Resource Library

In this video, Dr. Bill Chameides takes the audience on a tour of Central Park to discuss the importance of green space to urban centers. There are shots of different parts and features of the park, and he discusses a bit of the history.

Students will be able to understand hazardous chemicals and their effect on human health and the environment, explain the importance of cleaning up hazardous waste, identify facilities in their neighborhoods that deal with hazardous chemicals and recognize local and federal agencies responsible for environmental hazards in their communities.

Students will understand the benefits and problems associated with fire and the role that fire plays in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

In this lesson, students will examine the ways in which art has the power to influence government policy. Students will learn that photography has had a social impact at various intersections with other historical events and movements. This lesson addresses the impact the photographs of the western frontier had on eastern U.S., especially by ensuring that the national parks system would be created. From the Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge program.

Students will learn about the ecology of the bison of the plains and how art was used to save them through a series of activities. Student will discuss specific artists whose worked revolved around the bison and how this artwork was instrumental in the conservation of the animal. The student will discuss the role of the bison in the lifestyle of the Plains Indian. Lastly, the student will create a story about bison and a corresponding piece of artwork.  From the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

In the early 19th century, the Lewis and Clark's Expedition was charged by President Jefferson to map the Louisiana Purchase. During their exploration, they also collected and recorded plant and animal species, kept detailed records of the diversity of life, drew and painted examples of the plant and animals, and named these newly identified species. Students will focus on a two- week period in 1804, and select one plant and one animal species to research. They will draw each plant and animal species and create a journal entry for each item. From the Kennedy Center's ArtsEdge.

The National Register of Historic Places provides a great avenue for social studies teachers to get their students outside. The advanced search locates places using numerous fields, including geographic location, area of significance and period of significance.

Students will examine the complexity of large-scale, slave-worked agricultural enterprises, the origins of rice production and the role it played in the economy of the antebellum South, and how before "cotton was king," the plantation system had already been producing crops such as rice, indigo and tobacco. Teaching materials include maps, readings, photos and drawings.

Students examine Hispanic folk traditions, the influences of the natural environment on the folklife and folk arts of the Rio Grande region and experience Hispanic cultural traditions by participating in related activities. While not designed for a specific grade level, content can be adapted to various levels.