Westerns Lesson Plans

This lesson has learners explore the First Nations uses of the Western Cedar tree. In this nature lesson learners compare and identify four conifer species. The learners go on a nature walk.

5th graders explain how geography has shaped the cultures and traditions of  the people who immigrated to the Western Hemisphere. In this human migration lesson, 5th graders investigate how geography influenced where and how humans settled into the Western Hemisphere. This lesson includes 4 additional complimentary lesson plans that generate multiple connections.

Students work in small groups of two or three. They view large maps of the United States and Ohio. Student groups are assigned one of the counties in the Western Reserve. They create a map of their county which includes the major towns, cities, rivers and lakes. they write a history of the county. Students create posters for their county.

Students examine the westernization of Japan. In this world history lesson, students explore the culture shift in Japan during the 20th century and note the similarities between the foundation of modern Japanese government and governments of the west.

Students create a project depicting the preservation and importance of the Western Red Lily.

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Western Expansion lesson, students conduct research to find out how the Transcontinental Railroad fueled territorial expansion in the United States and Canada. Students write essays about the immigration influx, the adjustment of Native Americans, or the trip west for settlers.

In this lesson students explain how Western civilization arose from a synthesis of Christianity and classical Greco-Roman civilization with the cultures of northern European peoples. They locate an example of medieval art and write a short summary of the work's history, location, and importance, as well as an interpretation of the work.

Students practice map skills. In this Western Trails lesson, students locate different trails on a map. Students label the locations on the map.

Learners use unitedstreaming and Google Earth to investigate World War II and All Quiet on the Western Front. In this novel and technology lesson, learners view a video about the novel using unitedstreaming video, visit the given websites to research WWII, and create an ongoing journal using Google Earth to map the major battles and events from the book. Learners create a timeline of events, a multimedia article, and plan a memorial trip to the novel's sites.

Students use maps to create a visual representation of territorial growth in the United States. They complete the included worksheet to answer questions related to their maps to clarify the events related to western expansion. Finally, students identify and list countries from which the United States acquired territory between 1803 and 1853.