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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
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Values in Willa Cather's My Antonia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Included in this resource are a variety of activities to do while reading Willa Cather's My Antonia. The activities, which range from mapping out Nebraska to writing activities about pioneer living, are all designed with one guiding...
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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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer America: Pioneer Living

For Teachers 4th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving West With Pioneers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read a book written by Laura Ingalls Wilder to examine the hardships that were endured by pioneers traveling during the Westward Expansion of the US. They predict, summarize and participate in literature circles. They visit...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go, West, Pack Light!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the hardships related to pioneer life and the Wagon Train. They listen to an excerpt from the book "Little House on the Prairie," and discuss the hardships faced by pioneers travelling west. In small groups...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons West!

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The first pioneers faced many obstacles on their journey west. Middle schoolers read different historical fiction texts (ideas are provided), make connections, and complete a detailed packet (included). Reading guides, journal ideas, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Donner Party

For Teachers 3rd
Who is the Donner Party? Find out why this group of pioneers lives in infamy. A lot of information is provided in this resource, but you will have to copy and paste the text to acquire the handouts. Learners will look at primary sources,...
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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

Pioneering Children on the Move

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students inquire about life for pioneer children. For this pioneer period lesson, students analyze photographs of children, make information foldables, and create a covered wagon that was typical of the ones of the past. Students will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Picture is Worth...

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use their photo analysis skills to gain an understanding of what pioneer life in Canada may have been like by examining historical photos. Students are then given an opportunity to present their findings to the class in a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Painting Modern Life

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Examine three Cubism art pieces by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque with your students. They will research how Cubism was advanced due to Picasso and Braque. and then compare and contrast Cubist works through image based discussion. Your...
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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

Johnny Appleseed

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate Johnny Appleseed.  In this cross curriculum literacy and U.S. history lesson, students listen to Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg, and dictate important events in his life as the teacher writes them on index...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact of Westward Expansion on Indigenous Populations

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Daily Life in Kansas

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders use 'Read Kansas' cards to learn about the daily life activities of an Osage boy and a pioneer girl. In this similarities and differences lesson, 2nd graders write a paragraph and draw a picture comparing their daily life...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Life Without Flight

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore impact of Ohio's aviation pioneers on life in America, discuss what life today would be like without people like the Wright Brothers, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong, and brainstorm and research list of items that space...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Pioneer Journal

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders take on the persona of a pioneer boy or girl. They write a fictional series of journal entries describing, from a child's view, some of the events, hardships and adventures of the trek west
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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

Dirt Babies

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Dirt babies are an excellent way to show young botanists the plant life cycle. They explore the functions and industry behind grasses before growing some of their own. Use the informational text here and consider implementing some...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going West

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students examine the lives of early pioneers who traveled west for better opportunities. They listen to story "Josafina and the Story Quilt", and discuss hardships encountered by traveling families. Students then complete research and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Amelia Earhart: Aviation Pioneer

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore social practices and technological advancement of the 1920s and 1930s and relate this to modern life. They explore the events of Amelia Earhart's life and her poetry. They write their own poetry.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-Americans in California's Heartland

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars read and view video about the pioneers moving west.  For this African American pioneer lesson, students become familiar with the problems faced by the pioneers and African-American pioneers. Young scholars complete...

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