Curated OER
Cultural and Social Transformations Since 1865
Students research cultural and social issues in the areas of Westward Expansion, Immigration, and Civil Rights. They use their research to create a PowerPoint electronic book to be used by other students.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Chinese Migration to America
Students examine human migrations and hypothesize why Chinese immigrants came to the Pacific Northwest. In groups, they research reasons for the migration and record them on a Venn Diagram with general migratory reasons. Students...
Curated OER
Who Are The Main Characters?
Students are introduced to the main characters in the Lewis and Clark expedition. As a class, they discover background information related to the Corps of Discovery and the people who were involved. They review the material to...
Curated OER
Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Young scholars use maps, readings, letters, photos and drawings to identify why Mormons came to the Las Vegas area and what they hoped to accomplish by establishing an outpost. They consider the roles of early women pioneers and outline...
Curated OER
Ride 'Em Cowboy (Buffalo Bill Cody and the Wild West Show)
Young scholars research the impact of Buffalo Bill Cody and his Wild West Show on the world's view of American western culture. They create a poster advertising the Wild West Show.
Curated OER
The People of Kansas
Students investigate primary sources to experience first- hand accounts of Kansas pioneers. They write an historical fiction letter or skit based on territorial documents.
Curated OER
African Americans and the Move West
Students examine the phases of westward migration in the United States during the 19th century focusing on the incentives that led many African Americans to make the move.
Curated OER
To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Curated OER
A Cowboy Song
Fifth graders sing "Cowboy Lullaby" with two-part harmony and discuss the text of the song.
Curated OER
Making A New Nation
Eighth graders read standard road maps and topographical maps, and examine the lives of pathfinders who opened the trails to the West. They develop Living History presentations, role-playing a character from the past.
Curated OER
The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality
Seventh graders distinguish fact from myth when discussing the history of cowboys. They observe, discuss, and analyze works of art that refer to the cowboy lifestyle.
Curated OER
California Trail and Native Americans
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived on the lands in which the California Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
Curated OER
Negotiating Treaties
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Impact of Expansion on Chinese Immigrants and Hispanic Citizens
As white populations moved westward in the 19th century, Chinese immigrants and Hispanic Americans faced racism and discrimination and were unable to compete on an equal basis for land. Eventually, both groups settled into urban areas...
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: 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...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Colorado
Discover more about the Rocky Mountains. Why is Colorado called the "Centennial State?" Look at this website for captivating facts.
Kansas Historical Society
Beyond Lewis & Clark: The Army Explores the West
This website looks at military explorers from Lewis and Clark (1804) to George Custer (1874).
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The Homestead Act and the Exodusters
Explains what the Homestead Act of 1862 was and what it meant for settlers, as well as the Exodus of 1879 when many African Americans became exodusters and left the South. Includes questions for students at end.
Blackdog Media
Classic Reader: A Convert of the Mission by Bret Harte
Classic Reader provides numerous classic works from famous authors. One work is a Convert of the Mission, a selection about the 1800s Wild West.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: Period 6: 1865 1898
This Khan Academy resource provides a table of contents with notes for several sections of AP US History: Period 6: 1865-1898.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Indian Wars and Battle of Little Bighorn
Discusses the series of events and conflicts in the Indian Wars that culminated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer's Last Stand. Includes questions for students at end.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1865 1898: The Ghost Dance and Wounded Knee
Explains the origin of the Ghost Dance movement and the massacre of the Sioux that happened at Wounded Knee. Includes questions for students.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Chinese Immigrants and Mexican Americans
Discusses the conflict with Mexican American and Chinese groups as white settlers pushed westward in the nineteenth century. Explains what brought so many Chinese immigrants to America and the roadblocks and discrimination that they had...