The Civil War ended in 1865. From 2011-2015, Civil War sesquicentennial events took place around the nation. The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium used the opportunity to feature two exhibits on the critical role that the river played during the Civil War. Both exhibits highlighted contributions to the war effort by the surrounding…

In this article, the author reviews the "Presidential Timeline" and 12 existing presidential library websites that will help teachers and students to focus on the presidency. The author found that some were much more "teacher-student friendly" than others. All of them had sections for educators, students, or researchers, but many include lesson…

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum will be officially dedicated this September on the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 2001. It provides educational resources that explore the ongoing impact of the September 11th attacks and the ways that volunteerism and art aid in healing, recovery, and rebuilding. The 9/11 Memorial Museum, to be…

While not focusing directly on art, music, or literature, classroom teachers, students, and supervisors can find many virtual tours of museum offices, and agencies that do have art content. The use of virtual tours can be extremely effective--whether used as an entire classroom experience (such as the teacher guiding students through a tour using…

If the mission of the social studies is to educate global citizens for the twenty-first century, then students must learn how to engage in the type of systematic and sophisticated literacy work that recognizes the power of images as well as texts. In an era of high stakes testing, it is not easy for teachers to find time to locate appropriate art,…

In this article, the author presents a story behind the famous photograph of "Addie." Addie was a symbol of child labor reform. The author first saw the picture of Addie in the summer of 2002 at the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. Addie's picture was just one in an exhibit of child labor photographs taken by famed photographer…

The names and addresses of historical farms, villages, museums, and parks in each of the 50 states are listed as resources for introducing students to history. (AM)

Describes a museum's 10-week summer education program for elementary school students. In a nineteenth-century setting, students assume the role of adults and create an American West community. Tasks include blacksmithing, weaving, farming, carpentry, and printing. (KC)

Describes benefits of museum field trips to elementary school children. Suggests that the experience is especially beneficial to students with learning disabilities and physical or emotional handicaps. (KC)

Describes the Smithsonian's summer program which emphasizes the development of language skills for hearing-impaired elementary school children. In week-long sessions, students concentrate on one part of the collection. Emphasis is on naming objects and understanding concepts by engaging in a number of reinforcement activities. (KC)

A field trip to a local living museum, Old Sturbridge Village, was used to infuse basic economics concepts and understandings into a high economics school unit. The selection of economics concepts, warm-up activities, the field trip, and evaluation of student learnings are discussed. (AM)

The problems and advantages of using museums, environmental education centers, and community groups for teaching about the Bicentennial are examined. (JR)

Through field study students can actively become involved in understanding family histories by using historic houses or museum houses. The accomodations at Old Sturbridge Village are examined as an example. (JR)

Describes a project, developed for elementary children, which compares childhood in 19th and 20th century New England. Study begins with patterns and characteristics of contemporary childhood, and proceeds to children taking roles as members of real families from the 1820s in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Use of the living museum, Old Sturbridge…

The American Association of Museum's report, "Museums for a New Century," offers 16 recommendations to guide museum professionals as they plan for the future. Implications for social studies education, in particular history instruction, are discussed. (RM)