Smithsonian Education

http://smithsonianeducation.org/index.html

SmithsonianEducation.org is a website set up by the Smithsonian for teachers, parents, and students to access. This website contains so much information just waiting for someone to dive in to. This website is free, no subscriptions or signing up needed.

The students page is very user-friendly, with links to different activities that the students can do, as well as different topics that the students can explore: Everything Art, Science and Nature, History and Culture, and People and Places. These topics lead to different games and activities for the students to do to learn more.

The teachers page is also very user-friendly. Here, there are lesson plans that are free to download. Topics include: Art and Design, Science and Technology, History and Culture, and Language Arts. You can also search for other resources by grade, subject, and keyword, or you can search other resources that line up with the Common Core by standard, grade, and subject.

Ideas for usage:

This website already has everything, including how teachers can use assessments and pre-assessments with the lesson plans provided. If there are no assessments provided with the lesson plans, it is fairly simple to come up with one that is based on the lesson plan you are using.

Teachers can so many different topics across the curriculum using this website. They have so many different resources for you to search through.

Standard examples:

Kindergarten – Heritage – Heritage is reflected through the arts, customs, traditions, family celebrations, and language

Kindergarten – Historical Thinking and Skills – Time can be measured

1st Grade – Heritage – The way basic human needs are met has changed over time

3rd Grade – Places and Regions – Daily life is influenced by the agriculture, industry, and natural resources in different communities

Resources:

Ohio Department of Education. (2012). Social Studies. Retrieved from http://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Academic-Content-Standards/Social-Studies/K-8-Social-Studies-Standards-Updated-September-2012.pdf.aspx

Smithsonian Institution. (2013). Smithsonian Education. Retrieved from http://smithsonianeducation.org/index.html