The lessons in this issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom introduce the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, specifically their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. “Very little of the world’s flora has been fully studied,” says one Smithsonian botanist, “and time is running out.” In the first lesson, students gets to know six endangered plants. They examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of the plants as they consider this question: If a scientist can take a picture of a plant, are there advantages in having an illustration? They go on to consider some of the big questions that botanists themselves must ask: Which of these species are most in need of conservation efforts? Are any of these plants more worth saving than others?In the second lesson, the students try their own hands at botanical illustration, following the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. All that is required for the lesson are pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier.

The lessons in this issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom introduce the work of botanists and botanical illustrators, specifically their race to make records of endangered plant species around the world. “Very little of the world’s flora has been fully studied,” says one Smithsonian botanist, “and time is running out.” In the first lesson, students gets to know six endangered plants. They examine illustrations, photographs, and dried specimens of the plants as they consider this question: If a scientist can take a picture of a plant, are there advantages in having an illustration? They go on to consider some of the big questions that botanists themselves must ask: Which of these species are most in need of conservation efforts? Are any of these plants more worth saving than others?In the second lesson, the students try their own hands at botanical illustration, following the methods of a Smithsonian staff illustrator. All that is required for the lesson are pencils, markers, tracing paper, and access to a photocopier.

In this activity, learners use simple supplies to build a speaker. After they construct the speaker with adult assistance, learners attach it to a low power radio and test it out. The resource guide includes questions for learners to answer that will help them examine the speaker device and think about how it works. Learners are also encouraged to modify their design and take apart a broken radio to search for the electromagnet coil and permanent magnet inside. Use this activity to introduce learners to how speakers work as well as electromagnetism and sound.

This site examines the Civil War through collections of artifacts. Topics include slavery and abolition, Abraham Lincoln, the first Union officer killed, soldiering, weapons, leaders, cavalries, navies, life and culture, Appomattox, Winslow Homer, and Mathematics and Statistics. A Civil War time-line is included.

What can American Art teach us about the transformative impact of the Civil War on the country? This teacher guide provides background information, key images, activities, and lesson plans inspired by The Civil War and American Art exhibition that can be used either in conjunction with a museum visit or in the classroom.

Climate Action! is a freely available community research guide developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) in partnership with the InterAcademy Partnership as part of the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project. Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research guides use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to focus on sustainable actions that are defined and implemented by students.

Climate Action! is the new community research guide from the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project for students aged 11 to 18. In the guide, young people explore the question “How can we mitigate human impact on the atmosphere?” The guide contains themes that lead youth to discover their interconnectedness with the atmosphere and understand complex climate systems. Together, these themes help prepare youth to take action towards a sustainable future for the planet.

© 2024 Smithsonian Institution
All rights reserved. First Edition 2024.

Copyright Notice
No part of this module, or derivative works of this module, may be used or reproduced for any purpose except fair use without permission in writing from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

Heidi Gibson, Smithsonian Science Education Center - Manager of the Global Sustainability Series, is the author.

Jamie Rumage is the Oregon Open Learning - Science Group Administrator, not an official author or contributor of the published materials of the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

In pretending, we learn to navigate with ease between real and imaginary worlds while learning the differences between them. Using our imaginations encourages original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy, and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. Pretend play helps us learn to think visually and spatially and to both capture and express ideas.

What can artwork from the Puerto Rico's colonial period tell us about the history of the island and its culture? This bilingual guide explores fifteen artworks and provides the historical significance of each piece.

Smithsonian resource. This is a collection of 6 videos (without sound) that show how early computer pioneers shaped the way people lived in the 1900s. Can be used to study technological revolutions.

This is a creative approach to teaching basic skills involved in the formal visual analysis of works of art. Students will learn how to interpret artworks in cultural and historical contexts by becoming "art detectives." Students will analyze Catlin's formal compositions to learn about the Native American leaders he painted. They will examine visual clues and write a final "case summary" in which they "crack Catlin's code."

The National Museum of the American Latino has created this resource as a guide to learn more about the Day of the Dead. Use this Learning Lab as a starting off point to celebrate with your community, family, and/or students. Our on-line learning kit includes general information and the history of the tradition. Smithsonian collections, video resources, music, and hands-on activities for in-school or at-home learning are also included.

This site introduces students to archeology -- the study of material remains to learn about past human experiences. This lesson (Grades 3-8) discusses various challenges of an archaeologist: locating a site that will yield clues about the people who once lived there, conducting excavations, and more. Students identify artifacts from a contemporary setting, describe the function of each artifact, identify methods for dating soil layers, and interpret soil profiles.

This site introduces students to archeology -- the study of material remains to learn about past human experiences. This lesson (Grades 3-8) discusses various challenges of an archaeologist: locating a site that will yield clues about the people who once lived there, conducting excavations, and more. Students identify artifacts from a contemporary setting, describe the function of each artifact, identify methods for dating soil layers, and interpret soil profiles.

This site helps students answer questions about dinosaurs: What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? Where did they live? What caused their mass extinction? Students can participate in a virtual dinosaur discovery, follow milestones in dinosaur evolution, and see behind-the-scenes slide-shows of the lab environment where vertebrate specimens are prepared for exhibits and research.

Travel through time and decide how to get from here to there, while assembling your own photo album. See how much you know about the history of transportation with the interactive games in this online collection. You can find information, artifacts and photographs in the collection as well.

How can an image inspire a poem? This lesson plan guides students to write a ten line poem inspired by a work of art.

In celebration of Day of the Dead, listen to 2020 New Mexico Poet Laureate, Levi Romero, explore the meaning of remembrance in his poem “El día 29 de Agosto.” This video is one of the 2021 Dead Poets Open Mic Series created by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino in collaboration with Mouthfeel Press.

What did Manifest Destiny mean to the United States? How did Native Americans and African-Americans fit into Westward Expansion? This lesson plan compares Emanuel Leutze's 1861 study of Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way to the final mural in the United States House of Representatives. Analysis of the artwork and the changes made to the final version teach the history of Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny.

This site offers geography and history activities showing how two years in history had an indelible impact on American politics and culture. Students interpret historical maps, identify territories acquired by the U.S., identify states later formed from these territories, examine the territorial status of Texas, and identify political, social, and economic issues related to the expansion of the U.S. in the 1840s.

This site offers geography and history activities showing how two years in history had an indelible impact on American politics and culture. Students interpret historical maps, identify territories acquired by the U.S., identify states later formed from these territories, examine the territorial status of Texas, and identify political, social, and economic issues related to the expansion of the U.S. in the 1840s.