Researchers from across the Smithsonian met online with teachers and students around the world for the Smithsonian Online Education Conference: Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts in April 2010. Each presenter demonstrated how s/he addresses big questions in his/her field of experti

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.”

Examine one or more of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letters or speeches and turn powerful words and phrases into word art using the online Wordle tool. Included in an OurStory module entitled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence, this activity is designed to help children and adults enjoy

The drawings included in this online exhibition are first-person records of military conflicts, cultural life, and "Americanization." The website shares an American Indian perspective on westward expansion through primary sources. In the late 19th century, life was changing rapidly for the N

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter and it's importance to the Civil Rights movement. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 lesson plans focused on s

This activity challenges students to think about the 1898 Standard Voting Machine and the democratization of the voting process in the United States. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and three lesson plans focused on th

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the short-handled hoe and its connection to agriculture and the organizing of Latino farm workers after World War II. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 les

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the Lincoln-Keckley as an object that has multiple symbolic meanings. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 lesson plans focused on the multiple meanings of the dress, t

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the gold nugget that began the California gold rush as a valuable resource for understanding westward expansion and the idea of Manifest Destiny. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing hi

This teacher resource challenges students to think about the Jefferson desk and the Declaration of Independence as objects that are valuable sources of historical information. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects a