Curated OER
Tribal Termination & Urbanization
Students are introduced to new vocabulary words associated with tribes and relocation. As a class, they listen to their teacher read an excerpt on tribal termination and urbanization. To end the instructional activity, they identify...
Curated OER
Branching Out
Students investigate the causes and effects of the spread of tree diseases in the U.S., and research certain American species of trees and the diseases that commonly threaten them. They create pamphlets to help identify healthy and...
Curated OER
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Eleventh graders write a two to three page paper addressing one of the following topics: Analyze the values and beliefs of the two conflicting cultures. Explain which values seem to dominate within the conflict and why. They brainstorm...
Curated OER
Dark Days on the Prairie
Fourth graders research the location and causes of the Dust Bowl in 1935. In support, they interpret photos from that period in Oklahoma history, They also compare/contrast the American Dust Bowl to the dust storms that occurred in...
Curated OER
Great Depression: People Puzzle
Students identify how the Great Depression affected various American social groups. In this Great Depression lesson, students read assigned textbook pages about women, African Americans, Mexican immigrants, and Native Americans during...
Curated OER
The Homestead Act
Eighth graders analyze the Native American's viewpoint of the Homestead Act. Using one Native American group who lived in Nebraska, they write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper discussing the Homestead Act and how it affected...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 6: Making Choices
A lesson looks closely at risky behavior such as teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Middle schoolers use a question box to ask questions anonymously. They role-play what life would be like if they became pregnant then...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
Curated OER
Bible Lesson: Wagons West
Students debate whether manifest destiny is right or wrong. In this manifest destiny lesson, students discuss the westward movement and the role of manifest destiny as they focus on the Native Americans. Students view the...
Curated OER
Legends of the Navajo People
Second graders are read a story in which they begin to examine Native American legends. Using different legends, they discuss how they affected the future people of native peoples. They write a short story on the information they gathered.
Curated OER
Major American Water Routes
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
Curated OER
Westmoreland Trail
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the Westward expansion of the U.S. They play the computer game, Oregon Trail III, read primary source documents, conduct Internet research, write diary entries from the pioneer viewpoint, and...
Curated OER
Early Explorers
Fifth graders examine how the environment and climate affected Pre-Colombian settlements. For this civilization lesson, 5th graders view pictures of different Native American tribes in different places and discuss how different groups...
Curated OER
The Four Corners Region of the United States Cultures, Ruins and Landmarks
Students who live in the inner city are introduced to the four corners region of the United States. In groups, they examine how the region differs compared to where they live and their culture. They develop maps of the area and locate...
Curated OER
South American Architecture
Seventh graders review and discuss what they read about North American architecture. They then study images of North and south American architecture and make comparisons
Curated OER
Eureka! You've Struck
While incomplete, this instructional activity could provide ideas for a instructional activity on the California gold rush. Learners look at a chart to analyze population growth in San Francisco after the discovery of gold, analyze...
Curated OER
Non Native Species: English Ivy-Landscape Plant or Deadly Killer?
Young scholars examine an area overrun by English Ivy. They explore how invasive species affect an ecosystem. They also study about the lack of biodiversity and how to measure it out in the field.
Curated OER
Anishinabe - Ojibwe - Chippewa: Culture of an Indian Nation
Young scholars investigate the American Indian tribe of the Chippewa. They identify the different names of the Anishinabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa nation, conduct a research project, explore various websites, and present their group research...
Curated OER
Happy Endings: The Final Battle
Fifth graders explore all the myths of the battle of Yorktown. A variety of primary documents are viewed and analyzed for discussion. They become aware that what one sees and hears is not always as it seems in reality. Each group...
Curated OER
Comparing Land Views of Different Cultures
Young scholars research various legends and write a script based on that legend. In this cultural awareness lesson, students read the Native American legend telling of the origin of the earth. Young scholars analyze how the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 1: The First Great Awakening
High schoolers examine the First Great Awakening and how it affected religious belief in colonial America. They read and analyze primary source documents, explore various websites, and write a five-paragraph essay examining the beliefs...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Goods and Services in Colonial America
Fifth graders examine the impact of Benjamin Franklin's ideas on the goods and services available in Colonial America as well as analyze the importance of Franklin to modern society. While listening to "How Ben Franklin Stole the...
Curated OER
Family Life in the 1830s
Students compare and contrast family life today with family life in the 1830s. They conduct research on Old Sturbridge Village, read primary source documents, and develop a list of generalizations comparing/contrasting families of the...
Curated OER
Elder's Cloud Observations
Students study cloud types and Native language terms for clouds and cloud types. In this cloud types lesson, students listen to a Native American speaker discuss clouds and the words used to describe clouds. Students complete a worksheet...