Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Populism and the People’s Party

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars examine the history of the Populist Party as it relates to its reforms and economic plight. In this Populism and the People's Party lesson, students explore why farmers experienced financial difficulty at the end of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cowboy Tourism

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students disucss the role the tourist industry played in popular perceptions of cowboys and Indians. They discuss the image of cowboys, as it is presented in fashion and contemporary advertisements. Students read about a town in Montana...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Making a Living in Gold and Cattle

For Students 11th - 12th
In this section, students will learn about the major discoveries and developments in western gold, silver, and copper mining in the mid-nineteenth century. They will be able to explain why the cattle industry was paramount to the...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: Reasons for Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry, new...