A detailed lesson plan of Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. In a PDF file, the complete lesson is provided along with visual aides needed for the lesson. Draws on photographs and masks of Lincoln's face and discusses their significance in terms of his activities in office.

Smithsonian Education presents "Airplanes and Airports: How to Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground." Teachers can download this teaching package that discusses airplanes and airports. Included in the discussion are the forces of flight and the history of aviation. Students will enjoy the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list of resources.

Great online resource for finding teaching material to help students learn about American Indian Heritage Month. Features a wealth of information on Native American history, medicine, rituals, religion, art, and culture.

This lesson plan uncovers the "tricks" artists use when creating a landscape painting. Students will explore the work of American artists George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and Winslow Homer. One of the activities is in spanish.

The lessons in this issue familiarize students with memorials in which they examine four memorials from around the world and examples in their own community. In a culminating activity, students identify and create a memorial for someone they have lost.

Students become detectives, reading and analyzing documents and artifacts as clues to the life of a nineteenth century woman, Annie Steel. The students then use various materials to create a series of collages.

Explore an exciting collection of teaching resources, activities, and lesson plans honoring Black History Month.

Smithsonian in the Classroom presents Building Up, Breaking Down. Teachers can download this comprehensive teaching package in which students investigate how buildings weather. See what happens to a building once it has been erected. Students will look at similarities and differences among urban and rural settings. In an examination of the geology of buildings, they will also look at such things as rock fracture, chemical weathering, and pollution. In addition to detailed lesson plans, this amazing teaching resource comes complete with background information, vibrant visuals, and student handouts.

Created a little less than 150 years ago, the typewriter was the forerunner for the computer. This page offers a detailed history of the birth of the typewriter along with several visual examples.

Smithsonian Education presents Contrasts in Blue: Life on the Caribbean Coral Reef and the Rocky Coast of Maine. Teachers can download this comprehensive teaching package in which students explore two marine ecosystems, the coral reefs of the Caribbean and the state of Maine's rocky coastline. This amazing teaching package comes complete with background information, pictures and maps, student handouts, teacher answer keys, and a list of resources. Through this study students will gain an understanding of our world being one large ecosystem in which seemingly unrelated environments are in fact inevitably linked.

Through this study, students will think like an archaeologist, and move towards a better understanding of our world by taking a look back at civilizations of the past.

Teachers can download this teaching package that introduces students to the science of paleontology. Fossil formulation and details about the work of paleontologists are discussed. Find out how paleontologists discover, stabilize, and transport fossils. Students will enjoy the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list of resources.

Smithsonian Education presents "Every Picture Has a Story". Teachers can download this comprehensive teaching package in which students examine some of the millions of photographs in the Smithsonian. This amazing teaching package comes complete with background information, pictures, student handouts, lesson extensions, and supplemental resources. First, students will work on making observations and inferences about the photos. Next, they will practice their skills in prediction to attempt to place them in chronological order. Through exploration of photos from all the major eras of the history of photography, students will discover that every picture has a story. Don't forget to check out the interactive student activity from the menu on the left.

This retrospect on photography looks at the history of this art form and compares it to its function today.

This online lesson plan shows students through primary sources how the borders of the U.S. changed in just a few years. They are asked to analyze maps and use map skills. All maps and worksheets are included as well as additional resources.

Smithsonian Education presents "Fossils: Footprints Across Time." Teachers can download this teaching package that introduces students to the study of fossils. Students will discover what fossils can teach us about the Earth as it was millions of years ago. In addition, they will also learn how paleontologists organize their findings into time charts to give us a better picture of Earth's geologic history. Students will enjoy the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list of resources.

A site including lesson plans, photographs, and text about the offices of yesterday and those of today. Topics discussed include office equipment, office organization, globalization, and technology. Also included is an historical timeline of "corporate milestones" and lesson plans.

Plants have migrated around the world just like people. This site explains how several African plants and food crops made their way into American life.

Teachers can download this teaching package that discusses insects and insect adaptations. Students will enjoy the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list of resources.

This site is your link to teaching resources about Hispanic heritage. Choose from topics such as Musica del Pueblo, Mexican America, Latino Voices in American Art, or many others. Explore links to interactive exhibits, lesson plans, and to the National Museum of American History, which shows Hispanic artifacts.