National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute

http://americanhistory.si.edu/

National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute

This website is a very good resource for teachers in the Social Studies content area. The National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute is just one area of the museum that the Smithsonian develops. There are links on this website about upcoming exhibits and what you can do to plan your visit. Obviously not all classrooms would be able to plan a field trip to the Smithsonian, but planning an online scavenger hunt or exploring the museum online is always a good option for students. The website also shows the extensive collections list for the museum with further information about each topic. There is a timeline feature where students can scroll over major events in the history of the United States to learn more about specific topics.

At the top navigation bar on the website, there are two tabs: one for kids and one for educators. The kids tab has a lot of information about how to access the exhibits online. There are interactive games included in this feature that help students learn more about specific topics while keeping their attention. Although some of the games are designed for younger students, this website would still be appropriate for 6^th – 8^th grade students. They address several diversity issues within the games and exhibits.

The educator’s bar is a great online resource for searching to find historical resources to use in your classroom. They can provide you with primary source documents, ideas for lesson plans, or a simple artifact that you can build a lesson around. They divide the information into grade level so you can find age appropriate information. They also have a professional development tab where teachers can learn more about refreshing their skills and staying current with information.