Unit Plan
C-SPAN

American Writers: Black Elk

For Students 9th - 10th
An informational site on Black Elk. Includes general information about his life, works, and writings, including Black Elk Speaks. Also includes links to other sites.
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Colorado

For Students 3rd - 5th
Discover more about the Rocky Mountains. Why is Colorado called the "Centennial State?" Look at this website for captivating facts.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Infectious Disease

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Investigate the spread of infectious diseases from whites to Native Americans during the westward expansion of the 1800s, and compare cholera to Ebola and other infectious diseases.
Website
Other

Doing History, Keeping the Past

For Students 3rd - 8th
Fun site gives great pictures and explanations of Colorado history: farmers and ranchers, city dwellers, mining towns, Native Americans. Take virtual field trips into Denver's history.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: 10 Things You May Not Know About Sitting Bull

For Students 9th - 10th
Get the facts about one of the most legendary Native Americans of the 19th century. Sitting Bull was born around 1831 into the Hunkpapa people, a Lakota Sioux tribe that roamed the Great Plains in what is now the Dakotas.
Primary
PBS

Pbs the West: Gen. Nelson A. Miles on the "Sioux Outbreak"

For Students 9th - 10th
Statements and reports forwarded up the chain of command in 1891 about the failure of the government to provide either food or other promised support to Sioux Indians after the destruction of buffalo herds.
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Southwest Literacy Unit

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is a literacy unit based around a Southwest / Westward Expansion Theme. Native Americans, pioneers, and the old west is covered. 8 different literacy strategies are taught with FULL...
Website
Other

California Missions Resource Center

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Peruse this thorough resource featuring historical California missions stretching from San Diego to San Francisco as the Spanish established themselves on the west coast of North America between 1768-1853. Read stories of the early...
eBook
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Battle of Saratoga

For Students 5th - 8th
The weeks leading up to the Battle of Saratoga were filled with disaster for the British troops. Read about the problems General Burgoyne had, and find out how the Americans took advantage of those problems to deliver a stunning defeat...
Lesson Plan
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Langston Hughes

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This resource focuses on the works of famous African-American author, Langston Hughes.
Unknown Type
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1844 1877: Manifest Destiny

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick comprehension check over the Manifest Destiny.
Graphic
PBS

Pbs: Indian Territory

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from PBS provides a short description and map of "the Indian Territory set aside by the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the areas designated for each tribe."
Handout
National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art: George Catlin

For Students 3rd - 8th
Gives background on the life and works of George Catlin. Links to several examples of his paintings.
Handout
PBS

Pbs the West: Big Foot (?? 1890)

For Students 9th - 10th
This article focuses on the massacre of Chief Big Foot and his followers at the Massacre of Wounded Knee.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Peter Minuit

For Students 9th - 10th
Wikipedia offers an overview of the life of explorer Peter Minuit and also discusses his purchase of the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans.
Handout
Country Studies US

Country Studies: The Plight of the Indians

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explains how as westward expansion grew, more and more Indians encountered settlers, ranchers and miners who sought life, land, and riches out West. Conflicts between settlers and Indians soon involved the federal government...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: National Expansion and Reform 1815 1880

For Students 9th - 10th
Follow the territorial and westward expansion of the newly formed United States. Learn about the thriving slave trade of that era and the spread of reform efforts across the country.
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Westward Migration

For Teachers 7th
A comprehensive learning module on the westward movement that took place prior to the Civil War. It includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and primary source materials, followed by a summative performance...
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Liberty for All? Webisode 3

For Students 9th - 10th
Webisode 3 - Liberty for All? The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: The Wounded Knee Massacre

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the Wounded Knee Massacre.
Website
Ohio History Central

Ohio History Central: Land Ordinance of 1785

For Students 9th - 10th
Read how the Confederate Congress dealt with issues about claims of land by states, Native Americans, and squatters west of the Appalachian Mountains. See how the Land Ordinance of 1785 divided up the land, supported public education,...
Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Maps Etc: Migrations of Early Native Peoples, 1889

For Students 9th - 10th
A sketch map of North America from 1888 showing the probable lines of migration and distribution of the American Tribes, including the Esquimaux (Eskimo), West Coast Tribes, Tinne, Algonquin Tribes, and the Alleghans and Toltecans, based...
Handout
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission

Explore Pa History: Horace Pippin

For Students 3rd - 8th
A concise biographical sketch that examines the contributions of African American painter and Pennsylvania native, Horace Pippin.
Handout
Other

Texas Beyond History: Texas and the Western Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the expansion of the frontier in and around Texas during the middle of the nineteenth century as the Civil War was coming to an end.