Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Integrated Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 5th
An ambitious and engaging instructional activity on the Westward Movement for your young scholars to enjoy! Groups of learners rotate between learning tasks such as learning about the Chislom Trail, Lewis and Clark, and the Gold Rush. A...
Lesson Plan
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Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a instructional activity, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper...
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Stamp Stories of Westward Expansion

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
What a fantastic project idea for discussing not only the history of America's expansion into the West, but for reviewing any major unit of history in your class. Pupils build stamp collections to visually represent themes of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: The U.S. Westward Movement

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students research the U.S. Westward movement. For this U.S. history lesson, students research the topic, complete a creative writing activity for the lesson, and a design activity for the lesson.
Lesson Plan
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Westward Expansion : Mapping

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders travel along exploring the expeditions of John F. Fremont. In this Westward expansion lesson, 5th graders gain understanding of the events that shaped the west through the use of maps. Students use mapping skills to...
Lesson Plan
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Dangers of the West

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the American West. For this Westward Expansion lesson, 8th graders examine primary sources to investigate the dangers travelling to and settling in the American West. Students design brochures that would help those...
Lesson Plan
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Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the DonnerParty

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore westward movement through eyes of doll belonging to Patty Reed, member of Donner Party. They write journal entries from points of view of characters in book, Patty Reed's Doll, participate in Pack the Wagon game, and...
Lesson Plan
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Report to Congress on Our Expedition

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners research in small groups to locate information on the outcomes and observations made during the Lewis and Clark expedition. In this westerns expansion lesson, students role play their findings as though they were reporting to...
Lesson Plan
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The Nez Perce and the Dawes Act

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore westward expansion in the United States. In this US History lesson, 11th graders watch the epic struggle of the Nez Perce. Students evaluate how a variety of Americans viewed Nez Perce through a role play. 
Lesson Plan
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Pioneer Scramble

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Movement lesson, students study why Americans emigrated west in the 1840s and 1850s. Students create interactive timelines, write exploration reports, and complete an art...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Study History through Journal Keeping

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...
Lesson Plan
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Westward Expansion

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the components of the Westward Movement in the United States. Understanding the past and the linkages it has to the present is the intended goal of this seventeen day unit.
Lesson Plan
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Let's Party like its 1849

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore prairie life. In this Oregon Trail lesson, students read literature regarding the move west and participate in cross-curricular activities. Learners should take digital photographs of the participation in activities and...
Lesson Plan
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The Wild, Wild West

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research the history of the transcontinental railroad. They use advertising propaganda techniques to design and create a poster encouraging people to explore the West by rail.
Lesson Plan
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"ART ZOO 'Blacks in the Westward Movement', 'What Can You Do with a Portrait', and 'Of Beetles, Worms, and Leaves of Grass'"

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...
Lesson Plan
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Donner Online

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a simulation of the Donner Party in order to learn more about this episode in history. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders take on a role which dictates their group job; each role was assigned to...
Lesson Plan
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Lonesome Linda

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students analyze the create of Loma Linda. In this Western expansion lesson, students look at the development of a resort in the desert and how a town is begun.
Lesson Plan
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Moving West With Pioneers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read a book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder to examine the hardships that were endured by pioneers traveling during the Westward Expansion of the US. They predict, summarize and participate in literature circles. They visit...
Lesson Plan
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Stereotypes and Tonto

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students identify stereotypes, especially those applied to American Indians.  In this teaching tolerance instructional activity, students read an essay entitled " I Hated Tonto (Still Do)" and discuss the negative impact that...
Lesson Plan
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Making a Pinhole Camera

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students participate in a number of activities in order to study the history of photography and to examine the workings of a pinhole camera.
Lesson Plan
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Understanding Political Cartoons

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students draw two political cartoons. They compare the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 to the stand-off that took place at Wounded Knee in l973. They examine the role that Manifest Destiny played in the West.
Lesson Plan
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BEGINNER LEVEL LESSON PLAN

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs) for evidence of Native American culture and construct a cultural symbol. They are explained what the stars and stripes stand for on the American flag. Students work as...
Lesson Plan
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The Cherokee: Trail Where They Cried

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read the Trail of Tears about the Cherokee Nation removal and write a letter pretending they are the grandparent of a Cherokee child. In this Trail of Tears lesson plan, students understand the changing of boundaries.
Lesson Plan
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"I've Been Working on the Railroad" - Federal Land Grants and the Construction of the Illinois Central Railroad in Mid-nineteenth Century Illinois

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders, in groups, design a self-sufficient community. Groups present the communities they've designed. They compare and contrast the communities presented. They research the theories of Johann Heinrich von Thunen online and...