Gale Brings Smithsonian Treasures to Middle and High School Classrooms

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- National and state curriculum standards require primary sources to be incorporated into history classes, but material is often scattered and time-consuming for educators to gather. With the launch of Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History, Gale brings together 1,800 digital primary sources, including documents, maps, historical objects and more from the museums and archives of the Smithsonian, as well as from Gale's own collections. These curated materials help libraries provide a one-stop resource to save educators' time while satisfying curriculum requirements and enhancing the study of U.S. history.

"Nothing makes history come to life quite like primary sources. Imagine being immersed in the women's rights movement and being able to view not only a copy of the 19th amendment, but also detailed images of physical artifacts, like posters, badges, and maps encouraging women to exercise their congressional rights – an especially relevant topic during this election year," said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager, Gale. "By engaging with artifacts and individual records, students can explore, analyze, and delve deeply into a topic, aiding in the development of critical thinking skills.

Designed for daily use by both teachers and students, Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History supports core and Advanced Placement U.S. history programs. Primary source images are curated by scholars at the Smithsonian – experts who have a unique knowledge of U.S. history and can link students to artifacts that enrich their learning. Content is aligned to curriculum by Gale's expert editorial staff, who have crafted new and unique overviews, quick facts, and critical thinking questions to accompany each artifact.

Gale's user-tested platform for Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History is integrated with Google Apps for Education tools and Microsoft Office 365. From their Gale resources, users can login using their Google or Microsoft account and save, share, and download content (including bookmarks and their personal highlights and notes) to Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive, Docs, and Gmail.  With Google Classroom, teachers can also easily integrate and share content with their students for classroom assignments.

For more information on Gale's Smithsonian Primary Sources in U.S. History, please visit www.gale.com/SmithsonianPS. For questions, please contact Kristina Massari at [email protected].   

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, has been a global provider of research resources for libraries and businesses for more than 60 years. Gale is passionate about supporting the continued innovation and evolution of libraries by providing the content, tools, and services libraries need to promote information discovery, enable learning, and support economic, cultural, and intellectual growth in their communities. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.

About the Smithsonian
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and 9 research facilities. The total number of artifacts, works of art, and specimens in the Smithsonian's collections is estimated at 138 million. These collections represent America's rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world.

In support of its mission—the increase and diffusion of knowledge—the Smithsonian has embarked on four Grand Challenges that describe its areas of study, collaboration, and exhibition: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, Valuing World Cultures, and Understanding the American Experience. The Smithsonian's partnership with The Great Courses is an engaging opportunity to encourage continuous exploration by learners of all ages across these diverse areas of study.

For more information, visit www.si.edu.

Media Contact: 
Kristina Massari   
Cengage Learning    
(203) 965-8694    
[email protected]     

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