Students hold a "rendezvous," role-playing as trappers gathering supplies for the upcoming year in the mountains. They trade simulated beaver pelts for supplies such as bullets, tea, flour, and sugar. They share storytelling with each...

Eighth graders investigate the life and contributions of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. They read and discuss an informational handout, define five words from the passage, conduct Internet research, and write a journal entry from the...

Second graders study Native American Kalapuya culture. In this American History lesson plan, 2nd graders discover the early inhabitants of their community. They take a field trip to Dorris Ranch.

Students examine the painting Columbia by John Gast. They discuss the concept of Manifest Destiny and the role of different groups (miners, missionaries, fur trappers, farmers, etc.) in the Americanization of the West. In groups, they...

Students study how trapping in the Illinois Territory in the 1800's effected the beaver population in the state. They compare methods, rules and regulations of the 1800s to those of today. In groups, they research a variety of...

Students view a picture from the Vancouver National Historic Reserve and discuss the people in the picture. They locate Cromwell's Map and discuss the villages located close to Fort Vancouver. Students read information regarding the role...

Eighth graders explore the components of the Westward Movement in the United States. Understanding the past and the linkages it has to the present is the intended goal of this seventeen day unit.

In this primary and secondary sources learning exercise, students look at a picture of colonial trapper, then answer 6 questions about source and specifics of the picture.

Do you know who Jonas Salk is? Print these pages and have your middle and high schoolers read his biography in Time magazine. The reading itself is short, and it is followed with a key date chart, three reading questions, two connection...

Meant to be used with the article, "In Florida, the Natives Are Restless" (included here), this is a great source of high-interest, nonfiction reading. A fill in the blank vocabulary activity and an activity focusing on reading...

In an exercise from the Purdue Online Writing Lab, learners can review 11 rules for comma usage. They then either label 21 sample sentences C for correct as is, or they identify which rule of comma usage is being broken. Though the...

The Yukon provides plenty of opportunity for adventure. A study guide for The Call of the Wild by Jack London, also the author of White Fang, helps readers navigate the novel which is set in Yukon, Canada. Chapter summaries give a...

Students explore Alaska. This lesson is gearing mostly for students who live in Alaska.

Students complete a scavenger hunt which highlights events on the journey by Lewis and Clark. Using the internet and journals, they identify events on the journey and places them on a timeline. They complete a worksheet as well to end...

Students explore the economic, political, racial, and religious roots of Manifest Destiny. They read articles and analyze how the concept influenced the nation's westward expansion. Students discover the motivations and expectations of...

Broaden your history class' knowledge of early America with this presentation, which takes them through the beginnings, battles, and bitter end of the French and Indian War. Vivid maps and paintings help tie the slides together. Note:...

Learners learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students explore the world of spiders as they travel into a science fiction film to learn the truth about spiders.

Fourth graders become familiar with the conditions facing the members of the Expedition in the early 1800's, as well as the causes and consequences of the Expedition. They describe the conditions of the land in the 1800's and during the...

In this Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Great Falls worksheet, students read for information and complete comprehension activities. In this true and false, fill in the bank, and essay worksheet, students write answers to fifteen...

Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the lesson provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...

In this Vermont history worksheet, students read two and a half pages of information about Vermont history. After reading, students complete 10 true or false questions about what they read.

In this Utah state history worksheet, students read two and a half pages of information about Utah and complete 10 true and false questions.

Students make an Indian craft. In this Native American culture lesson, students view pictures of tepees and then create a tepee of their own. Students learn about buckskin paper and use it to make an Indian craft.

Students study the effect of trapping in the Illinois Territory in 1805 and compare it to trapping today. They participate in a role playing activity in which they discover how practices in early Illinois Territory led to wildlife...