| Office of Visitor Services |
| Main information page for people visiting the Smithsonian museums. Includes events calendar, hours, visitor guides, foreign language guides, exhibit highlights, museum information, Smithsonian news, tips on visiting with children, locations and maps, and information on tours, dining, and security policies. |
| Provider: Office of Visitor Services |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| 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 |
|
| Radio Africa |
| Free streams of the sounds that make up the diverse music of Africa including complete tracks from the collections of Smithsonian Folkways. From the rhythms of Benin to the wedding music of Ethiopia to the traditional Zulu music of South Africa to the parade music of Senegal, you'll never know what you'll hear next. Includes podcasts of talks, interviews, story-reading. |
| Provider: National Museum of African Art |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| South Africa 1936-1949: Photographs by Constance Stuart Larrabee |
| Online exhibition detailing the history and culture of South Africa through photographs by Constance Stuart Larrabee. Includes details on the photographer’s life and work. |
| Provider: National Museum of African Art |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| Na Leo Hawai’i: Musics of Hawai’i |
| Webpage showcases music's defining role in the history and identity of Hawaiians. Offers video and audio recording of Hawaiian musical performance, from mele to slack-key guitar. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| Science and Natural History Books, Catalogs, and Posters from SITES |
| Choose from a selection of books and posters for purchase from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Topics range from space exploration to national parks to spiders. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| Smithsonian Associates |
| Website for the Smithsonian Associates, a cultural, educational, and membership division of the Smithsonian Institution, recognized as the largest and most esteemed museum-based continuing education program in the nation. Register for lectures, performances, studio arts, museum sleepovers, and more. Registration and fee required for most programs. |
| Provider: The Smithsonian Associates |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
|
| Zoos: A Historical Perspective |
| Online exhibition with a collection of pamphlets and guide books published by zoos over the past century has been collected by the National Zoological Park branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. This online sample of these items, which includes maps, drawings and photographs of zoos from over 30 states and 40 countries is intended to highlight the value of this resource for both zoo and cultural historians. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Institution Libraries |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| 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, Smithsonian Design Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
|
| 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 |
|
| Earl’s Canoe: A Traditional Ojibwe Craft |
| Documentary preview illustrating the process of canoe-making within Native American traditional culture. Includes discussion of respect for nature in the Ojibwe Nation. Purchase required. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): PreK–3, 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Gallery Guide: Arts of the Islamic World |
| Website examining both the diversity of Islamic art and its distinguishing features. Includes background information on calligraphy, abstract design, the creation of manuscripts, and object decoration. |
| Provider: Freer and Sackler Galleries |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| 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 |
|
| Native American Games, Dances, and Crafts Bibliography |
| List of references on North American games, dances, and crafts. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Workers at the White House |
| Documentary of White House workers including butlers, maids, doormen, chefs, plumbers, and others. Watch and listen to the workers’ experiences as they give the historical home and landmark a more personal narrative. Targets grades 6-12. Video available for purchase. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Anthropology Teaching Activities: Ethical Dilemmas |
| Group discussion activity intended to introduce or conclude a unit on social change, culture conflict, technology, or anthropological theory and method. Includes case studies for students to discuss and references for further reading. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Art to Zoo: Memorials: Art for Remembering (1995) |
| Lesson plan exploring the ways that people have been honored with memorials. Students create their own memorial after examining examples in their own community and around the world. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8 |
|
| 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 |
|
| Mapping the Mediasphere |
| Activity in which students examine the ways in which their community consumes media. They observe, photograph, and map media messages in their community. |
| Provider: Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
|
| Music as Environmental Advocacy |
| Smithsonian archivist Jeff Place looks at the lives and works of musicians who have spread a message of appreciation and personal responsibility for our rivers, lakes, and oceans. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12, General audience |
|
| Tibetan Healing Mandala |
| Website documenting the Tibetan Buddhist Healing ritual (Mandala) offered for the protection and healing of America after the September 11 attacks. Includes information on Mandalas, photographs of the process, a time lapse video showing the entire process, and an area for visitor responses. |
| Provider: Freer and Sackler Galleries |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Community Dreams |
| Online exhibit exploring the impact that the development of coast-to-coast railroads had on life in America. Railroads made it possible for towns and cities to flourish away from the coasts and waterways that had been America’s main transportation networks, creating new social, political, and economic ties. This is the second section of the online exhibition America on the Move. |
| Provider: National Museum of American History |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
|
| Cultural Logo Design |
| Lesson about identity, culture, and symbols in which students learn to recognize prevalent cultural and commercial symbols. After discussing how these symbols have an impact on their lives, their consumer impulses, and their perceptions, students design a logo to represent personal identity. |
| Provider: Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
|
| Music of Ghana: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Ghana’s Independence |
| Webpage discusses how Ghana’s musical traditions remain intimately attached to the survival of communities. Video and audio clips demonstrate the ways that the music marks the cycles of life, animates religious rituals, and communicates social values. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| Música del Pueblo |
| Bilingual online exhibit featuring a diverse range of Latin American and Latino musics. This interactive exhibit invites visitors to meet musicians, learn about the world of meaning behind the songs, and sing the songs, tap the rhythms and experience the panorama of diverse expression we call musica latina. Includes 24 high-quality videos arranged by thematic category. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| On the Web: Measuring Biodiversity Across North America |
| Lesson plan that uses interactive mapping technology to bring biodiversity field data to the classroom. Includes a map tutor, sampling tutor, and tables. |
| Provider: National Museum of Natural History |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 9–12 |
|
| Smithsonian Folkways Lesson Plans |
| Webpage provides interactive map for finding lesson plans from around the globe. Includes student activities, lesson plans, Heritage Month features, and teaching kits. |
| Provider: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|
| Speak To My Heart: Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life |
| Virtual exhibit examines faith and spiritual traditions in the African American community and the church as an agent of community and economic development. Includes short articles, interviews with community members, and extensive resources. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| The Making of a Homemaker |
| Online exhibition displaying images and text from domestic guidebooks of late-nineteenth-century America. These books gave advice on how to keep a healthy and happy home, but also prescribed appropriate moral and religious outlooks, had information on a wide variety of topics, often discussed manners, and gave many home remedies. |
| Provider: Smithsonian Institution Libraries |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): 4–8, 9–12 |
|
| Hats Off! A Salute to African Headwear |
| Online exhibition presenting the history and significance of various forms of African headwear and the people who wear them. |
| Provider: National Museum of African Art |
| State Standards: View state standards for this resource |
| Grade(s): General audience |
|