Curated OER
"ART ZOO 'Blacks in the Westward Movement', 'What Can You Do with a Portrait', and 'Of Beetles, Worms, and Leaves of Grass'"
Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
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...
Curated OER
Coloring Pictures of Children's Activities During the Westward Expansion
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.
Huntington Library
The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
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.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
American Stories: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 2)
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.
Carolina K-12
Manifest Destiny and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
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...
Curated OER
Donner Online
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...
Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 18: The Oregon Trail & Native Americans
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.
Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 19: Old Spanish Trail & Native Americans
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.
Curated OER
The Trial of Standing Bear
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.
Curated OER
Lonesome Linda
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.
Curated OER
Moving West With Pioneers
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...
Curated OER
Oregon Vocabulary
In this vocabulary activity learning exercise, learners read the clues and use the words in the word box to complete the 10 statements about Oregon.
Curated OER
The Pioneer Experience
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...
Curated OER
Stereotypes and Tonto
Learners identify stereotypes, especially those applied to American Indians. In this teaching tolerance lesson, students read an essay entitled " I Hated Tonto (Still Do)" and discuss the negative impact that stereotypes may have...
Curated OER
My Antonia: K-W-H-L Strategy
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...
PBS
Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found
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.
PBS
Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue
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...
PBS
Myth of the West: The Battle of the Washita
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...
Curated OER
Heading West
Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. lesson, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students describe...
Curated OER
Be Specific, Go West To The Pacific
Fifth and sixth graders follow Lewis and Clark from St. Louis to the Pacific and back again. They read online journal entries made by Lewis and Clark to gather information. The official Lewis and Clark website is used by learners to...
Curated OER
Negotiating Treaties
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.
Curated OER
California Trail and Native Americans
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.
Curated OER
Rivers to the West
Middle schoolers discuss the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the reasons they may have chosen to follow certain rivers. They list the rivers that start from St. Louis and follow the route of Lewis and Clark. Students trace and label the...