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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Math for the Frontier

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Make history come to life by using the Frontier House series to engage young scholars in the past. Your class will "prepare" for a trip to 1833 Montana. They will learn about homesteading, frontier life, inflation, and cost of living....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taming the Frontier

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine paintings by Thomas Cole and Jasper Francis Cropsey as windows into American frontier life. They consider the pioneer's relationship with nature and the role of Native Americans in the pioneer's lives and settlements.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frontier Life Story

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students undertake a similar (but not quite as drastic) adventure as that of Frontier House as they explore the day-to-day realities of frontier life through a Laura Ingalls Wilder story, and reflect on which time period suits them...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frontier Life Story

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore American frontier life. In this history instructional activity, students participate in a series of activities that challenge them to discover what pioneer life was really like.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Settlement of Frontier Alabama

For Teachers 4th
What comes to mind when the class imagines settlers traveling out West? The lesson teaches pupils about the western frontier of Alabama and what life was like for people traveling West—in wagons with few possessions. Scholars write,...
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Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Where to Look For Life?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Every year we discover new planets including more than 1,000 in 2016 alone. Will we ever find life on another planet? The lesson includes two activities to help scholars understand this concept. First, they analyze the temperature range...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Frontiers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the settlement of the American frontier through literature. In this literature lesson, students read and discuss works by James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Hamlin Garland. Students compare...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Look Through My Antonia's Eyes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Thoroughly delve into My Antonia by Willa Cather with a plethora of activities. Engage scholars with videos and web sites in this week-long unit that explains the historical context and creates pioneers in the field of research. An...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Frontier and Frontiersmen

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this frontier worksheet, learners read a 2 page article on the early frontier life, answer 5 facts from the article with multiple choice answers and determine if 2 statements are true or false.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cowboy Life

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Travel back in time to the 1800s and research the Old West! Elementary and middle schoolers work with a partner to complete at least four activities from a list provided by the teacher. They use these activities to present their...
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Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Is There Anyone Out There?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What is an alien's favorite game? All-star baseball! Scholars start defining living and non-living. Then, they conduct experiments to research if life exists, keeping in mind that life could be in many forms, not just human. 
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Lesson Plan
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area

Life as a Pioneer

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine historical documents and research why early pioneers settled on the Iowa prairie. They review maps, describe the impact of railroading, describe life in pioneer times, and identify the effects of drought, prairie fire,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Ho!

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students explore what life was like on the American frontier. They participate in a simulation of frontier life using Oregon Trail computer software, create an Oregon Trail newsletter, develop a timeline, and conduct interviews with...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagon Train

For Teachers 3rd - Higher Ed
Students use educational software to examine the hardships and problem solving skills needed by the pioneers as they endured frontier life. They work as teams while using the game simulation. They work a number of project while not on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Life: Food

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students investigate the types of food the pioneers ate, and how they prepared and preserved their meals. They explore websites, view video diaries from PBS Frontier Life, read recipes, and complete a crossword puzzle.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frontier Forts

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study frontier forts. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders research the history and conditions of Fort Leavenworth, Fort Scott, Fort Riley, Fort Larned, and Fort Hays. Students write letters from the perspective of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pioneer Life

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a three-week unit about Laura Ingalls Wilder and pioneer life. They research the topography of Michigan in the 1870's, conduct Internet research, write journal entries, participate in polka and waltz dancing, and...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's nothing like the Wild Wild West! Scholars investigate the American Frontier through the eyes of Kit Carson. To complete the first installment of a three-part series, they use presentations, a short video, and primary and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Women of Florida's Frontier

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read the passage, "Florida's Fabulous Frontier Females" and write two narrative essays, one expository, using examples of differences in life in Florida during frontier times and today. They then complete one descriptive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a lesson, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper writing, science...
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PPT
Curated OER

Colonial North America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Showcase the religion, conflicts, daily life, and politics of Colonial North America. A very well-done presentation highlights all the major colonial groups, social norms, demographics, and political struggles of the time. Perfect for an...
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Activity
National Park Service

Maltese Cross Cabin

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
The Maltese Cross Cabin, a frontier residence of Theodore Roosevelt, is a time capsule that commemorates Roosevelt's time in the Dakota territory. An explanatory video and response guide takes students on a virtual tour of the wooden...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving to the Frontier

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars explore the Frontier House website, examining the challenges of frontier settlement in the American West in the late 1800's. They develop budgets, and create displays based on their own research.

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