The Smithsonian Online
The Smithsonian Institute is a world-renowned keeper of art, culture and history. In its museums are artifacts that mark the passage of time in the United States of America’s history. The National Museum of American History is one such museum under the Smithsonian Institute and it has many to offer to a high school student.
Its interactive website gives potential visitors a glimpse of the objects of interest in the National Museum of American History.
This includes a Greensboro Lunch Counter, which signified racial discrimination in North Carolina in the 1960s. African Americans weren’t allowed to eat at the “Whites Only” lunch counter, until four African American college students were brave enough to make history one day.
Students can also explore the 1401 Locomotive Area, with railroad worker artifacts also in display. Possible questions to students include what tasks could these railroad workers have had to perform, or if they were African American or WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Person).
A place of extreme interest to your students could be the Antarctic setting or the protest buttons on display. Also under this category is the actual flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to sing the American National Anthem—the original flag had 15 stars.
These artifacts and many other resources on the Smithsonian Institute can be seen when you visit its website’s Main Page.
Here are some tips when visiting the museum though:
- Plan ahead using the information on the website. There are usually less people in museums right after 10AM on weekdays.
- Turn it into an adventure! Talk to students beforehand about the things they will likely see so they become excited even before going to the museum. If your students are younger, here’s a tip sheet for visiting with kids, includes a fun quiz and map (PDF format).
- Discover even more ways to introduce museums and their collections to your students.
- Be prepared to walk since most Smithsonian museums, especially those in the Washington D.C. area cover about 1 mile. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
- Use public transportation to visit the Smithsonian to avoid having to search for parking space.
- Schedule your visit at a time when interactive carts are available, or when there are gallery interpreters. There are also times when actors portray characters from past live theater presentations so students can “step back into time” and watch performances.
- Inquire about Spark!Lab, an interactive exhibition on the process of invention, since they can accommodate small groups on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Students can explore the museum on their own by using these guides (Version A, Version B,
Version C) and then come back together in a group.
- Check out pre-visit materials for teachers (background information, history standard correlations, and classroom activities to help students prepare for a visit. Then there are post-visit materials for teachers to help students reflect on their visit. Here are some sample materials on student sit-ins in history: Pre-visit sheet and Post-visit sheet.
- Subscribe to the monthly e-mail newsletter, and check the “For Educators” category for more information on events and other resources. There is also a blog teachers can check out for more behind the scenes at the museum.
Sources:
“Discover guide for grades 7-9.” Retrieved November 18, 2009 from
http://americanhistory.si.edu/visiting/guides/school/DISCOVER_Grades7-9A.pdf
“School visits.” Retrieved November 18, 2009 from http://americanhistory.si.edu/educators/visiting.cfm
“Tips for visiting.” Retrieved November 18, 2009 from http://www.si.edu/visit/tips.htm
(Published 14 December 2009, Smart Communications Inc.)
