Smithsonian Institution
Young People Shake Up Elections (History Proves It) Educator Guide
Vote, it's your civic duty! The resource provides several videos about voting in the United States. Scholars watch a series of topics ranging from youth participation to civic action. The educator's guide provides teachers with...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Rosalia Fundaro (Beginner)
Elementary scholars learn about the life of Rosalia Fundaro, an Italian immigrant, using primary sources. They analyze documents, complete written prompts, and participate in group discussion to understand Rosalia's life in the United...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Motel Garber (Beginner)
Young detectives delve into the past in an exciting series exploring immigration. The activity uses primary sources to teach elementary scholars historical analysis. Academics read records to understand the life of Motel Garber, from...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Mercedes Valle (Beginner)
An enlightening activity focuses on the life of Mercedes Valle, an immigrant from Ecuador. Scholars analyze ships and census records to understand the life of Mercedes Valle. In addition, they participate in a group discussion and...
DocsTeach
Extending Suffrage to Women
Votes for women! The activity highlights the push for the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote. High school scholars learn how the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote helped to spark the...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Miguel Miñan (Beginner)
Many have traveled from around the globe searching for the American dream. Scholars research the life Miguel Miñan, an immigrant from Brazil, using ship and census records. The activity focuses on American diversity and highlights the...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Gertrud Danneberg (Beginner)
Everyone is an immigrant in their own way. Young scholars read historic documents to understand one woman's journey from Germany to the United States. The activity uses a mixture of text, discussion, and written prompts to help...
DocsTeach
Apollo-Soyuz: Space Age Detente
The Space Race saw the Soviet Union and the US go from competitors to partners. Scholars read a letter regarding the first docking of the US and Soviet space craft. Young historians also complete a written assignment and participate in...
Facing History and Ourselves
After Charlottesville: Public Memory and the Contested Meaning of Monuments
Are Civil War monuments a kind remembrance or a reminder of a dark past? The instructional activity focuses on the public's memory of the Civil War and the monuments that represent it. Young academics explore past efforts to change...
DocsTeach
Challenger Explosion Photograph Analysis
Young historians turn into detectives in a thought-provoking activity on the Challenger Explosion. The activity uses an image of President Reagan watching the Challenger explode on live TV to help academics practice historical analysis....
DocsTeach
Birth of the Environmental Protection Agency
Seeing is believing when it comes to climate change. An informative activity explores the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its efforts to document environmental issues with photographs. Academics match images...
DocsTeach
Around the World with First Lady Pat Nixon
Travel the world with the First Lady! Academics study images from Pat Nixon's travels as First Lady to discover her role in Richard Nixon's presidency. Historians match images to world locations, complete a worksheet, and participate in...
DocsTeach
Analyzing Jackie Robinson's White House Letter
Jackie Robinson: A hero on and off the field. An eye-opening activity focuses on Jackie Robinson's social activism during and after the civil rights movement. Academics read a letter addressed to President Nixon, answer questions, and...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Photograph of Sally Ride
Sometimes, a picture really does say it all. The activity uses a picture of astronaut Sally Ride to help elementary academics make observations and form conclusions. Young historians study the picture, complete short written prompts, and...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Letter About Ford Pardoning Nixon
Out of the mouth of babes ... often times comes gems. The activity uses a letter written by a third-grader in 1974 regarding President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. Scholars analyze the letter, complete a worksheet, and participate in...
Facing History and Ourselves
After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry
History doesn't always reflect all sides. Academics discover how the remembered history of the Civil War differs for White and African Americans. The instructional activity explores how Civil War monuments and celebrations have racist...
Museum of the American Revolution
Object Observation: Purpose on a Powder Horn?
Young archeologists discover the significance of ordinary objects from the past in an interesting lesson on artifact analysis. The activity focuses on examining the image of a powder horn from the Revolutionary War to understand what it...
Museum of the American Revolution
Pop-Up Museum
Museums offer more than interesting exhibits—they are key to keeping history alive. An immersive activity uses a virtual field trip to show academics the importance of museums in preserving history. Young historians learn how museums are...
Museum of the American Revolution
George vs. George
It's George versus George in the battle for the American colonies. An interesting activity compares the leadership of George Washington and King George III during the American Revolution. Scholars read text, compare portraits, and...
Museum of the American Revolution
People of the Revolution
It's nothing new—America has always been a melting pot of cultures. The resource explores the diversity of individuals living in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War. Scholars examine artifacts and primary sources to...
Museum of the American Revolution
Dunmore's Declaration
To fight or not to fight, that is the question. A thought-provoking activity focuses on the Dunmore Declaration that promised to free enslaved people who chose to fight for the British during the American Revolution. Scholars read the...
Museum of the American Revolution
Dissecting the Declaration
Delve into the past to understand the issues that led to the Declaration of Independence. Academics read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and take a virtual tour of the American Revolution Museum. The resource explains how...
Museum of the American Revolution
Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia
Hamilton may be a hit Broadway show, but there is so much more to learn. An eight-unit resource guides young historians through the life of Alexander Hamilton and the Revolutionary War. The lessons include hands-on-activities, writing,...
Museum of the American Revolution
Image Analysis: In Their Own Words
Images often convey more than words. Scholars examine political cartoons from the American Revolution to understand how images have the ability to express political ideas. Academics participate in group discussion, complete a worksheet,...