Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Our Story: Life in a Sod House
Imagine moving into a house made out of sod that you and your family had to build in the middle of a prairie! Find great information and activities that will help you understand how it felt to live on the prairie.
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma State University: Encyclopedia: Jesse Chisholm
This brief biography discusses the life of American pioneer Jesse Chisholm, who blazed the Chisholm Trail.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Amelia Earhart
This documentary film traces the life of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, the first woman to attempt to fly solo across the Atlantic. A preview and other information about the film project are available here.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: Pioneer Children: Games, Toys, and Recreation
Learn about the lives of pioneer children whose families moved to Nebraska during the period of Western Expansion. Topics include toys, games and other activities for enjoyment.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Themes: Auto Safety Pioneers
Since the 1970s, Americans have witnessed an amazing number of safety improvements in automobiles and the driving environment. Seat belts, air bags, safer fuel tanks, the Jaws of Life, and driving while intoxicated (DWI) campaigns are...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Adeline Hornbeck and the Homestead Act
This Teaching with Historic Places lesson effectively depicts the life of a pioneer woman and ways in which the Homestead Act impacted her life. The site includes lesson plans, inquiry questions, and photos that may be used in covering...
Other
American Foundation for the Blind: Anne Sullivan Macy
A biographical overview of the life of Anne Sullivan Macy, devoted teacher of Heller Keller and a pioneer in the education of the visually impaired which earned her the nickname "miracle worker". Learn about her through her own letters,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Life on the Great Plains
A detailed lesson plan that explores "the concept of region and how culture and experience influence the perception of regions." Site provides many excellent websites for students and teachers to explore during their study of the Great...
Other
Brigham Young: An American Hero
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints gives an overview of the life of Brigham Young, his accomplishments, and his conversion to Mormon faith.
Other
African American Pioneers: Richard Allen
This page from Afgen.com contains the life history of Richard Allen. Richard was the founding bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Women P Ioneers in American Memory
This is an online resource from the Library of Congress discussing Women Pioneers. Includes some audio and internal links for more information.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Pioneer Values in Willa Cather's My Antonio
The objective of this site is to guide students through a self-directed exploration of pioneer life in reference to the book, "My Antonio." Students will have an opportunity to work on combining the study of history and literature...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Masculine Heroes: James Fenimore Cooper
This brief biography of James Fenimore Cooper highlights his life as an author who was able to incorporate politics, wilderness and Native Americans into fictitious novels. Click on "James Fenimore Cooper Activities" for related materials.
Rutgers University
Blueprint for Change: The Life and Times of Lewis H. Latimer
An extensive look at the inventor, Lewis Latimer, from the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University. Read essays about his life and inventions, the culture in Boston which encouraged his work, and his life outside his inventions. A...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Bring Hispanic Heritage Month to Life: A Collection of Resources
Celebrate diversity with this collection of ideas to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, including lesson plans, authors, pioneers, and more.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: Building a Sod House
Here's great information on building sod houses. You can even watch a video of a famous two-story sod house that stood until 1967.
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma State: Nathaniel Pryor
Learn about the life of Nathaniel Pryor, and American explore who participated in the Lewis and Clark expedition and served as a captain in the war of 1812.
Patsy Stevens
Garden of Praise: Walter Reed: Physician
The Garden of Praise profiles the life of Dr. Walter Reed (1851-1902), whose pioneering work in yellow fever research made the connection between insects and the transmission of disease. Text is geared toward younger students.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: The American Family in Literature
What is the objective of this "American Family in Literature" unit? This site uses "Farmer Boy" and "Nobody's Family Can Change" to explore differences in families. The resource includes rationale and activities to help get this point to...
Have Fun With History
Have Fun With History: Pioneers and the Frontier
Learning module with a variety of video and other resources on the expansion westward as pioneers settled new frontier in the 1800s.
Cengage Learning
An Introduction to the Life and Writings of Willa Cather
This website is an attempt to give a comprehensive introduction to Cather's (1873-1947 CE) life and work. Aside from an introduction to the body of work, it includes a short biography, an extensive bibliography, an overview of the...
Energy for Sustainable Development
Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Pioneers: Lee De Forest
A profile of Lee de Forest who lived from 1873 to 1961. He was one of the most important inventors of radio and electronic technology, whose inventions touch everyday life.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Texas Ranch House
What was it like to be a cowboy in 1867? Visit the Cooke Ranch and explore a cowboy's working and dwelling quarters. Play the interactive games to learn about the many aspects of daily life in the American West. (Click "Interactive...
Curated OER
National Park Service: New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park: Sidney Bechet
Discover more about the life of jazz pioneer Sidney Bechet with this well written site. With his colorful personality and unique style, you will appreciate the contributions this musician had toward the development of jazz.