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Linda Muller

Smithsonian Learning Lab Coordinator
Smithsonian Institution, Heinz History Center
Primary (5 to 8 years old), Elementary (9 to 12 years old), Middle School (13 to 15 years old), Adults, Post-Secondary
Language Arts And English, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Other
Hello, I am one of the Smithsonian Learning Lab Program Coordinators based in Pittsburgh, PA. My professional interests are focused on instructional technology and computer-based learning. I am also fascinated by history as it's presented in primary and secondary resources.

Linda Muller's collections

 

Prohibition

Did the 18th Amendment effectively keep America dry during the 1920s-1930s? What about Prohibition locally in Pittsburgh - was it effective? This collection of resources includes images, artifacts, texts, newspaper articles, and videos that are assembled to depict a macro-view of how the Prohibition Era started in America. This collection also parallels a local, micro-view examination of Prohibition here in Pittsburgh including a brief history of political corruption, bootlegging, and murder spanning a five year period from 1927 - 1932.
Linda Muller
16
 

Atomic City in the Appalachian Mountains

The Manhattan Project didn't begin in a lab in Los Alamos Nevada - it began in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. President Roosevelt wanted to put an end to WWII, so in December of 1942 he authorized the Manhattan Project. Work on procuring and clearing land for the Oak Ridge Tennessee site was already underway. By the end of WWII, Oak Ridge was the fifth largest town in Tennessee and the Clinton Engineer Works consumed 1/7th of all the power produced in the nation.
Linda Muller
19
 

Branches of Government

This Collection contains resource to help students understand the three branches of government in the United States.
Linda Muller
12
 

Custer's Last Stand

This Collection includes primary and secondary sources related to George Armstrong Custer's "Last Stand" during the Battle of Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876.
Linda Muller
17
 

War of Currents

Would alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) become the dominant power? This Collection includes images and texts that depict the "War of Currents" that occurred between Thomas Alva Edison and George Westinghouse.
Linda Muller
14
 

The Middle East

A collection of resources depicting the countries that make up the Middle East.
Linda Muller
26
 

Investigating a Place: Pennsylvania

This Collection contains stamps, photographs, drawings, sculpture, objects, videos, and music to explore the history and culture of Pennsylvania, the Keystone State. These resources can be used by students to investigate the following questions: How do you define Pennsylvania as a place? What does it mean to be from the Keystone State?
Linda Muller
42
 

Visual Thinking Strategies

The goal of teaching visual thinking strategies is to encourage students to observe independently and back up their responses with evidence. Annotations for each image contain key questions to help students practice visual thinking.
Linda Muller
5
 

Martin Luther King

This Collection of resources highlights key events in the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It includes resources that illustrate the Montgomery bus boycott, his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, the March on Washington and his I Have A Dream speech and finally, images and a video from his assassination and funeral. Key Terms: Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights leader Activist Black rights African American rights Equality
Linda Muller
22
 

Trail of Tears

What was the Trail of Tears? What incidents led to the Trail of Tears? Who was removed from their native land? Where did they resettle? What was President Andrew Jackson's opinion on Indian removal? What was John Ross's opinion on Indian removal? What is your opinion on the event? This Collection was created to be used as an introduction to the "Trail of Tears" event that occurred during the period of Westward Expansion. This Collection contains images of then President Andrew Jackson, John Ross, Chief of the Cherokee nation, and General Winfield Scott. It also includes Jackson's message to Congress, "On Indian Removal", the Treaty of New Echota along with a letter that Chief Ross wrote to the U.S. Congress denouncing the Treaty of New Echota which the government used as legal authority to remove the Cherokee from their native land. Background Information: In 1838 and 1839, President Andrew Jackson ordered the relocation of the Cherokee people from their native lands east of the Mississippi River to an area in what is known as present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this forced migration the, "Trail of Tears" because of its devastating effects. The Cherokee people suffered hunger, disease, and exhaustion during their journey, resulting in 4,000 deaths out of the 15,000 Cherokees who were forced to relocate. Source citation: "Trail of Tears." Africans in America. PBS Online. nd. Web. 7 Jan 2016.
Linda Muller
11
 

Spanish-American War

The Spanish-American War was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisitions of territories in the Pacific and Latin America. The war originated with the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain in 1895. Demand for U.S. intervention increased after the unexplained sinking of the U.S.S. Maine on February 16, 1898 in Havana Harbour. The U.S. declared war on Spain in April, 1898 and attacked Spain's interests in the Pacific and Cuba. Realizing that she was outclassed by American military power, Spain surrendered from Cuba in July, 1898 - effectively ending the war. Later that year, in December, 1898, Spain signed the Treaty of Paris in which they renounced their claims to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million. Source citation: "Spanish-American War." History.com. A&E Networks. 2016. Web. 6 Jan 2016
Linda Muller
17
 

Famous Faces: A collection of portraits by Irving Penn

Irving Penn was one of the most influential photographers of the 20th Century. Throughout a career that spanned 70 years, Penn captured images in black and white and color across various genres including advertising, fashion, still life, and portraits. This Collection features portraits Penn took of famous people who built careers in the arts, an article written about Penn in The Smithsonian Magazine (November, 2015), and a link to the Irving Penn Archives at the Art Institute of Chicago where Penn donated the bulk of his collection in 1995. IMPORTANT NOTE: Resources in the Irving Penn Archives collections at the Art Institute of Chicago include a series of nude photographs which may be inappropriate for minors to view.
Linda Muller
24