As a homeschool educator for over 20 years now, I have always catered each of my children's educations to their specific interests. When I found this site, it was like finding gold! I clicked on http://folkways.si.edu/magazine/index.aspx and from there, went to the link here http://folklife.si.edu/ What a wonderful resource!!! We are interested in learning more about WW2, so I clicked on the link there. I had no idea of the wide variety of songs popular during that time...songs that rallied the troops, encouraged patriotism, and songs that show us the heritage of that era. I can't wait to share this with my music-loving high school senior!

I am part Chinese and my Chinese grandparents died when I was too young to ask questions. This will help me.

This site had so much information to use so. I picked Discovering Our Delta about the Mississippi Delta (Mississippi and Louisiana) This resource had so many tools for all age groups. I would use this for 4th grade through college students learning about cultural history and art. There were so many ideas to better understand a culture and be able to appreciate that and your own.Cooking Methods of the Delta and Folk art were very interesting. So much can be applied to a learning environment. These ideas can be used in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts too.

It’s all about food and family! Who cannot relate? Lots of food is prepared and people come together to share and celebrate. Showcasing multiculturalism in a broader context of world cultures is as important as understanding our differences. To be able to see past the differences and into the unifying factors of what makes us human is the basis of showcasing multiculturalism. This exhibit does that.
The wish of having children is central to most cultures. While this is a Yoruba ceremony, it is also representing a wider global celebration of life, family and children. Even though the students will be learning about this particular aspect of Yoruba culture, they will in many cases find traces of their own cultures in the celebration, particularly in the poem. As an educator, I would use the poem to look at cultural values of other peoples, what we wish for, what we find important, what we abhor or pray wont happen, particularly in other parts of the world and not just Africa.

I teach an Aesthetics Unit in a H.S. GT Senior Epistemology Seminar Series which ends in a visit to the Hirshhorn. The Story of Modern Art is an excellent primer for the students to prepare them for what they will see on the field trip. Context is everything. Everything is what it has become, so knowing a little of the history of aesthetics and how art reflects the zeitgeist in which each artist found herself illuminates the works we see and gives us an insight into the historical place of the more contemporary pieces on display. We are not so intimidated when we visit and are more able to move beyond the initial question, "What is Art?" We are better equipped to ask questions like: "What does this mean to me? What might the artist be telling me through this piece? How does art order reality? Is the medium at least part of the message? What does this piece have to do with other forms of expression such as dance, music, physics and mathematics.

Was an invaluable aid for volunteer classroom use in the 'Picture Person' program (where an adult volunteer takes different materials/info. into the classroom to share art&everything it involves with the children).

When I am looking for art resources, I always search for curricula that has a wide variety of aesthetic value. When you find that something that helps students think outside the box of traditionalism then it encourages them to experiment with their imaginations. This is a very interesting resource.

This is truly a fun lesson. It obviously targets younger kids, but it works well for older ones as well.
It can be used by Art teachers, but also by English and World Languages teachers to accompany the description of a story created by students. Students can create a plot, main characters and a colorful setting. It will certainly take more than one lesson, but it will keep them engaged. My students had lots of fun creating their script and then their short "movies." They worked in small groups and each group got to read and watch the projects of the other groups. The little notebooks and their descriptions are still in my classroom and occasionally someone still enjoys looking at them.

I remember doing these when I was a kid, but I just couldn't remember exactly how to do it to show my 1st grader. Wonderful that I happened upon this! Thank you Smithsonian!

This is a great lesson to extend into the tech lab classes. Students from 2nd - 5th can create their animation on a multimedia program, such as power point and print the books to create their own flip book.(ISTE 1, 4, 6)

To integrate within the math curriculum, calculations could include how many slides per moving an object from side to side and how many pages for printing if 6 slides are printed per sheet of paper. (ISTE 1, 2, 3, 6)

To integrate within the language arts curriculum, students can write a procedural essay for the creation of the flip book. Another writing option is a research paper about the history of animation or inventors, both historical and contemporary. (ISTE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

This can be extended to science technology through the study of Java script for Middle School students.(ISTE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

Excellent resource that is easy for students to use. Student and teacher guides are provided along with a link to exhibit highlights. This definitely sparks interest. The Norse game and the Runes alphabet definitely inspired students. Very well presented home page with easy to follow links.

What a wonderful way to research any subject. I could just at a click either view pictures for younger children or have older children do research or look up interesting information on Vikings. The resources are amazing. You can even view artifacts that will be shown at different museums and if it is has already been you can view what was there. We can look for autobiographies or anything thinkable relating to a particular subject and have it at our fingertips in seconds. I love it.
Thanks so much!

A concise, easy for the students to follow breakdown of Norse beliefs and mythology. The game is an excellent way to differentiate instruction and allow students to apply the information

This website makes it so easy to find images that can enrich study of any topic.

The guide was very organized, simple to understand and follow. It not only gave a good look into the Wolastoqewiyik culture in Canada, but also helps the student understand common ground between them and other cultures. Very well rounded unit.

Its easy to use with great images. I learned a lot!

Nice thought of including Mexican history...

This is a wonderful source that I will definitely use in my classroom. I am a first-year Spanish teacher and am always looking for ways to incorporate culture and history into my classroom. The highlights of this resource include very thorough explanations accompanied by clear, vivid visuals. My only suggestions are to keep the information up to date. Although the exhibit may no longer be in display, the Public Programs and Film & Video sections should still be current.

This is an excellent resource. I love all the information provided with the lesson plans. I feel that having maps, photos, art and other materials to teach multi-cultural and Native-American (Central America) history, mythology, and art. The various resources challenge young minds, keeping in mind that everyone has their learning style and using may different resources helps engage the learner. I wanted to learn more, in fact this resource could easily be adapted to all age types.

I am very excited about this Education Guide, as it readily ties into multidisciplinary studies for middle school. Students will explore mythology, history, cultural diversity, personal beliefs, geography, science, language, artistic performance, and personal expression. The activities are diverse and easily differentiated for appropriate grade or ability -- and it is easy to adapt the activities to support students with learning challenges.

The resource from the Freer Gallery of Art about the ancient art in Egypt is what I will use for my integrated math, reading and Social Studies classes next year. The project started out with a drawing activity that we have done in the past in math. It is a good link to show the students how it was used in Ancient Egypt. The project then go on to tell a story why it was done this way which goes along with what we teach about the ancient Egyptian culture. Many student choose an artistic component for the culminating project for the unit. It will be a good example for what the students may want to work with on their own.

I have used this site since the exhibit in 2006 in my World History classes. The reason I like is so well is that it is comprehensive and student friendly. It gets students thinking about the origins of the word "bible" as well as how these 'little books' extended technology of the time period.

This has a wide range of ways for students to use the Freer and Sackler Galleries to enrich their studies of Chinese art. This allows a teacher to pick and chose in what areas students should focus their attention.