They expected good soil and hearty crops ... but they found buffalo chips and grasshopper plagues. Using an advertisement encouraging famers to go west, budding historians examine primary sources including letters, photographs, and...

To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...

Upper graders identify five forms of transportation and describe how Kansans are connected to the rest of the country using transportation and communication. They complete a graphic organizer for each type of text structure given to them...

You walk each day over 20 blocks to school as a 9-year old because the color of your skin does not allow you to attend a school in your own neighborhood. Scholars use the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education to investigate...

Score a home run with this packet of information on the very first player of the Negro League to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame — cultural groundbreaker and sports legend Satchel Paige. These worksheets include a...

Students explore U.S. Geography by analyzing a map. For this state vs. country lesson, students utilize a U.S. map and locate the state of Kansas before researching the history and customs of the state. Students collaborate as a class to...

Did you know that the world's first novel was written by a woman? Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, was published in 1021. Class members research Eastern and Western cultures in the 10th and 11th centuries, view modern adaptations of...

Students review census data to correlate to emigration in Kansas. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students analyze a painting and create definitions for emigration and discuss why people emigrate. Students read and analyze 1855 census...

Students participate in class discussion to investigate how media affects the ideas of Americans (specifically in politics) and then research events in political history to analyze how the media may have influenced the government's...

How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...

Learn more about the work of Gwendolyn Brooks with a language arts lesson. Young learners read an informational passage about the acclaimed poet before attempting a shape poem of their own.

Students read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw cattle...

How the Kansas-Nebraska Act created Bleeding Kansas is complicated—until scholars research and examine documents from the time. After completing activities that include mapping, photo, document analysis, and discussion, learners...

Students define and discuss sectionalism and popular sovereignty, analyze impact of popular sovereignty in creation of state of Kansas, compare issues in territorial Kansas to current politically divisive topic, and evaluate primary...

Students examine the settlement patterns of the Kansas Territory. In this Kansas history activity, students analyze primary documents from the pioneers in the territory. Students write letters or perform skits that feature their findings.

Students research and discuss the reasons why early settlers emigrated to Kansas. They, in groups, analyze census district reports from the 1850's and then identify the advantages and disadvantages of using this information as research.

Start a whole new life in a land known as the Wild Wild West! Learners analyze maps, personal accounts, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, songs, and video clips to uncover life under the Homestead Act. Using their new skills, class members role...

Different varieties of Christmas trees provide an interesting way to combine social studies, science, math, and technology. Class members not only research the history of the Christmas tree holiday tradition, they compare and...

Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery lesson, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen Douglas's speech on...

Third graders explore the significance of historical landmarks. In this lesson, 3rd graders participate in a class discussion on Kansas landmarks, then complete several activities the reinforce the class discussion, such as writing a story.

Seventh graders determine how Kansas become a producer of airplanes. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders read selected Read Kansas! cards and articles. Students then discuss the primary sources they read regarding Wichita's growth...

Student research and apply information about communities in Kansas. In this Kansas lesson, 3rd graders study ten communities in the state, complete a booklet, and compare the communities to their own. They use the information to design a...

Seventh graders explore the impact of Price's Raid and the Battle of Mine Creek. In this American Civil War lesson, 7th graders examine a list of events based on the war in Kansas and then put them in chronological order. Students also...

Seventh graders consider how the majority sometimes enforces unjust laws upon the minority. In this Indian Removal instructional activity, 7th graders research Internet and print sources regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and...