Can students change the course of history? Enliven your teaching of the Cold War with a newly published case-based simulation in which students play the role of intelligence analysts at the CIA in 1962. By examining declassified intelligence documents and U-2 photographs at various stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis, students “live” the crisis rather than only read about it. In this social studies standards-based lesson, students are challenged to make decisions and recommendations based on primary documents and photos. The outcome of the crisis is in their hands: will their analysis provide President Kennedy with the information he needs to avoid nuclear catastrophe?
Purchase your classroom copy of Minute by Minute: The Role of Intelligence in the Cuban Missile Crisis: a 125-page lesson containing:
PRICE: $28 for one classroom copy (plus shipping and handling). $25 for ten copies or more (plus shipping and handling) ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!
Top Secret Intelligence: For Teacher’s Eyes Only!
All is not as it appears…Chalk marks on a mailbox, a button on a stranger’s coat…all around you things that seem unimportant are actually changing world events. As you prepare to explore this shadow world at the International Spy Museum, the SPY FOR A DAY: STUDENT SPY GUIDE will assist you. With this you can plan your visit and provide your students with a memorable and valuable experience at the Museum. Pre-visit classroom activities, on-site worksheets, and a post-visit classroom activity are included.
If you’ve already booked a group visit to the Museum, top secret access will be granted to download the Student Spy Guide.
Click here if you've booked your visit and received your password.
Not booked a visit yet? Click here for a preview of the Guide.
These guides are designed to assist middle-, secondary-, and university-level educators preparing for student group visits to the Museum. Each Guide links academic subject areas to the Museum's permanent exhibition, and provides questions for discussion with students, activity suggestions, and relevant books and websites for use in the classroom. The Spy Guide map will assist you in locating the areas described within the Museum. Download each guide and a map by clicking below (PDFs must be viewed with Acrobat Reader 7.0 or above):
In a post 9/11 world, it is imperative that students understand what intelligence is, how it functions, and how it has changed the course of history. You can book a half, full or two-day workshop which will provide teachers with an opportunity to meet former “spies,” learn how to integrate intelligence into the traditional curriculum, and delve into “secret history of history.” Intelligence studies can be used across the curriculum in courses on government and world affairs, U.S. and world history, and science and technology. Case-based scenario lesson-plans and practical activity suggestions and demonstrations will provide teachers with the tools and skills they need to bring the topic of intelligence and “spying” into their classrooms. Workshops are available either at your school or local university or at the Museum. For more information contact the Museum’s Exhibitions and Programs Department at 202.654.0930.
Researching espionage can be a challenge as many intelligence records remain classified, memoirs aren’t always reliable, and speculation generally runs high. The following bibliographies are meant to guide readers through this “wilderness of mirrors” to reliable resources on a wide range of subjects covered in our main exhibition. Click on a link below to view selected publications on specific topics.
SpyTech: Cameras, Bugs, and Weapons
Espionage from Antiquity to the Industrial Revolution
War of the Spies: The Cold War
Spy Fiction and Popular Culture
Intelligence in the 21st Century: Fighting Terrorism
Just as the Navajo codetalkers adapted their unique language in service of their country, the field of espionage has contributed a rich lingo all its own. Click here for a list of "spookspeak."
Did you know that the Navajo codetalkers used words from the natural world to describe specific military terms? "Besh-lo" or iron fish was understood as submarine; "Da-he-tih-hi" or hummingbird meant fighter plane!
(Exhibition currently traveling throughout the United States: Current venue is the Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN. 26 January, 2008 – 4 May 2008)
Do your students know that September 11th was not the first time that America has experienced an attack on its own soil? The Enemy Within: Terror in America – 1776 to Today traveling exhibition offers teachers and students an unprecedented perspective on terror in American history. The Educator Guide provides educators with a tool to examine the history of terrorism in America and its past, present and future implications. The Guide includes five lesson plans that explore the following themes: reactions to terrorism and resulting legislation; the balance of national security and civil liberties; the accuracy of the media after a terrorist attack and its impact on public perception; the uses of primary documents to assess threats; and motivations of terrorist groups and explorations of ideas for peaceful alternatives. Additionally, a list of ideas that can be further developed into lesson plans, a bibliography and internet resource list, and a matrix of National Curriculum Standards in Social Studies met by the exhibition and Guide are included.
