Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bible Lesson: Wagons West

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students debate whether manifest destiny is right or wrong.  In this manifest destiny lesson, students discuss the westward movement and the role of manifest destiny as they focus on the Native Americans.  Students view the...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Coloring Pictures of Children's Activities During the Westward Expansion

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In these social studies coloring page worksheets , students color pictures of children during the westward expansion taking part in their activities. They color children playing, making butter, fishing, and walking near a covered wagon.
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Transforming the West: Did the Reality Match the Expectations for Kansas Homesteaders?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
They expected good soil and hearty crops ... but they found buffalo chips and grasshopper plagues. Using an advertisement encouraging famers to go west, budding historians examine primary sources including letters, photographs, and...
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...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of a Treaty Council

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A photo catches a moment in time that provides a glimpse into the past. An interesting resource focuses on historical analysis using an image from a treaty council with Native Americans. Budding historians complete an online worksheet...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Petition Against Annexation of Hawaii

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Stop westward expansion! The quick activity delves into the past to understand the petition against the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Scholars analyze the petition to understand why native Hawaiians were against the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Keeping the Home Fires: The lives of Western women

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the various trails that settlers took West from Missouri. They examine the reasons that people took these trails as well as the kind of people who made the journeys. They examine the Oregon, the Mormon, the Santa...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Donner Online

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a simulation of the Donner Party in order to learn more about this episode in history. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders take on a role which dictates their group job; each role was assigned to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Lit. 18: The Oregon Trail & Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Oregon Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Lit. 19: Old Spanish Trail & Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Old Spanish Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Values and Beliefs of Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the beliefs of Manifest Destiny and its role in the California Gold Rush. They analyze a painting to gather information about Manifest Destiny.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Party like its 1849

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore prairie life. For this Oregon Trail lesson, students read literature regarding the move west and participate in cross-curricular activities. Students should take digital photographs of the participation in activities and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Western Migration Lesson Plan

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students examine the western migration in the United States in the early 19th century and identify the factors that caused the migration as well as how government adapted to meet the needs of an expanding country.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lonesome Linda

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students analyze the create of Loma Linda. In this Western expansion lesson, students look at the development of a resort in the desert and how a town is begun.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pioneer Experience

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders consider the move westward. In this Westward Movement lesson, 10th graders compare and contrast the experiences of 2 pioneers by creating t-charts. Students analyze diaries, photographs, and political cartoons that capture...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans and the Move West

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the phases of the migration west and analyze the incentives for African Americans to move.They create a timeline of migration to the west along with charts depicting the changes in demographics of areas at selected...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Trial of Standing Bear

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students investigate the story of Standing Bear and his people as they defied the U.S. Governemt and returned to their homes in Omaha. Their arrest was followed by a trial which the Ponca people won.
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Grand Adventure of Lewis and Clark

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars take a closer look at the Lewis and Clark expedition. In this Louisiana Purchase lesson, students discover tools used by the men as they explored the land. Young scholars also read excerpts from The Incredible Journey and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Learners examine the effect of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on Native American nations. In this Native American history instructional activity, students research Internet sources to find out how the expedition impacted Native Americans...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the concept of manifest destiny as practiced in the 1840s. They discuss how contemporary maps of the 1840s influenced United States expansion in the 1840s and analyze the relationship between manifest destiny and democracy.
PPT
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America. Manifest Destiny, Texas Independence, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican War are...

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