Settling in the Midwest

Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...

Scholars put themselves in an immigrant's shoes to decide what items they would take on their journey to a new home. Learners read primary sources, take part in a whole-class discussion, and make a list that they share with their peers,...

Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...

Learners read about settlers in Kansas and the adaptations they made in order to build different kinds of houses. In this Kansas settlers lesson plan, students participate in choral reading and retell information they learn.

Many innovators are working on solutions to address environmental problems like energy-inefficient housing. Scholars have an opportunity to develop their own strategies using the fourth of five lessons from the WE Are...

Enhance your foreign language students' skills to describe a house. After reading a description of rooms in a house in their target language, they work to answer corresponding questions correctly. Additionally, they view a PowerPoint...

Interactive site offers information and pictures pertaining to early pioneer life. See advertisements in the paper, furniture, glassware, and food preparation tools. Read stories of individuals who lived during that time and make...

Help parents and children survive the long winter break with this collection of fun activities. Offering suggestions for volunteering during the holidays and making family New Year's resolutions, as well as a variety...

Students compare and contrast Native American dwellings with pioneer homes. They identify the progression of these homes and locate examples on a frontier map.

Stduents look closely at what one President did at his home in contrast to what Presidents have done in the White House. They take a virtual tour of the White House and Monticello.