Free Lesson Plans From Smithsonian Education!

Whether you've been to Washington, D.C. or not, no doubt you know about the amazing museums and research centers of the Smithsonian Institution. But did you know that they have a website just for educators, with links to online resources, lesson plans and curriculum guides, and access to some of the museum's exhibits and collections?

Take a look HERE to find their educator homepage, where you can browse to see what they have on offer! And be sure not to miss THIS LIST of lesson plans--they're easy to search by keyword, by standard, by subject and by grade, so finding resources that you can use right away is incredibly user-friendly and easy! The search fields are to the left.

Finally, be sure to check out their Resource Library and their list of Online Events, where you can see how to incorporate museum collections and artifacts into your classroom lessons, and access supporting podcasts and webcasts for free!

Common Core--History and Social Science Resources!

With the Common Core's emphasis on helping students engage more critically and dynamically with texts and ideas, there has never been a better time to bring the lessons and figures from history to life in the classroom. History and the social sciences offer students an incredible arena in which to bring together many of the  important elements the CCSS are designed to foster: problem-solving, understanding and predicting patterns, analyzing and building narratives, and synthesizing information from a variety of sources and texts.

Check out these fantastic resources for American history from the University of Maryland--Baltimore County (UMBC)! In addition to a collection of Common Core-aligned lesson plans (CLICK HERE FOR LESSON PLANS), there is a "history lab" site. What is a history lab? According to UMBC, it's a complete research experience for students and teachers, w
hich allows students to begin thinking like historians, engaging primary and secondary materials, looking at overarching questions, and seeking evidence-based answers.

TAKE A LOOK and see how you can incorporate these history labs into your classroom!