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Newsela provides thousands of nonfiction articles at multiple reading levels, allowing teachers to assign the same content to all students while adjusting complexity. Built-in quizzes and writing prompts help track comprehension and target specific skill gaps. This supports differentiation by ensuring all learners can access grade-level topics, practice reading comprehension skills, and work toward mastery of literacy standards in a format that meets their needs.

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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Edpuzzle lets teachers take any video, whether from YouTube, Khan Academy, or original recordings, and make it interactive by embedding questions, notes, and comments. Students can pause, replay, and work at their own pace while teachers collect data to guide instruction. This tool supports differentiated learning paths, allowing students to practice targeted skills, receive immediate feedback, and build toward curriculum mastery in ways that match their readiness and learning style.

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Easily create beautiful interactive video lessons for your students you can integrate right into your LMS. Track students' progress with hassle-free analytics as you flip your classroom!

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Khan Academy offers lessons, practice activities, and mastery tracking across math, science, history, and more. Students can work independently to preview new content, deepen understanding of grade-level skills, or explore topics beyond the curriculum. This extends learning opportunities for both on-level and advanced students, supporting mastery through targeted practice and immediate feedback.

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Our mission is to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab provides access to millions of digital artifacts, images, videos, and lesson plans. Teachers can create customized collections that integrate inquiry-based learning and cross-disciplinary connections. By working with authentic primary sources, students engage in higher-order thinking, practice research and analysis skills, and strengthen mastery of both content knowledge and critical thinking standards.

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Smithsonian

Learning Lab

Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories.

Collections by Grade

Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site.

Talk with Me!
Learn about your community and neighborhood. In this Toolkit, leaners explore different homes, shops, and people in your neighborhood and have fun with related activities.

Talk with Me Toolkits provide you with chances to talk with your children to improve thinking, vocabulary, and language development. Talking with your child is great-and research shows that the quality of words children hear matters more than how much you talk.

Talk with Me Toolkits give you ideas to begin conversations that are organized around a theme. The Toolkits feature videos, photographs, paintings, and artworks along with questions to talk about with your child. At the end of each toolkit there are more activities to do and books to read together. Go through this toolkit with your child and see how many topics there are to talk about!
This toolkit was adapted with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Links to third-party websites and videos are included in this Toolkit for informational purposes only. They do not indicate the Smithsonian's endorsement, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the third party or content of the linked site, including any advertisements that might be posted.

Learn More

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

What inspires you? Get to know Alma Thomas, (b. Columbus, Georgia; lived and worked in Washington, DC, 1891-1978), an American artist and educator known for her signature painting style using bright colors and patterns inspired by nature. She became a full-time artist late in her life. Born in a time of horses and buggies, she lived through big advancements in technology, such as the space race and moon landing. Her art was inspired by the nature she saw outside her home studio, and awe for the exploration of our vast universe.
Get To Know Alma Thomas Use it in the classroom to teach:
is part of the Hirshhorn KIDS About the Artist series. About the Artist biographies are designed for kids under age 12. Modern and contemporary artists' lives reflect recent human history and events. Sharing these life stories and artworks can help kids see their own potential and better understand the world and their place in it. It is our goal to inspire future generations of artists, makers, and creative problem solvers-sharing artists stories is one way Hirshhorn KIDS realize this goal.
Art classroom: Color Theory, Pattern

Language Arts classroom: Biography

Social Studies classroom: 20th century

Learn More

National Museum of American History

In this playlist you will learn about how three of the first presidents shaped the executive branch of the United States government.

Start by clicking on the first tile in the upper left hand corner. Then move through the playlist by clicking on the ">" symbol at the bottom of the page. Look for the information and paperclip icons to provide more information about selected resources. There are 34 tiles in this collection.

Learn More

Educator Programs

Cultivating Learning is a professional development series where Smithsonian educators model teaching techniques for using digital museum resources to support student learning. This year's series celebrates America at 250. Programs are free and accessible to anyone.

Wednesday, April 15, 4:00 PM EST

Join Phoebe Sherman of the National Postal Museum to explore how postage stamps can be used in the classroom to encourage civic awareness and engagement. We'll examine how stamps can spark curiosity and deepen understanding of civics, American history, national identity, and commemoration by using thinking routines that focus on both subject matter and artistic design. You'll see how these approaches come to life with students and leave with classroom-ready resources and fresh ideas for incorporating postage stamps into your teaching practice.

Watch

Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 PM EST

Join Nyssa Buning of the National Museum of American History's Spark!Lab and Carol O'Donnell of the Smithsonian Science Education Center to explore strategies for cultivating an inventive mindset in your students. We'll discuss the history of STEAM innovation in America and try an open-ended invention challenge that uses object-based learning techniques to encourage creative problem solving and support curiosity and perseverance, skills essential to inventors throughout history. You'll leave with a set of facilitation tools to support students as they develop their own inventive identity and become future problem-solvers. You'll also receive access to a newly released e-book from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, STEAM Innovation: Celebrating Our Nation's 250 Years.

Register

Wednesday, June 17, 4:00 PM EST

As America turns 250 in 2026, young people are writing its next chapter. Join a group of educators who apply interdisciplinary approaches to learning to engage young people in civic dialogue tied to their communities.

Register

What will you find in the Smithsonian Learning Lab?

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Browse individual resources by type

Browse model collections on different topics

Tips

Tips

Create collections of resources to engage learners, or freely adapt ones already made by Learning Lab users like you.

Use Learning Lab tools to customize and enhance your collections.

Browse ready-to-use model collections by educational use

Browse ready-to-use model collections by learning strategy or theme

Tips

Tips

Subscribe to our Bright Ideas newsletter

To learn more about the Smithsonian Learning Lab and to read about strategies, approaches, new features, and more, subscribe to the Bright Ideas newsletter. We'll be sending out a new issue every few weeks.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Discover, Create, Share

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories. Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site. Talk with Me! Learn about your community and neighborhood.

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Padlet is an online collaborative board where students can share text, images, links, and videos. It supports project planning, peer feedback, and shared resource building. Students develop collaboration skills, take ownership of their contributions, and practice self-directed learning strategies that help them work toward curriculum mastery in group and independent settings.

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Seesaw is a digital portfolio and communication platform for younger learners. Students can post photos, drawings, audio, and videos to share their learning process. Teachers can assign interactive activities, give feedback, and encourage peer interaction. This builds student independence, reinforces curriculum skills through repeated practice, and promotes reflection, key steps toward mastery.

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Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Elementary Learning Experience Platform | Seesaw

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Seesaw is a Learning Experience Platform with 25M+ users, enhancing elementary education, engagement, and school culture while improving academic success.

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National Geographic Kids provides articles, videos, and games about animals, people, and cultures worldwide in kid-friendly language. Students develop global awareness while practicing research, reading comprehension, and informational text skills. This strengthens mastery of literacy and social studies standards while fostering appreciation for cultural diversity.

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Epic! offers thousands of children’s books, audiobooks, and videos, including many that feature diverse cultures, languages, and traditions. Teachers can curate reading lists that connect to social studies and literacy standards, helping students practice reading strategies, build vocabulary, and achieve mastery while learning about diverse perspectives.

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Free for educators! Give students unlimited in-class access to the best books & videos on Epic

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Mystery Science delivers ready-to-teach science lessons that integrate reading, writing, and math. Each lesson begins with a big question, uses engaging media, and includes hands-on activities. This cross-curricular design reinforces multiple subject standards at once, giving students opportunities to practice skills in authentic, connected contexts that lead to mastery.

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Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

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Mystery Science offers open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science. The hook, visuals, and activity have all been prepared for you. Less prep, more learning.

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Scholastic News provides leveled nonfiction articles on current events, science, history, and social studies. Each issue includes videos, comprehension questions, and related activities, making it easy to connect literacy skills with other subject areas. Students strengthen reading comprehension, vocabulary, and content knowledge through repeated practice toward mastery of academic standards.

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With Magazines+, you get fresh, high-interest content delivered all year long-in print, online, or both. Every single story, video, and activity is designed to hook your students and keep them engaged. And because Magazines+ complements your curriculum, it's easy to implement during any part of the school day!

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Scholastic Classroom & News Magazines | Subscribe Now!

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Scholastic Magazines+ cover the latest topics to enhance instruction in math, science, reading, social studies, and more! Subscribe Today!

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ClassDojo fosters positive classroom culture by encouraging behaviors such as teamwork, empathy, and perseverance. Teachers can track progress, give instant feedback, and share SEL lessons with students and families. By developing social-emotional competencies, students improve their ability to engage in academic learning, which supports long-term curriculum mastery.

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ClassDojo helps teachers, parents, and students build amazing classroom communities.

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GoNoodle offers short movement and mindfulness activities that help students build self-regulation, focus, and emotional awareness. These skills directly support academic engagement and persistence, giving students the emotional readiness needed to practice and master curriculum objectives.