The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19 museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing our resources with the world. Content from all of Smithsonian's buildings can be found here. Use the filters on the left to narrow the results by material type, subject, or grade level.
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.
Online exhibit of caricatures of national celebrities from all walks of life.
Smithsonian site showcases this striped carnivore. Users are able to view a cheetah cam as well as learn some interesting facts about the cheetah.
This video is a professional development resource that explores student misconceptions about atoms, molecules, and chemical reactions. It also gives some pedagogical approaches for approaching these subjects. [10:12]
This site has photographs and paintings of Civil War leaders, both political and military. Clicking on the arrow will take you through pictures and brief biographies of the leaders. From the National Portrait Gallery.
Access to the Smithsonian's extensive collections that document the American Civil War.
Examples of many of the weapons used in the Civil War are included in this exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Find rifles, swords, pistols, and hand grenades along with descriptions of who used them and how they were manufactured. Click on the arrow to navigate the site.
As part of the Asia Trail exhibit at the National Zoo, this site highlights various facts and interesting information on the Clouded Leopard. In addition to several pictures, the site provides a description and information on habitat, diet, reproduction, and more.
An exhibition of contemporary African art that pulls together the work of 28 artists from 15 different countries. Read artist biographies, view representative works, and think about two prominent themes that emerge from the collection: those of racial segregation and of Kinshasa, as an intersection of culture and trade. The collection documents the wide-ranging styles of African artists working today and examines the complex artistic traditions reflected in their work.
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.
An education resource guide based on an exhibit on the role of "Maroons," who were escaped slaves in Latin America who established communities with extensive cultural contacts. The guide includes activities which can be used in middle school and high school classrooms.
This webinar probes into how people in the Arctic have coped with extreme conditions for thousands of years. [35:35]
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.
Interactive exhibition makes use of personal letters and diaries to document the life and experiences of Civil War nurse Amanda Akin.
A website dedicated to displaying a selection of political cartoons and caricatures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Includes biographies of many famous cartoonists and commentaries on the cartoonist's style and interests.
Plants are a resource that can help scientists measure change. This webcast digs into how plant specimens are studied to better understand ecosystem changes. [29:14]
This is the official site of the National Portrait Gallery's exhibit entitled "Edith Wharton's World: Portraits of People and Places." It contains some information about Wharton's life and career and reproductions of the paintings in the exhibit.
As part of the Smithsonian Art Museum's database of artists, this site provides biographical information on Edmonia Lewis in addition to an extensive listing of her works as displayed at the museum.
The work of Ghanaian artyist El Anatsui is presented in this on-lone companion to the travelling ehibit of his work created by the Arts Council of Wales.