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...
Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Fairy Tales and Tall Tales Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology

For Teachers 2nd Standards
Enrich a unit on fairy tales and tall tales with a set of read-aloud lessons. Second graders hone writing, vocabulary, comprehension, and literary analysis skills as they read classic stories. Complete with extension projects, discussion...
eBook
Core Knowledge Foundation

Volume 1 - A History of the United States: Precolonial to the 1800s

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
Volume One of the 299-page Core Knowledge History of the United States covers events from the Precolonial Period to the 1800s.
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

A History of the United States

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
This 262-page Core Knowledge teacher guide presents an overview of the two-volume History of the United States program designed for middle schoolers. The guide includes information about the learning strategies used, a pacing guide, the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People of the West

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research and identify key facts about men and women of the Westward Movement. They assess the events and reasons that motivated people to move west, hardships they faced and their contributions to the nation. Each student...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Billy the Kid: Perspectives on an Outlaw

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the life of Billy the Kid. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students use Internet and print sources to research the contributions of gunfighters to the settlement of the American West.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landmarks of the Oregon Trail in Nebraska

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine art work as primary sources and complete the worksheet to leaern about the Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion as it affected Nebraska.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Negotiating Treaties

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Las Vegas Mormon Fort

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars use maps, readings, letters, photos and drawings to identify why Mormons came to the Las Vegas area and what they hoped to accomplish by establishing an outpost. They consider the roles of early women pioneers and outline...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: Chinese Migration to America

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine human migrations and hypothesize why Chinese immigrants came to the Pacific Northwest. In groups, they research reasons for the migration and record them on a Venn Diagram with general migratory reasons. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California Trail and Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived on the lands in which the California Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Native Resistance: Native Resistance Then and Now

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Native Americans lost so much—and gained so little in return. Scholars explore Native Americans' resistance to the United States government. The lesson uses primary sources to explore the different forms of protest and gives a voice to...
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Don't miss this fantastic comprehensive lesson plan on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, packed with instructional guidance, worksheets, map work, informational texts, and secondary source materials.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

The Alaska Purchase: Debating the Sale from Russian and U.S. Perspectives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Seward's Folly or brilliant strategic move? Class members investigate primary source documents from each country to determine the rationales behind the sale and purchase of Alaska, and then stage a debate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Antonia: K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Use the well-known KWHL chart as a tool for building up to a research project and oral presentation related to Willa Cather's My Antonia. Starting with a class brainstorm, pupils research and gradually narrow down topics relating to...
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

American Stories: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 2)

For Teachers 4th
Here's a packet designed especially for those kids who need extra support with the basic concepts in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on American stories.
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. 
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's nothing like the Wild Wild West! Scholars investigate the American Frontier through the eyes of Kit Carson. To complete the first installment of a three-part series, they use presentations, a short video, and primary and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: The Battle of the Washita

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Go West, young man! Scholars use PBS video clips, slide shows, and interactive materials to create a picture of Manifest Destiny in the American West. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, young historians learn about the...
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Trail of Tears

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
An interactive practice boosts reading comprehension skills. Scholars read an informative text, then show what they know by answering 10 questions. A progress report details their answers and overall score.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Louisiana Purchase: Reading and Quiz

For Students 6th - 8th
In need of informational text and a related quiz regarding the Louisiana Purchase? Here are four pages containing basic information on Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, Manifest Destiny, and the Louisiana Purchase, plus a 15-question...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Settlement of Frontier Alabama

For Teachers 4th
What comes to mind when the class imagines settlers traveling out West? The instructional activity teaches pupils about the western frontier of Alabama and what life was like for people traveling West—in wagons with few possessions....
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Manifest Destiny and the Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 8th Standards
Beginning with a thorough presentation on the concept of Manifest Destiny and background information on the Louisiana Purchase, your young historians will then consider the demands of the Lewis and Clark expedition and compose journal...
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Sacagawea

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Mind maps are great tools. Teach your classes how to use mind maps to collect, organize, and retain information with a lesson that asks learners to research the life of Sacagawea and use mind maps to record their findings.

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