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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Portrait of the Art World: Willem De Kooning

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief essay about the artistic interests of Dutch-born American art legend Willem de Kooning.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Portrait of the Art World: Adolph Gottlieb

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief essay about the artistic interests of American artist Adolph Gottlieb.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Echoes of Elvis

For Students 9th - 10th
Exhibition explores the many depictions of rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Thomas Paine: The Radical Founding Father

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about Thomas Paine through text that accompanies selections from an exhibition of portraits of Paine and artifacts from his writings
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Black List Project: Slash, 2007

For Students 6th - 8th
Portrait and short profile of Slash, the very talented lead guitarist for a number of years for the famous Guns N' Roses rock band.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Black List Project: Tyler Perry, 2008

For Students 3rd - 8th
Portrait and short profile of the career of Tyler Perry, a playwright, actor, producer, and director. Perry developed and played the character of Madea, a comical grandmother, in the hit show Diary of a Mad Black Woman, as well as in...
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Black List Project: Laurence Fishburne, 2008

For Students 3rd - 8th
Portrait and short profile of the career of Laurence Fishburne, an award-winning screen and stage actor, as well as a playwright, director, and producer.
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Smithsonian Institution

Civil War@smithsonian: Winslow Homer's Civil War Sketches

For Students 9th - 10th
During the Civil War, Winslow Homer was a freelance artist for "Harper's Weekly," a leading news magazine of the day. This site examines Homer's work, which documents the lives of the soldiers who fought for the North. Includes an...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: For Lands' Sake: George Washington as Land Surveyor

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan invites the students to explore land surveying in the 18th century. Read an 18th-century land survey and decipher what is actually being said.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Who Am I? (Portrait Puzzler)

For Students 9th - 10th
Match the portraits of eight famous Americans who played major roles in the American Revolution with their famous deeds. A short exercise that can be used by individual learners to test their understanding of basic U.S. history content...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center: Forces of Change: Worm Watch [Pdf]

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Over a period of a week to ten days students observe the impact worms have on soil. Seven easily obtainable objects are all that is needed to complete this activity. 45 minutes are required for setup and some additional time for...
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Edna St. Vincent Millay

For Students 9th - 10th
Listen to the comments of Wendy Wick Reaves, curator at the National Portrait Gallery, as she discusses the art of William Zorach in the portrait he did of Edna St. Vincent Millay.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Robert F. Kennedy

For Students 9th - 10th
Wendy Wick Reaves, a curator at the National Portrait Gallery, makes observations about the portrait of Robert Kennedy by Roy Lichtenstein.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Beauford Delaney by Georgia O'keeffe

For Students 9th - 10th
Fascinating observations of Georgia O'Keeffe's portrait of Beauford Delaney. Listen to Wendy Wick Reaves, a curator at the National Portrait Gallery, explain O'Keeffe's use of pastels.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Stuart Davis

For Students 9th - 10th
Wendy Wick Reaves,a curator at the National Portrait Gallery, discusses the pencil drawing by Stuart Davis and explains how he achieves the look of his self-portrait.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Ornette Coleman

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief audio discussion of Elaine de Kooning's charcoal drawing of saxophonist, Ornette Coleman. Interesting comments by Wendy Wicks Reaves, curator at the National Portrait Gallery.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: Truman Capote

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting appraisal of Don Bachardy's portrait of Truman Capote. Listen to Carol Wick Reaves, curator of the National Portrait Gallery, discusses how this drawing is done in the accompanying audiofile.
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Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: Eye Contact: James Baldwin

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This audio file from Wendy Wick Reaves, curator of the National Portrait Gallery, discusses the portrait of James Baldwin drawn by Beauford Delaney.
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Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Chambered Nautilus

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of the Invertebrates exhibit at the National Zoo, this site highlights various facts and interesting information on Chambered Nautilus. Topics covered in the overview include Physical description, Life span, Predators,...
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Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Zoogoer Magazine: Capital Coyotes

For Students 9th - 10th
This article by Howard Youth in Zoogoer first appeared in the July/August 2005 edition of the magazine. The article covers a range of topics related to coyotes including "March of the Prairie Wolf," "Keeping Coyotes Wild," "At a Den Site...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Zoogoer Magazine: Grasslands on a Grand Scale

For Students 9th - 10th
Jeffrey P. Cohn's article in Zoogoer Magazine, "Grasslands on a Grand Scale," examines a variety of animals and topics associated with the grasslands. Among the animals discussed are the bison, the great horned owls, the cattle, and more.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Zoogoer Magazine: Desert Shell Game

For Students 9th - 10th
Howard Youth's article, "Desert Shell Game," examines information related to the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii. Topics covered include Fast Times for a Desert Ancient, The Tortoise and Its Lair, and more.
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Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Zoogoer Magazine: Black Footed Bandits, Stealing Home

For Students 9th - 10th
This article covers the antics and little-known facts related to the bandits (prairie dogs and ferrets). The article covers information on the history of the prairie dogs and ferrets as well as information on specific characteristics.
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Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian National Zoo: Zoogoer Magazine: Florida's Crowded Cat

For Students 9th - 10th
This article in Zoogoer Magazine by Howard Youth centers on the Florida Panther and its population growth as well as reaction to growth of big cities. The information on the panther is both informative and interesting.