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Rivers to the West
Students discuss the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the reasons they may have chosen to follow certain rivers. They list the rivers that start from St. Louis and follow the route of Lewis and Clark. Students trace and label the rivers...
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Manifest Destiny, Louisiana Purchase, and Lewis and Clark
Students discuss famous explorers. They discuss manifest destiny and watch a PowerPoint presentation. Students relate the explorers trips to a trip to Mars. They create a graphic organizer showing what they would bring on a trip to Mars....
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I & M Canal: Technological, Economic
Learners read about and discuss the reasons European countries were interested in the Ohio Valley. They complete a puzzle to review vocabulary and watch a video on the Illinois Prairie and the I & M Canal. They rewrite the historical...
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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...
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Horse and Rider: The Pony Express in Utah
Fourth graders research the Pony Express. In this Pony Express lesson, 4th graders discover the reasons behind the development of this business and the technology that ended it.
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A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
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.
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Factors Contributing To the U.S. Dominance of the Pacific Northwest
Students examine the painting Columbia by John Gast. They discuss the concept of Manifest Destiny and the role of different groups (miners, missionaries, fur trappers, farmers, etc.) in the Americanization of the West. In groups, they...
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Sunken Millions: The Way West
Recover sunken treasure with this interactive PowerPoint! Break your class into two teams: the divers and the surfers. They'll work together to answer 20 multiple choice questions, reviewing major events that occurred during the 1800s....
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Home Ties
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.
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The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Students study westward expansion. In this US history lesson, students describe the adventures and hardships faced by the explorers known as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Students write a report to the President about the journey...
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Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book
Students develop their own social studies textbook. Students gain knowledge of American immigration and Ellis Island. Students discover the process of becoming a naturalized citizen and what it means to be a citizen
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Remember the Alamo
Eighth graders comprehend how the siege of the Alamo and the Texas revolution laid the groundwork for the United States-Mexican War. They discuss how westward expansion led to Texas Independence. Students complete the "Remeber the...
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The West: US History
For this U.S. history worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages that tell the story of Westward Expansion and respond to 35 short answer questions.
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A Comparative Look at Migrations
Young scholars explore and compare and contrast the migrations of African Americans in the United States in the decades before and after the Civil War.
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Indian "Buffalo Skin" Writing
Fifth graders identify common Native American writing symbols. They create paper bag "buffalo skins" and on the back, they write stories about Indian life.
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Whose Land Is It Anyway?
Seventh graders comprehend the interaction and conflict beween Native Americans and white settlers in the years following the Civil War. They listen to T"his Land is Your Land." Students are asked what their interpretation of the...
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The Industrial Revolution
Eighth graders examine the time period of the Industrial revolution in American history. In this American History instructional activity, 8th graders read the chapter on this time period. Students create a presentation on this time...
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African American Emigration: Turner and McNeal
Students discuss reasons why African Americans may have wanted to emigrate from the United States followig the Civil War. They complete a Venn diagram noting the differences between proposals by Marcus Garvey and Henry McNeal Turner.
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Nickel Knowledge
Students report facts found on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of American Independence. Students find the original words on the epitaph that Thomas Jefferson wrote for placement on his grave upon the time of his death. Students...
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The Battle of Glorieta Pass: A Shattered Dream
This lesson can be used in American history, social studies, and geography courses in units on westward expansion and the Civil War.
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Understanding Political Cartoons
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.
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America Grows - Trailblazers Pave the Way
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...
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Chapter 3 – Antebellum Innovation, Politics, and the Jackson Administration
The inter-war Antebellum Era was a fascinating time in U.S. History! In this textbook response worksheet, historians read assigned textbook pages regarding the topics and respond to 46 short answer display questions regarding the...
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Manifest Destiny
In these manifest destiny worksheets, learners read the definition for manifest destiny and its appearance in America in the 1840s. Students learn about the Homestead Act and study a painting of a depiction of manifest destiny.