DocsTeach
The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American Communities
Although Westward Expansion is often romanticized, its impact was devastating on Native American communities. Primary source documents, including pictures of United States troops invading indigenous lands and Native American tribes, tell...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Westward Expansion: Image and Reality
As your young historians study Westward Expansion, practice in-depth primary source analysis with the documents and guidelines presented in this resource. They will examine a lithograph and excerpts from two letters written by a Nebraska...
DocsTeach
Reasons for Westward Expansion
"Go West, young man!" is a familiar refrain in American history. But why did people leave their homes in the East to travel westward and what impact did that movement have on people already living in the American West? By examining...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Westward Expansion Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology
The westward expansion is the focus of a read-aloud anthology. Pupils will listen to and discuss stories about going West, an adventure on the Erie Canal, the Trail of Tears, the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express, and the transcontinental...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the Frontier
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. For this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
DocsTeach
The Settlement of the American West
What do Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad have in common? Using a set of primary source documents, including pictures, maps, and treaties, class members link together the common themes of expansion into the American West....
Illinois State University
Tragedy, Triumph, or Trespass?
Did westward expansion really live up to the dream of adventurers for a new life and opportunities for land and resources? While designed for a flipped classroom, try using this resource to evaluate primary sources alongside your class!...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
American Stories: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 2)
Here's a packet designed especially for those kids who need extra support with the basic concepts in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on American stories.
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Map of the Louisiana Purchase
With the stroke of a pen, Thomas Jefferson roughly doubled the size of the United States. The Louisiana Purchase not only grew the new country, but also it gave rise to the legends surrounding westward expansion and accelerated the...
DocsTeach
Patent Analysis: Joseph Glidden's Barbed Wire
Barbed wire may have made cattle farming easier, but it brought to an end the free-roaming days of the plains. No longer could Native American groups continue their nomadic lifestyle, and the days of cowboys herding large groups of...
DocsTeach
Patent Analysis: J.W. Davis and Levi Strauss's Fastening Pocket Openings
Commonplace today, the zipper and button construction of blue jeans was a major innovation. Using the patent for the J.W. Davis and Levi Strauss innovation, individuals comb an image of the fly for clues. Afterward, they discuss its...
Stanford University
Great Plains Homesteaders
"Westward, ho!" may have been their cry in spite of the hardships. Using a series of photographs by Solomon D. Butcher of those who ventured west, class members consider what life was like in the 1800s for those who embarked on the...
Curated OER
Influence of Geography on the Migration of Virginians
Sixth graders study how geography influenced the westward migration of Virginians. They review the settlement patterns of early Virginians before discussing reasons why people move away from an area. Looking at maps, they determine how...
Curated OER
Lesson One: The Three Perspectives on Native American Removal
Eleventh graders explore the impact of the Indian Removal Act. In this US History lesson, 11th graders analyze primary resources.
Huntington Library
The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Don't miss this fantastic comprehensive lesson plan on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, packed with instructional guidance, worksheets, map work, informational texts, and secondary source materials.
Curated OER
Westward Ho-- With Multiple intelligences
Learners acquire knowledge and literacy (through multiple intelligences) in social studies, language arts, science and math as we study the Oregon Trail. This type of lesson is strong in its attempt to be accessible to all learners.
Curated OER
Growing a Nation
Eleventh graders examine the major events and inventions that changed American families and communities. In this US History lesson, 11th graders analyze various documents dealing with the changes. Students create a project on an event...
Curated OER
Labor Unions and Strikes
Teens explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture and an excerpt from Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy. A detailed outline is provided for the lecture, along with follow up and assessment questions. In groups, they...
Curated OER
America the Beautiful
Sixth graders examine the meaning and background of the song, "America the Beautiful." In this "America the Beautiful" lesson, 6th graders read the words and history of the song and answer comprehension questions about it.