Lesson 6: Native Americans in the West

It's time for scholars to put their knowledge of primary sources to the test. A helpful assessment uses photos to test pupils' knowledge of how to analyze primary sources and determine their time periods. High school social studies...

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...

Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...

Native American women powered the American Indian Movement and other social changes, but they are often forgotten by history books. Examining a series of resources, including a documentary film, photographs, secondary sources, and social...

What do Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad have in common? Using a set of primary source documents, including pictures, maps, and treaties, class members link together the common themes of expansion into the American West....

An informative video sets the context for a lesson that asks young historians to consider how cultural values influence perspective. Groups compare the attitudes reflected in a journal entry of a member of the Plymouth Colony to those of...

Once Americans won the Revolutionary War, their quest to gain land did not end. An interesting activity focuses on Americans' expansion into the frontier following the war and how it conflicted with Native Americans living in the area....

Students examine artifacts and pieces of art from various Native American cultures. Using the internet, they research the culture that the artifact came from in more detail noting their lifestyle and contributions to the culture itself....

What do you know about American Indians? Upper graders compose an informational essay based on the research they conduct. They choose a Native American group to study and, using the provided list of web links, gather information and...

Although popular culture tells the story of the American West simplistically, its reality is far more complex. Native American tribes—while already on the land—didn't have the same interests, and conflicts between white settlers and...