Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons West!

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Through learning about the Oregon Trail and Nebraska, learners evaluate the elements of historical fiction. Coming with a comprehensive bibliography, this lesson plan has your class learn about settlers traveling along the Oregon Trail,...
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Freeman School: Building Prairie Communities

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine this one-room school in Nebraska and consider the important role it played in the community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They compare their educational experience with those of rural students of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Push or Pull?

For Teachers K - 1st
Utilizing the Nebraska State Quarter, pupils learn about the pioneers who had wagons that were pulled across Nebraska by oxen during the westward movement. Excellent worksheets are embedded in the plan that guide them through this fine...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Moving West

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students research the Westward Movement and struggles encountered by the pioneers as they moved from Nebraska, Westward along the Oregon Trail. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students read an Oregon Trail poem and visit 5...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Worksheet #79 - American Pioneer

For Students 7th - 8th
In this American pioneer quiz activity, students advance their understanding of the early American pioneer days by answering ten fill in the blank questions.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Iowa: Reading Comprehension

For Students 4th - 6th
For this Iowa reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page selection regarding the state and then respond to 10 true or false questions.
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...
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: American Memory: Prairie Settlement, 1862 1912

For Students 9th - 10th
Read letters from homesteaders in Nebraska and view photographs of prairie life in Nebraska. Visitors can browse by topic, date, or keyword.