Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the lesson provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...

Students study the time period after the Revolutionary War when people were striving to move away from the coastal areas and look for pathways to the west. Westerward expansion is a central theme and students use a variety of resources...

Students explore the debates over American slavery and the power of the American federal government for the first half of the 19th century and how the regional economies and political events produced a widening split between the states.

The battle at the Alamo may be one of the most famous military campaigns in Texas history, but it is by no means the only one. As part of their study of the military history of Texas, class members research less-well-known sites, locate...

Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial...

Students research the differences between traveling on a stagecoach and wagon trail in the 19th century. In this historical lesson, students discover the uses of stagecoaches and wagon trails in the 19th century, then decide which one...

Young scholars consider the role of Sacagawea as part of the Corps of Discovery. In this Lewis and Clark expedition lesson, students discover details about Sacagawea's wampum belt and then create their own wampum belts using their...

Students explore the reasons people choose to migrate including political, economic and familial motivations. They interview family members and compare their ancestors own reasons for migration to those of African American urban migrants.

Learners compare and contrast how commodities native to certain countries have impacted the economies of other nations. After gathering information regarding how commodities are grown and traded, students use their information to...

Fourth graders study the settlement of Alabama. They collect data from the U.S. census website and answer questions regarding settlement patterns in the counties of Alabama in 1820. They write a paagraph describing where they would have...

Learners describe the activities that occurred in the Willamette Valley before the establishment of the Oregon Trail and agricultural settlement and explain the impact that American settlement had on the landscape and native groups who...