Early Nebraska Schools (8.7Mb PDF)

32 large photographs of schools with captions

Educational Leaflets (450k PDF)  

These seven to eight page leaflets cover topics of Nebraska history at a middle-grade reading level.
Topics range from sod homes to American Indian folklore to state symbols.
Note: Several of these resources are dated and will be dropped or rewritten.

Explore Nebraska Archeology (400k - 1Mb PDFs)

A series on Nebraska Archeology produced jointly by the State Historic Preservation Office and the Archeology Division of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

"Film Clips of Nebraska's Past"   

This VHS video features eighteen film clips ranging in length from five minutes to less than one minute. Film clips provide an audiovisual account of Nebraska life in the 1920s and 1930s. Transcripts of the audio narration from ten of the clips and newspaper accounts are included to document events ranging from a speech given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Fremont, to flooding in McCook, to boating on Epworth Lake near Lincoln.

Historical Markers (html)

Erected since 1961, markers denote significant events, places, and people in Nebraska's history.

History Minutes (440k PDF)

A sixty-second history lesson provided by these brief (sixteen-line) pieces, which originally aired on radio stations across Nebraska.

Kids! Stuff (html)

Print these coloring pages of famous Nebraskans and Nebraska symbols.

Nebraska Timeline (html)

Text on a variety of subjects of general interest relating to Nebraska history, from the weekly newspaper column that appears statewide.

Nebraska Folklore (40k-80k PDFs)

A series of pamphlets and two booklets created in the 1930s and 1940s by the Federal Writers' Project in Nebraska, a program of the Work Projects Administration.

Nebraska Studies website

nebraskastudies.org is a website co-produced by NSHS, Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) and the State Department of Education. Offering a timeline of Nebraska and national events, the site includes historic photographs, documents, artifacts, resources for teachers and classroom activities.

Nebraska Trailblazers   

Thirty issues of Nebraska Trailblazer are available. Each issue includes background information on the topic, vocabulary words, drawings, photos, and an activity and/or puzzle.

Fourth grade teachers can order free copies of the Nebraska Trailblazer during January and February. Teachers select six issues and receive one copy of the six issues for their students. For example: A school with fifty fourth graders would receive 6 issues times 50 copies for a total of 300 hundred copies. The Nebraska Trailblazer copies are free however there is a $6.00 handling charge for each order. Ordering information (see the letter) is sent the first week in January to all public, non-public, and home schools registered with the Nebraska State Department of Education. One order is sent to each school, for public/non public schools it is addressed to "4th Grade Coordinator".

If you have any questions about the annual 4th grade Trailblazer ordering, please contact John Lindahl, 402-471-4764, museum02@nebraskahistory.org

Additional copies are available for purchase anytime at $.05 each plus shipping.

Nebraska Trailblazer Teacher's Guides

  #1: American Indians
  #2: Explorers
  #3: Oregon Trail
  #5: Settlers' Homes
#14: The State Capitol
#15: Nebraska State Symbols

Nebraskans in World War II, "What Did You Do in the War?" (3Mb PDF)

Document reproductions and suggestions for teaching.  

These pre- and post-visit activities are targeted for seventh through ninth graders visiting What Did You Do in the War? Nebraskans in World War II, an exhibit at the Museum of Nebraska History, 15th and P Streets in Lincoln. The activities center around investigation and interpretation of period World War II documents such as a letter, photograph, advertisement, poster, diary, and an oral history. It is a terrific resource for learning about the impact of the war on the everyday person. Call for more information.
1-800-833-6747, Education Department
402-471-4757 in Lincoln

Notable Nebraskans (260k PDF)

Provides 250 to 800 word descriptions about Nebraskans who have made significant contributions in many areas.

Resource Books for Teaching Nebraska History/Social Studies

View a list of resource books for teaching social studies and Nebraska history. The list includes grade level, synopsis, and is keyed to the Nebraska K-12 Social Studies Standards, adopted by the State Board of Education, May 1998. This list was compiled by former teachers, Ruth Ann Lyness, Mary O'Shea, and LaVonne Wise, who are volunteers/docents at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

The books are available from the Nebraska State Historical Society Store at the Museum of Nebraska History, 15th and P streets, Lincoln, NE 68501, phone 1-800-833-6747 or 402-471-3447.

Czech Traveling Trunk  

The Czech trunk provides educators with reproduction Czech objects for use in hands-on activities. Objects include: a feather baster, a cornhusk doll, an egg decorated with the batik method, festival clothing for a boy and a girl, Sokol uniforms for a boy and a girl, photographs, transparencies (of the Czech Republic in 1993, a typical farmstead, a Nebraska map, and a linear village plan), an audio tape for music and dance, video tapes featuring Sokol gymnastics and Czech dancing, and recipe, culture, and tradition books. Eight lesson plans are available on the topics of Czech farmsteads, stories and legends, clothing and costume, crafts, Sokol gymnastics, food, music and dance, and festivals. In addition to the lesson itself, each lesson plan includes background information, objectives, and a list of objects to be used with the lesson. A glossary is also included. Contact your ESU for information on borrowing a trunk. If you are not affiliated with an ESU, contact the Nebraska State Historical Society.
1-800-833-6747, or
402-471-4764 in Lincoln

 

About Education/Statewide Services