Providing free education tools and materials for teachers, interpreters, students, and lifelong learners inside and outside the National Park Service is one important way we support the agency's mission. The value of America's cultures and diverse heritages may be lost if it's not passed on to the next generation or experienced by the present one. Want to inspire young people to grow into responsible citizens? Looking for more resources to craft interpretation or educational programming plans? See the related resources below or visit our Education & Training page for more.
The National Park Service offers free online lesson plans through its Teaching with Historic Places series and, of over 160 offered, some feature the history and historic sites of American science and technology, and also help teach STEM topics. These lessons align with national curriculum standards and each lesson contains primary and secondary sources, including readings, maps, and images, and recommended activities. Science and technology lessons at TwHP include,
- The Invention Factory: Thomas Edison's Laboratories
Tour Edison's West Orange complex where his creative combination of research, production, and marketing revolutionized the business of invention.
- The No. 2 Quincy Shaft-Rockhouse: 9,240 Feet into the Earth
Enter a historic company town and descend deep into the copper mines of Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, where labor unrest upset an industry and changed a community in the early 20th century
- Fort Morgan and the Battle of Mobile Bay
Follow Admiral Farragut's attack on Fort Morgan and Mobile Bay, and consider the human reaction to technologies such as ironclads and underwater mines.
- Wright Brothers National Memorial: Site of the First Controlled Powered Flight
Discover why the Wright Brothers chose the Outer Banks of North Carolina to conduct their flight experiments, how they achieved controlled powered flight in 1903, and how their accomplishments have been commemorated.
Last updated: March 8, 2016