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Smithsonian Education: Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Through this series of three lessons, students will gain an understanding of the basics of mineral science. In their investigation they will also work through the scientific process as they practice their observation skills, form...
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Smithsonian Education: Toads, Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, and Other Creepers
Smithsonian Education presents Reviled and Revered: Toads, Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders, and Other Creepers and Crawlers. Get the facts about reptiles and amphibians. Learn about their unique characteristics, as well as explore why we...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Airplanes and Airports: How to Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground
Smithsonian Education presents "Airplanes and Airports: How to Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground." Teachers can download this teaching package that discusses airplanes and airports. Included in the discussion are the forces of...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: The Greatest Show on Earth (Starring Some of the World's Smallest Animals)
Teachers can download this teaching package that discusses insects and insect adaptations. Students will enjoy the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will appreciate the student handouts provided, as well as the list...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Digging Up Dirt: How Paleontologists Bring Dinosaurs Back to Life
Teachers can download this teaching package that introduces students to the science of paleontology. Fossil formulation and details about the work of paleontologists are discussed. Find out how paleontologists discover, stabilize, and...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Turn About's Fair Play! Mirrors and How They Reflect
Teachers can download this teaching package that looks at light and symmetry through the use of mirrors. Students will enjoy the nine mirror challenges, along with the hands-on activities described in the lessons. Teachers will...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Tale of a Whale and Why It Can Be Told
Teachers can download this comprehensive teaching package in which students work like marine biologists studying the North Atlantic right whale. As part of this learning exercise, students will research field photographs of one of these...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources
This site is your link to teaching resources about Hispanic heritage. Choose from topics such as Musica del Pueblo, Mexican America, Latino Voices in American Art, or many others. Explore links to interactive exhibits, lesson plans, and...
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Smithsonian Education: Making Friends With Franklin
Come meet Benjamin Franklin and some of his scientific friends. Learn about them through the eyes of early American portraiture. Following the introduction are three great lesson plans for teachers of language arts, science, and visual...
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Smithsonian in Your Classroom: Teaching With Collections [Pdf]
This instructional activity is great for young learners who like to collect things. It gives you ideas of ways to teach such concepts as classifying, sorting, arranging, multiplying, graphing, and measuring with collections of simple...
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Smithsonian Education: Every Picture Has a Story
This retrospect on photography looks at the history of this art form and compares it to its function today.
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Smithsonian Education: Japan Images of a People
A wonderful three lesson unit that examines the art of Japanese screen paintings. Following some valuable information on the culture and country student will have an opportunity to create their own screen.
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Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo: Landscape Painting
This lesson plan uncovers the "tricks" artists use when creating a landscape painting. Students will explore the work of American artists George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and Winslow Homer. One of the activities is in spanish.
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: American Indian Heritage Teaching Resources
Great online resource for finding teaching material to help students learn about American Indian Heritage Month. Features a wealth of information on Native American history, medicine, rituals, religion, art, and culture.
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Smithsonian Education: Idea Labs: Mr. President
Excellent interactive learning site that features portraits, quotes, and facts about each U.S. President from George Washington to George W. Bush.
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Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Playing Historical Detective
Students become detectives, reading and analyzing documents and artifacts as clues to the life of a nineteenth century woman, Annie Steel. The students then use various materials to create a series of collages.
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Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Memorials: Art for Remembering
The lessons in this issue familiarize students with memorials in which they examine four memorials from around the world and examples in their own community. In a culminating activity, students identify and create a memorial for someone...
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Smithsonian Education: My Wonderful World
Interactive map of the world in which students select a continent and begin exploring using online resources from the Smithsonian Institute.
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Abraham Lincoln: The Face of a War
A detailed lesson plan of Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. In a PDF file, the complete lesson is provided along with visual aides needed for the lesson. Draws on photographs and masks of Lincoln's face...
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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Black History Teaching Resources
Explore an exciting collection of teaching resources, activities, and lesson plans honoring Black History Month.
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Smithsonian Education: Lesson Plan: Black Wings: American Pioneer Aviators
With this resource, teachers can select the most appropriate academic level and download a lesson plan that contains images, Word documents and PDF resources for teaching about the history of black Americans in aviation. Excellent...
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Smithsonian Education: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson
With this leasson plan, students will learn about prominent African American artist William H. Johnson and his influence both on the history of art and black American culture. Select a link for the desired grade level version of this...
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Smithsonian: Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities
Smithsonian Institution presents ?Ocean Planet: Interdisciplinary Marine Science Activities?. Through this series of six interdisciplinary lessons, students will look at such things as the organisms in different marine ecosystems, the...
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Smithsonian Education: Carbons to Computers: The Typewriter
Created a little less than 150 years ago, the typewriter was the forerunner for the computer. This page offers a detailed history of the birth of the typewriter along with several visual examples.