A collection of resources used for a mini-session at the ISTE Conference 2016. Includes strategies and resources for integrating art into an American History course, utilizing Harvard University & Project Zero's "Making Thinking Visible."

What you might find on my nightstand....

A learning resource for students about Thanksgiving. The images in this collection are different portrayals of the United States holiday of Thanksgiving. They are grouped in order of publication from 1863 to 1994. As you look through them and complete the activities, think about these three key questions:<br /> -How does the context in which the image is produced affect the result? Meaning, how does what is happening during the time period affect what kind of picture of Thanksgiving we see?<br /> -What do the images say about our national identity: who is a welcome part of the United States? What do we celebrate in this country?<br /> -Whose version of the Thanksgiving story is being told in these images?

<p>Students may use this collection to explore the reasons why Sacco and Vanzetti became a celebrated cause among liberal activists in the 1920s, and how their trial exemplified cultural divisions that emerged during the decade. Examining artists' perspectives on the trial through visual arts and music will help provide insight into the era. </p> <p>Tags: 1920s, Twenties, immigration, nativism, anarchy, socialism, Red Scare, crime, justice, inquiry, continuity and change</p><p><em>#historicalthinking</em></p><p><br /></p>

<p>This is a finished version of the "Six Degrees of Separation" AP USH review activity, including annotations explaining the links between objects. This may be useful to share with students the first time you try the activity. Note that connections should be deeper than similarities or coincidental links; they should reflect a causal relationship. In addition, you might ask students to present some analysis of the resources they chose, identifying key details.</p> <p>The original activity is available here: <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/six-degrees-of-separation-an-apush-review-activity/C1stNx2FioYNAkWP#r" target="_blank">https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/six-degrees-of-separation-an-apush-review-activity/C1stNx2FioYNAkWP#r</a><br /></p><p><em>#historicalthinking</em></p><p><br /></p>

This learner resource includes a 26 minute documentary where Charles Moore explains the context of many of his most famous civil rights images. Then, students examine the images and think about the importance of photojournalism to the civil rights movement. Finally, students are presented with Andy Warhol's image based on a Charles Moore photograph and asked to consider why certain images remain culturally significant. Guiding questions for this collection include: -How does seeing visual images of news events affect one differently than reading about them? Why? -How did the photographs in this collection impact the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement? -What makes some images more compelling than others? -Does photojournalism have a similar impact today? Tags: photography, Civil Rights, Birmingham, MLK, Martin Luther King, Charles Moore, photos, black and white

A mixed bag of artifacts of political and social protest movements in United States history. This collection can serve as a source of inspiration for students creating their own protest posters around a cause they believe in. The collection begins with a video by KQED Art School describing the characteristics of political art and a formula for making it.

<p>As part of the AP US Government and Politics course, students learn how the “Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause as well as other constitutional provisions have often been used to support the advancement of equality.” They are also asked to explore how individuals and groups help protect civil liberties and civil rights; another standard notes that “Public policy promoting civil rights is influenced by citizen-state interactions and constitutional interpretation over time.”</p> <p>This collection invites students to explore that process by learning more about the local and national history of the disability rights movement, and then imagining how future movements could build and expand on both the 14th Amendment and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In a typical AP US Government and Politics course, this could be taught as part of an introduction to Unit 3 (which addresses Civil Rights and Civil Liberties). </p> <p>It is designed as two 70 minute lessons with possibilities for extension, to be used in a remote learning or physical classroom environment.  The first day's lesson could be spent on the warm up and completing the timeline tracker, while the second day leaves time for discussion and possible further research. </p> <p>#civicdiscourse</p>

<p><br><strong>Overview:</strong> When facing challenges in society, activists must determine not just what kinds of changes might need to be made, but how much change, and how fast. A study of the growing socialist and anarchist movement during the Gilded Age in the United States (with a focus on Pittsburgh), will help students analyze why some people might advocate for radical change while others fear it. Students will then apply their new understanding when discussing responses to current social movements. </p> <p><strong>Questions for discussion throughout the lesson include:</strong></p> <ol><li>What kind of change is/was needed?  How might the answer to this question depend on your perspective (worker, farmer, politician, or business-owner?)</li><li>How much change is /was needed? How might the answer to this question depend on your perspective (worker, farmer, politician, or business-owner?)</li><li>Why might radical change be scary for some individuals but appealing to others? </li><li>What kinds of demands and strategies result in the most progress?</li></ol> <p><strong>Pacing/curriculum: </strong>This lesson can be used when discussing the response of workers and the labor movement to Gilded Age industrialization, or as a point of comparison when studying the other social reform movements of the late 19th and early 20th century, Populism and Progressivism. Just prior to this lesson, students in my classroom would have been studying the problems of workers and city-dwellers during the Gilded Age and the rapid growth of industrialization.</p> <p><br>The lesson is designed to be used during 1-2 70 minute class periods and can be implemented in an entirely remote learning environment.  The first day could consist of the warm up around socialism, and the why did it appeal/why was it scary t-charts. The second day should focus on connections to today and the question of revolution vs. reform located in the second half of resources in the collection. <br></p> <p>#civicdiscourse</p>

<p>This teaching collection contains resources to support a more inclusive United States history curriculum. It includes documents, videos, and websites related to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-, and other sexual minorities) movement. The collection is divided into the following themes:</p><p>-People</p><p>-Pride and Diversity of Experiences (reflecting a range of LGBT identities)</p><p>-History, Challenges, and Accomplishments</p><p>-Additional Resources</p><p>This is a work-in-progress based on the digitized materials within the Smithsonian Learning Lab's collection--it is not meant to be wholly definitive or authoritative. </p>

<p>"On the relationship between the Black Power and Black Arts movements, Larry Neal writes, “Black Art is the aesthetic and spiritual sister of the Black Power concept. … The Black Arts and the Black Power concept both related broadly to the Afro-American’s desire for self-determination and nationhood.” The artists within the Black Arts movement sought to create politically engaged work that explored the African American cultural and historical experience and transformed the way African Americans were portrayed in literature and the arts."</p> <p>This topical collection includes background information as well as examples of poetry and art from the Black Arts Movement. Two excerpts from essays are also included. There are also some examples of works from artists who rejected the premise of the Black Arts Movement. </p> <p>Students could use this collection as a starting point for further research or to create an illustrated timeline of the movement. Works could be analyzed for their reflection or rejection of themes like: black nationalism, self-determination, "the black is beautiful" movement, and liberation. Students could also evaluate the merits of the arguments for and against a "black arts movement" as articulated by Karenga and Saunders in the text excerpts.</p> <p>This is a work-in-progress based on the digitized materials within the Smithsonian Learning Lab's collection--it is not meant to be wholly definitive or authoritative.<br /></p>