Planning A Railroad

From stagecoach to railroad tracks, your class will discover how advancements in travel in the United States during the nineteenth century played an integral role in the industrialization and development of American society. The main...

Have you ever wondered how your town was placed where it is? Scholars research the impact the advancement of the railroad due to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act had on the formation of civilization in the Great Plains. Map...

Enhance your American literature unit with this resource, in which readers access the Nebraska Studies website and read about "Railroads and Settlement." They search for a photograph of some aspect of the railroad from the Prairie...

Seventh graders differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources, such as biographies from the Handbook of Texas. They analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as the railroad,...

Young scholars examine the effects the Transcontinental Railroad had on the regions through which it passed. They analyze and discuss maps, view and describe online images, and use photos and documents to develop a cause-and-effect ladder.

Students use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.

Learners demonstrate knowledge of the significance of songs that are used to communicate important information. They make directions to their houses using songs, and explain their significance to the Underground Railroad.

Students explore the Underground Railroad.  In this U.S. history and technology lesson, students research an assigned topic related to the Underground Railroad, such as "abolitionist," "conductor," or "station houses."  Students design a...

Learners plan their escape as though they were an 18th century slave. In this slavery history activity, students use the Internet to research runaway slaves, then create a plan for escape in the form of a short story or journal entry.

Students plan a route across Donner Summit using topographical maps in order to understand the challenges involved in constructing the railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this history lesson plan, students first discover how to...