Prairie People

Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...

Students create a magazine that is circulated in an alternative format. They design each issue in the form of a student-created box. They explore issues relating to experiences of young people in different times and places.

What is oral tradition, and what unique tool did the Native Americans of the Northern Great Plains use to help them remember their complex histories? Through pictograph analysis, discussion, research, and an engaging hands-on activity,...

Learn about the Dust Bowl through primary source analysis and related activities. Class members first read the provided historical background and then pretend they are leaders of the Last Man's Club in order to come up with at least four...

Before loaning a friend money, what factors would you consider and why would you lend it? Your young economists will face questions like these in a lesson on banking, profit, risk, and reward, which includes the reading of the book...

How do barns serve as a window to a community's past? Here are a series of lessons on the symbolism and historical context of barns throughout American history. Topics include community-building, in-depth primary and secondary source...

Augment a unit on the traditions and legacies of Native Americans with an informational packet. With pages that detail the tribal origins of commonly used words, a list of ways that Native American customs influenced American democracy,...

After two pages of teacher-led instructions, students follow this presentation in order to demonstrate image interpretation and the ability to read and understand topographic maps. The students should have basic knowledge of prairie dog...

Middle schoolers analyze photographs of high plains sod homes and read accompanying narratives. They then choose one photograph and, using the copy and paste features and simple drawing tools available in Microsoft Word, students...

How would you use census data from 1880-1900? Here are a set of ways you can incorporate the book Little House on the Prairie and US census data from that time period. Learners will research the validity or the book based on factual...