Curated OER
Dark Days on the Prairie
Students explore U.S. geography by researching agriculture. In this dust bowl activity, students complete a cause and effect worksheet based upon the dust bowls that covered a large portion of Oklahoma and Texas in the early 1900's....
Curated OER
Social Studies Review for Grade 4 (4.1)
In this social studies review for grade 4 (4.1) worksheet, 4th graders answer 25 multiple choice questions in standardized test format about U.S. history.
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Jobs in Jamestown
Students research data on Jamestown settlers in order to learn about the daily life and events in the colony. In this investigative history lesson, students work in groups to analyze the results of the Jamestown census. Students take...
Curated OER
Discovering the Oregon Trail
Students explore U.S. history by researching the Oregon Trail. In this American exploration lesson, students read the story On the Shore of the River and define the exact path early settlers took to find the state of Oregon. Students...
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From the School House to the White House
Students recall visits to museums, then read a news article about a museum exhibit that shows what U.S. presidents were like during their childhood. In this U.S. history and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with...
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Squanto's Science Lesson
Learners explore Squanto's contribution to the settlers. They plant seeds and follow instructions for water and fertilization. Students keep a record of the growth of the seeds. They write a paragraph that tells what they learned from...
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Name That Place: Cultural Place Names in the United States
Students examine the origin of the people that settled in the United States. In this United States History instructional activity, students work in small groups to complete several activities that explore early settlement, such as a...
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students document their...
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Bison on the Plains
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America in...
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Patterns of Settlement in Early Alabama
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...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
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Ann Arbor Growth & Immigration
Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...
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Ozark Folk Culture and Geography in the Mountain View, Arkansas Area
Upper grade through early high schoolers develop an understanding of Ozark culture, and the geography of the Ozark Plateau. They study place, location, human environmental impacts, and movement. This interesting plan incorporates muic,...
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Photography and the National Park Service
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking. Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They complete a...
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Overland Trails To The West
Consider the political, physical, and geographical factors that led to and marked the Westward Expansion. Learners will track the various routes developed during the 1800's. They create a first person journal describing what they see,...
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Negotiating Treaties
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
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Diplomatic Misunderstandings: Indian Treaties and the Black Hawk War
Students examine and discuss the U.S./Native American treaty process of the early 19th century. They write essays describing the events behind the 1804 and 1816 treaties, and their assessment of U.S. diplomatic interactions with the...
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"Heritage" - "Hey, That's the Name of Our School!"
Seventh graders gain a better understanding of the canal period in U.S. History, and more specifically, discern the importance of the Illinois and Michigan Canal on the development of Illinois as a state and Chicago as a prominent city.
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Pass the Peace Pipe
Students investigate the history of smoking in the United States. In this history of smoking lesson, students read about the Native American influence on early settlers before researching the Internet for information about the history of...
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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 have...
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Comparing Covenants
Fifth graders investigate what a covenant was and how they relate to contemporary government ideals. In this comparing covenant instructional activity, 5th graders examine primary source documents that are examples of covenants from 18th...
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ABC's of the Louisiana Purchase
Students investigate the Louisiana Purchase by reviewing the ABC's of the purchase. Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by information pertaining to the event. They participate in a variety of activities to reinforce the concepts...
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Reading Trees: Understanding Dendrochronology
Pupils examine tree-ring dating and discuss the lack of water the settlers in Jamestown faced. They create paper tree rings, simulate rain patterns, and describe the history of construction paper tree sequences.
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Arkansas Black Pioneers: A History of African-American Colonies in Arkansas
Students identify various regions of early Arkansas as these regions relate to African American colonies that settled in Arkansas after the Civil War.