Curated OER
Westward Ho
Students examine primary sources regarding Western migration. In this Manifest Destiny lesson, students determine why the pioneers moved west and what the trip was like as they examine sources and write journals based on their findings.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
Curated OER
Crystal Blue Persuasion
Students examine historic posters, jewelry, quilts and buttons that were created to protest or call attention to a political issue. After evaluating how these items were used to communicate a political message, students create an item...
Curated OER
Urbanization As Seen Through Late 19c - Early 20c Architecture
Incorporating the cultures, architecture, and ethnic populations of several American cities (namely Chicago and New York), this presentation displays vivid photographs of buildings and people in 19th - 20th century urban America. The...
Curated OER
Cemetery Study for New Hampshire History
Students take a field trip to a New Hampshire cemetery. They examine the way of life in the 19th century and their belief systems. They answer questions before and after their field trip.
Curated OER
Immigration; The New Colossus
Seventh graders explore The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. In this The New Colossus lesson, 7th graders read the poem and analyze its meaning. Students discuss what the poem means about American culture and why it was engraved on the...
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history activity, students learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the...
Curated OER
A Different Drummer
Eighth graders investigate philosophy and meditation techniques by discussing Emerson and Thoreau. In this philosophical traditions lesson, 8th graders identify the men Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, their work, and...
Curated OER
What is Government?
Students explore values that unite Americans. In this government activity, students recall the symbols of America and discuss how to create a "Classroom Constitution." Students form rules and write their own Constitution.
Curated OER
Pioneer America: Pioneer Living
Fourth graders research pioneer life. In this pioneer lesson, 4th graders read the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and discuss what life was like for early pioneers. They research pioneers and show what they...
Curated OER
Pioneer America: Journey West
Fourth graders experience pioneer life on the Oregon trail. For this pioneer lesson, 4th graders research the reasons for moving west and what life was like on the trail. They create a map, complete an oral presentation, and write about...
Curated OER
The American Mosaic
Pupils discuss what it would be like to be new to a town. They are then asked questions related to the immigrants coming to America. Extensions of this lesson are available.
Curated OER
Food
Students examine the types of foods eaten after the Civil War. They create their own cowboy style menu.
Curated OER
Press Perception of Jack Johnson
Students role-play the role of journalists during the 19th and 20th centuries. They create their own sports newspapers. They report on Jack Johnson's life and career.
Curated OER
Buffalo Soldiers
Fourth graders explore the role of the buffalo soldiers in the United States Army during the nineteenth century conflict along the frontier with the Indian tribes. They discuss the social change represented by African Americans serving...
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Mill-Worker Simulation
Students participate in a simulation in which they transition between a farm economy to a factory economy They discover labor relations during the 19th and 20th century. They discuss the impact mass produced goods on the economy.
Curated OER
Omaha Immigration Case Study
Eleventh graders explore the immigration patterns in the United States. In this American History lesson, 11th graders study the push and pull factors that caused immigration. Students research one group of individuals and...
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Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce
Eleventh graders explore the life of Chief Joseph and Nez Perce. In this US History lesson, 11th graders analyze paintings and photos detailing the flight of Nez Perce. Students create a narrative newspaper article based on...
Curated OER
The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality
Learners create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day instructional activity. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the instructional activity.
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Gender Roles in the Mid-Nineteenth Century What Fiction Tells Us
High schoolers read and discuss a book on etiquette. They create their own book of etiquette.
Curated OER
Irish-Americans: Work and Song
Students research the experience of Irish immigrants who helped build the railroad systems of the United States. They analyze primary source documents, take notes, and create an artistic piece.
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: Nature's Fury
Students explore the human experience. For this business ethics lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the American natural disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries and the implications they presented.
Curated OER
Constitutional Change During the Progressive Era
Young scholars analyze the passage of the 16th through 19th amendments during the Progressive Era around the turn of the century. Using research skills, they write papers and create portfolios supporting and opposing the adoption of...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion - Fur Trade
Students complete a unit of lessons to learn how products reach the market and study the history of the fur trade. In this history and trade lesson, students first learn about the technology that allowed products to reach market faster....