From the Luce Foundation Center at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this is a short biography and photographic portrait of the 19th-century miniature portrait artist Thomas Sully.
This Web site was created to provide more information about the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant; about the course of the accident there; about the steps?extending over almost 15 years?through which the nature and extent of the damage were gradually revealed.
This video reviews over geologic time scale and methods to teach this appropriately in the classroom. [9:15]
Explore navigation methods by sea, air, and space, what latitude and longitude mean, how GPS works, about satellite navigation, and learn about professional navigators. Includes a timeline of developments in navigation from 1280 to the present. There are also interactive activities, primary source materials, profiles of famous navigators, and so much more. There is a wealth of information at this site.
A professional development video exploring students misconception over the reason for Earth's season. This video addresses a way to help students understand how Earth's orbit contributes to the seasons. [11:56]
Smithsonian Education presents Reviled and Revered: Toads, Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, and Other Creepers and Crawlers. Get the facts about reptiles and amphibians. Learn about their unique characteristics, as well as explore why we love or hate them. Students will appreciate the excellent photographs and background information. Teachers will love the series of five lesson plans, complete with student handouts, discussion questions, lesson extensions, curriculum standards, and a resource list.
A lesson unit for Grades 4-9 on how the ocean affects climate and weather. Includes worksheets (also in Spanish) and maps.
Teachers can download this teaching package that looks at light and symmetry through the use of mirrors. Students will enjoy the nine mirror challenges, along with the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list of resources.
Learn about their unique characteristics, how they hunt, and reproduce. Students will appreciate the excellent photographs and background information. Teachers will love the series of three lesson plans about spiders, complete with student handouts and resources.
Start with the questions all students ask: How big is the universe, how far away are the planets and stars, how did they form and when, how do they move and why? Build on their natural curiosity. The Smithsonian, in cooperation with NASA, brings you lesson plans to help students discover answers and questions that can't be answered!
A webcast examines the history of the cellphone and the revolution they've created in communication. [29:16]
This interactive site explores Viking history. It shares who the Vikings were, their archaeology, and literature. Students can use their mouse to travel Viking routes and learn about places the Vikings went. Also, students can listen to shipbuilding advice.
A virtual look at a wide-ranging mix of art and artifacts that visually represent Puerto Rico's culture and history. With thematic overviews of everyday life on the island, music, families, and religion along with many useful educational extras that underscore the skill and imagination of Puerto Rican artists. Includes a glossary of key terms, an interactive map, a timeline, and zoomable views of illustrations.
Geologist Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell, describes why she considers volcanoes "lungs of the earth" in this webcast. [29:15]
Smithsonian Education presents a lesson covering the WWII's propaganda program which enforced the ideals of Civic Responsibility. Provides eight pages of poster examples, detailed background over the time period, and the goals of the government. Lesson plan provided with four strategies to use for assessment, leading questions, and KWL chart to use in the classroom. Students are asked to determine the main and supporting ideas of the posters, write topic sentences, and compare their interpretations. In Strategy 3, they are asked to summarize the main and supporting ideas of the posters.
The Maya of Mesoamerica are renowned for their precise calendars and their knowledge of astronomy. Through systematic observations conducted over thousands of years, Maya skywatchers developed complex and accurate calendars that continue to mark agricultural and ceremonial cycles today. This lesson is an exploration of the Maya Calendar system and its intricate cycles. Hear the voices of contemporary Maya people as they weave their past and present together, and share with us their living traditions of Maya time.
Online part of a Smithsonian exhibit to honor the 200th anniversary of West Point, the site includes history, interactive maps, historical documents and artifacts.
From the Smithsonian, this site offers lessons and resources on currency, its use (in the form of gold dust, salt, or metal objects) as an instrument of trade in historic Africa, and its requirements as an instrument of trade in the classroom.
This Learning Lab explores the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum's design thinking process. Design Thinking is a methodology used to solve complex problems and fosters creative confidence. It allows the problem-solver to pursue multiple ideas, research solutions, make connections, empathize with the end-user, test ideas and improve concepts.
Pigs, rice, nuts, teeth, eggs, feathers - these are all types of currency! This lesson discusses different types of objects that can be used as currency and students will decide what qualities make an effective currency. Included are examples of currency from Conga and worksheets. Students will design their own currency to complete the lesson.