Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Zoo Labs

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Five inquiry-based investigations designed for the observation of primates in a zoo setting. The labs ask guiding questions and list notable primate behaviors.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Camping With the Sioux: Fieldwork Diary of Alice Fletcher

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating site that presents the story of Alice Fletcher who traveled to Dakota Territory to live with Sioux women. Click on dates on the calendar for diary entries. Also includes historic photo gallery.
Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Within These Walls

For Students 4th - 8th
If these walls could talk! Explore American History through one house that has experienced over 200 years of history. This interactive site has pictures of artifacts, primary sources, and music from 1757-1945. Be a detective and guess...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Women in Aviation and Space History

For Students 9th - 10th
Find information on the many women who became well known for their part in aviation history. Click on one of the drop down menus on the left to find a name, then click on the name to see a short description of the woman and her...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Our Solar System

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a tour of our solar system and learn fascinating details and observations about the planets.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Tween Tribune: What's Up With Saturn's Rings?

For Students 5th - 8th
Learn about the rings of Saturn.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Tween Tribune: What Happens When You Get a Concussion?

For Students 5th - 8th
Article explains the science of concussions.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Tween Tribune: Whales Reappear in Long Island Sound

For Students 5th - 8th
Article reports on the return of whales of varies species to the waters off of Long Island.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Venus

For Students 9th - 10th
Get the facts on Venus. Resource offers a variety of satellite images and facts about the structure and features of Venus.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Tools of Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of the National Air and Space Museum's online exhibition about Exploring Planets, this describes and gives visuals of telescopes, probes and fly-by aircrafts, orbiters, and landers as current methods for earth and airborne...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Mercury

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a useful resource for facts and images pertaining to the planet Mercury.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Exploring the Planets: Early Discovery

For Students 9th - 10th
This section of the exhibition gives the history of the discovery and study of space starting with the Greeks and Romans through to the early 1900's.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Tween Tribune: If We Don't Need an Appendix, Why Is It There?

For Students 5th - 8th
Article presents a theory regarding the role of the appendix in the human body.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: A Human Rights Breakthrough in Guatemala

For Students 9th - 10th
Smithsonian writer Julian Smith discusses the discovery of the Guatemalan National Police force's archives and the implications of this discovery for human rights issues in Guatemala. (October 2009)
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Thomas Edison's Inventive Life

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is a complete resource for learning about Edison's life, his inventions, and electricity. If you like experimenting, there are instructions included for how to make your own light bulb. Good photos.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Invention of the Electric Guitar

For Students 9th - 10th
Can you imagine music without the electric guitar? The Lemelson Center provides us with a comprehensive overview on the history behind its invention and design. Includes photos depicting how the design has changed over the years and...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Innovative Lives

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site from the Smithsonian Institute you can explore the world of invention by learning about inventors and their inventions. Searchable by name or subject, it is a great way for students to learn about science and technology.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation

For Students 9th - 10th
By studying invention throughout history, this site encourages the inventive and creative spirit in all of us.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Magazine: Arts and Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow this link to the arts base of "Smithsonian, the monthly magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution. Access arts-related content from the current issue of the magazine; link to ARTiculation, the Smithsonian's art blog; open...
Article
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: September 11, 2001: Collecting and Exhibiting

For Students 9th - 10th
Talks about the Church Street Station Post Office in New York City that was very near Ground Zero, and how the postal service continued to work post 9/11 in that area.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Moving West

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Postal Museum provides an intimate look at how America's postal service expanded to meet the needs of westward-moving settlers during the nineteenth century. Content includes a selection of letters written at the time, a...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Teaching Math & Science in Age of Sputnik

For Students 9th - 10th
Why did the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik throw the fields of mathematics and science into tremendous demand in the United States? Find the many ways this revolutionary event impacted children from the 1950s to become the...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Science Education Center

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Various middle school science resources from the Smithsonian Institution.
Article
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: Plans for the 200th Anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner

For Students 9th - 10th
September 14th, 2014 will be the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner. Learn about the Smithsonian's plans for celebrating this important historical event.