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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taming the Frontier

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine paintings by Thomas Cole and Jasper Francis Cropsey as windows into American frontier life. They consider the pioneer's relationship with nature and the role of Native Americans in the pioneer's lives and settlements.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Frontiers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the settlement of the American frontier through literature. In this literature lesson, students read and discuss works by James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Hamlin Garland. Students compare...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Free Land

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the impact of the passage of the Homestead Act. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students visit selected websites to examine the lives of Americans who settled the American frontier.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Ho!

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore what life was like on the American frontier. They participate in a simulation of frontier life using Oregon Trail computer software, create an Oregon Trail newsletter, develop a timeline, and conduct interviews with...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The American West - End of Unit Test

For Students 4th - 5th
In these American West worksheets, students answer questions based on the American West unit. Students answer 23 questions about the unit.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Students 5th - 6th
In these manifest destiny worksheets, students read the definition for manifest destiny and its appearance in America in the 1840s. Students learn about the Homestead Act and study a painting of a depiction of manifest destiny.