| Maps on Stamps |
| Online exhibit about Allen Lee's collection of maps on stamps. Stamps are divided into topical sections including political disputes, islands, errors, genesis of the United States, old and world maps, continents, and oceans. Uses stamps to show many forms of representation found in maps including different projections of the Earth, scale, relief, and aero-surveying. Images of stamps provide examples. |
| Provider: National Postal Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Arts of the Islamic World Teacher's Guide |
| This downloadable guide introduces the Islamic world through art. Includes an overview of Islamic beliefs and holidays; and a look at the art of calligraphy, architectural objects, and everyday objects of trade and culture. Includes lesson plans by grade level and suggestions for additional resources. |
| Provider: Freer and Sackler Galleries |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): All grades |
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| Ancestor Worship Today |
| Website presents the research of a group of Chinese American teenagers who looked into their own communities for modern examples of ancestor worship. Includes photos and interviews gathered by the teens. |
| Provider: Freer and Sackler Galleries |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
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| Magic and Technology in Early Modern Europe |
| Written version of Anthony Grafton's 2002 lecture titled, “Magic and Technology in Early Modern Europe.”.In his lively and entertaining presentation, Grafton showed how “the notion of a mathematical or artificial magic” rose from the ancient art of natural magic, embodied in such things as prayers and talismans, to the complex optical, hydraulic and mechanical devices that “not only rivaled, but actually outdid, the creative powers of nature itself.” The machines and automata that emulated nature and the movement of living beings were so astonishing at first that the engineers had to seek independent authoritative testimony that the devices were the product of engineering skill, not occult practices. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Institution Libraries |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
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| Native Village of Alutiiq Education Guide |
| Education guide on the modern Native Alaska community (the Sugpiat people). Includes four lesson plans exploring petroglyphs (rock art), creating a poem from “found” words, seeing how geographic factors influence the culture, economy, and politics of the Alutiiq people, and investigating the impact the Exxon Valdez oil spill had on the Alutiiq. Targets grades 9-12. |
| Provider: National Museum of the American Indian |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
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| Navigating the Mekong |
| Website has visitors click on a map to read journals of young people who journeyed by boat through China, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Includes lessons, regional recipes, and traditional music. Targets grades 6-10. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
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| New York – The Connected City |
| Online exhibit exploring how early America’s dependence on maritime shipping made New York City and its harbor America’s connecting point to the world. This is the sixth section of the online exhibit entitled America on the Move. |
| Provider: National Museum of American History |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
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| Owney the Dog! A Curriculum Guide for Teachers |
| Interdisciplinary lessons based on the travels of a dog named Owney who became a mascot for the Railway Mail Service in the 1880s and for the National Postal Museum today. Designed for second-grade classes, it includes lessons for students with special needs in reading, math, and writing. |
| Provider: National Postal Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): PreK–3 |
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| People on the Move |
| Online exhibit exploring how American history was shaped by those immigrating to the U.S., migrating within its borders, or even returning to their native lands. This is the fifth section of the online exhibition America on the Move. |
| Provider: National Museum of American History |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
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| Protective Design |
| Lesson considering how design can help people confront fears. Students draw conclusions about society and fear, learn about products designed to protect people from danger, and create their own products. |
| Provider: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
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| Rebel Music: A Musical Tour of the Maroon Communities |
| Focuses on the music of the ex-slave communities in the Americas. Songs reflect the influence of African, Native American, and European music. Includes music samples and videos of performances. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Saris, Kimonos, Togas & Smocks: Exploring Clothing Across Cultures (4-8) |
| Activity in which students conduct collaborative Internet research on the social purposes of clothing, learn about different types of clothing, and create a presentation. |
| Provider: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
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| Smithsonian Affiliations |
| Links to Smithsonian Affiliate museums across the nation. Find out if there is an Affiliate near you. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Affiliations |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): All grades |
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| Smithsonian Folkways Recordings |
| Webpage of Folkways Recordings. Explore, research, order, and download recordings from the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian. Includes music from the United States and around the world. Search by album, artist, country, or genre. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| What does clothing communicate? |
| Webinar looking at clothing, community, and self-expression. From sorority colors to religious garb to everyday clothes, our dress and style is a representation of our community, our values, and ourselves. Clothing is often used to show faith, to mark a rite of passage, or to indicate inclusion in a group. Drawing on her research into African American communities in seven cities, Diana N’Diaye asks: “How do we define and express our community through the clothing we wear?” |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
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| Women Breaking Musical Barriers: She Isn’t Supposed to Play That |
| Website traces the history and diversity of women in music through text, video recordings, and audio recordings. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Word Search |
| Game encourages children to find hidden terms and names. Organized by topic and difficulty. |
| Provider: National Postal Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): PreK–3, 4–8 |
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| Art to Zoo: Tomorrow’s Forecast: Oceans and Weather (1995) |
| Lesson plan (with printable maps and classroom/take-home activities) demonstrates how ocean currents influence weather patterns and climate. Students identify ocean currents and the relationship between currents and trade routes, conduct an experiment on the differing heat capacities of water and air, and find and label port cities around the globe. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
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| Edge of Enchantment |
| Exhibit presenting the pictures and stories of the people of Huatulco and Huamelula as they talk about their families, the beliefs and practices that sustain their sense of who they are, the ceremonial landscapes to which they remain rooted, and the development and migration now changing their world. Shows and describes many of the places in Mexico known as encantos or enchanted places. |
| Provider: National Museum of the American Indian |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Big/Small |
| Online exhibition illustrating how African artists use size and scale—both literally and metaphorically—to communicate ideas. |
| Provider: National Museum of African Art |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| A Nigerian Yoruba Naming Ceremony |
| Online exhibit focuses on the cultural traditions of an African immigrant community in the United States. A Nigerian family’s Naming Ceremony story raises the topics of cultural preservation, community, and family. Includes descriptions of the event, people, and links to relevant local publications. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Smithsonian in Your Classroom: What Is Currency? Lessons from Historic Africa |
| Lessons that introduce economics by focusing on the currency system of the Akan people of Ghana in West Africa. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): PreK–3, 4–8 |
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| What's Your Problem? A Look at the Environment in Your Own Backyard |
| Lesson plans in which students take on an environmental project. They begin by interviewing people who live in their town or neighborhood. They ask about the state of the local environment—and how it has changed over the years—before deciding on a problem to tackle. The ideas are based on a project in which a second-grade students in Colorado addressed the problem of deer overpopulation in their town. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies |
| Grade(s): PreK–3, 4–8, 9–12 |
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| Smithsonian Education Online Conference: Problem Solving with Smithsonian Experts |
| This archived online conference features live presentations, moderated forums, and demonstrations of how Smithsonian specialists use critical thinking skills to solve problems in their areas of expertise. The website includes session recordings, topic discussions, and related resources. The conference covers four areas of exploration: Understanding the American Experience, Valuing World Cultures, Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, and Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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| Creativity & Resistance: Maroon Cultures in the Americas |
| Online exhibition highlighting the history and cultural traditions of Maroons, descendants of Africans who freed themselves from captivity in the Americas. Contains exhibit description, virtual tour, and teaching guides that can be utilized to create lesson plans covering topics relevant to slavery, culture, migration, and language. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
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| North American Indian Healing and Medicine Bibliography |
| List of references on North American healing and medicine. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
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| Wolastoqewiyik Education Guide |
| Teacher's guide focusing on the First Nations community of New Brunswick, Canada. Contains two lessons aligned to national standards exploring the interdependency of all living things from the Wolastoqewiyik perspective and the importance of rivers to communities like First Nations. |
| Provider: National Museum of the American Indian |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
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| Be a Food Detective |
| Lesson plan searching for answers to specific questions about prepared food products, including what a food is made from, the source of its ingredients, and how the ingredients were grown. Includes options for homework. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
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| Lakota Winter Counts |
| Lesson plans teaching about winter counts which record events critical to the Lakota people. Lesson plans for elementary, middle school, and high school. Includes background information on the Lakota, curriculum connections, glossary, student lessons, and suggestions for discussion. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): All grades |
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| Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| Main website for the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage includes information on the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, educator resources, cultural policy, publications, and exhibitions. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
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