Postal Museum Launches a New Online Stamp Curriculum Guide

The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has launched an online stamp curriculum guide to give teachers a creative way to teach American history. The “Design It! Giving Voice to America,” curriculum is geared toward students in grades 3-6 and is designed to enhance their understanding of U.S. stamp development through the context of social studies and visual arts.

Over four lessons, students will have the opportunity to learn elements of art, principles of design and social studies. They can show what they have learned by designing a stamp of their own and submitting it to the Postal Museum for online posting.

“By integrating art and social studies content, this curriculum increases students’ opportunity to make and build connections on existing knowledge and experiences with art and national identity,” said Allison Wickens, director of education at the Postal Museum. “Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the relationship between their nation and self after designing a stamp. The curriculum also has built-in assessment activities that serve as an evaluation tool to see if students have met the states’ objectives.”

To download the curriculum guide, visit http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/educators/4b_DesignIt.html.

The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, please call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285. Visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

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