In this activity, students will read Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner and answer questions about the book. They will then look at the image of an object that would have been important to women living in a house made of sod and try to determine what the object is. This resource is included in

In this activity, students will increase their knowledge of slavery, slave life and the Underground Railroad by answering questions about the book and song Follow the Drinking Gourd and then writing and illustrating a poem or letter playing the role of a conductor, agent or passenger on the

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

Students will learn about slavery, slave life and the Underground Railroad in this OurStory module. OurStory is a series of modules designed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of objects from the Mu

In this activity, students will analyze images of tools that were used on rice plantations to determine each tool's purpose. These objects can tell us a great deal about slavery and the lives of the slaves who worked on rice plantations. It is included in an OurStory module entitled Slave Lif

In this post, readers have the chance to see and learn more about a few objects from the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum collection.  The Sewall-Belmont serves as the historic home for the National Woman’s party and so has a rich connection with the history of the woman’s suffrage moveme

In this post, readers are asked to consider the question “when is a neck-tie more than just a neck-tie?” This piece spotlights the objects in the NMAH collection which recount the story of the landmark Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court case, decided in 2003, which ultimately insured the LGBT co

In this post, readers will discover some of the early history of bullet-proof vests and how Americans during the Civil War tried to protect themselves and their loved ones with this relatively new invention.  Written by Civil War scholar Sarah Weicksel, this post i

In this post, students will learn about the work the Museum is doing to preserve the history from September 11, 2001. Students will hear an insider's perspective on the decision-making process, and discover what it's like to sort and collect important objects that will help tell the story for gen