This activity is part of an OurStory module entitled Life in

Grade Range:
3-6
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities
Duration:
25 minutes
Date Posted:
9/4/2012
Thomas Edison changed our world with electric lights and an entire system that produced and delivered electrical power. Try your hand at making your own light bulb. This activity from Spark!Lab includes step-by-step directions, a printable chart to record the experiment, and discussion questions.

Grade Range:
3-6
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
15 minutes
Date Posted:
8/11/2010
Take a closer look at some of the Smithsonian's collection of "objection and answer" banners that displayed arguments for and against women's suffrage. Part of an OurStory module entitled Winning the Vote for Women, this activity includes a worksheet that encourages discussion of the women's suff