Curated OER
Keeping the Pioneers Warm
Fourth graders are introduced to some of the history and background of the art of quilt making by 19th century pioneer women. They use tagboard shapes to design, construct and display quilt squares.
Curated OER
Mystery Photo!
Young scholars examine a photo of the compass plant, and research how the pioneers used the plant as a way of orienting themselves while travelling through the prairies. They analyze the photograph, and complete a Photo Analysis Guide...
Curated OER
Education On The Trail
Fourth graders explain the unique experience of pioneer studenT education on the trail. They invent ways to provide schooling to pioneer students while they were on the trail.
Curated OER
Pushing the Boundaries: The Pioneer Spirit
Eleventh graders recognize how social reform occurred at the turn of the century. Through a debate, 11th graders determine advantages and drawbacks of traveling west using original sources and descriptions of the attitudes, beliefs, and...
Curated OER
Map Scale and the Pioneer Journey
Fourth graders use a map, ruler and calculato to determine the distance the pioneers traveled from Nauvoo, Ill. to the Salt Lake Valley.
Curated OER
Pioneer Currency in Utah: Have you got change for a 5?
Students explore the need for money in a society and the artificial value of coin and paper currencies. They design their own coin and paper currency.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies
A fantastic resource where you can find biographies of historical figures. You can search by the person's name or by topics, such as Presidents, United States Leaders, Scientists, Inventors, Humanitarians, Explorers and Pioneers,...
US National Archives
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library: Pioneer Life With Laura
This site is an integrated teaching unit on pioneer life and Westward Movement of the United States, using books by author Laura Ingalls Wilder. It includes suggested read-alouds, a wealth of large and small group activities, a pioneer...
Other
Maison Saint Gabriel: A Present From the Past
Tour a Montreal museum, Maison Saint-Gabriel, to learn the history of this city and of New France and Quebec from the 16th century on. See how early settlers lived. Teachers will appreciate the comprehensive word list for elementary...
Other
Paul Yee: 'Dead Man's Gold and Other Stories' Teaching Guide [Pdf]
This teaching guide provided by Paul Yee for his book of short stories, "Tales from Gold Mountain", provides a summary of the book, discussion questions and classroom activities. The book explores the experiences of Chinese immigrants to...
Other
Penguin Group Canada: Our Canadian Girl: Rachel Book One (Teacher Guide) [Pdf]
This teacher's guide accompanies 'Rachel Book One: A Mighty Big Imagining', one in the Our Canadian Girl series. The novel looks at the experiences of early black Canadian pioneers.
Other
Penguin Group Canada: Our Canadian Girl: Rachel Book Two (Teacher Guide) [Pdf]
This teacher's guide accompanies 'Rachel Book Two: The Maybe House', one in the Our Canadian Girl series. The novel looks at the experiences of early black Canadian pioneers.
Library of Congress
Loc: The History of the Upper Midwest
Wonderful site that presents the history of the upper Midwest from the 1600s to around 1900, including Minnesota, Michigan, and Northwest Territories.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Texas Ranch House
What was it like to be a cowboy in 1867? Visit the Cooke Ranch and explore a cowboy's working and dwelling quarters. Play the interactive games to learn about the many aspects of daily life in the American West. (Click "Interactive...
Other
Oregon California Trails Association: Historic Trails Learning Center
Information portal for the organization that oversees the preservation of the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Applegate Trail, and the Mormon Trail.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Life on the Great Plains
A detailed lesson plan that explores "the concept of region and how culture and experience influence the perception of regions." Site provides many excellent websites for young scholars and teachers to explore during their study of the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: If You Were a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail
Lesson plans that introduce the Oregon Trail to students and guide them into an activity where they create a personal narrative describing their journey out west. Provides a link to an excellent site that details many aspects of the...
Digital History
Digital History: "Go West and Grow Up With the Country"
When Horace Greeley gave his advice to go West, young man, he meant as far west as Iowa. See how the Midwest was settled by pioneers, lumberjacks, and miners. Read about squatters on the fine prairie land and how they were able to keep...
Digital History
Digital History: Donner Party
The gruesome story of the Donner Party is a cautionary tale of poor planning. Read about the survivors and those who did not live to see their dreams of California.
Other
University of Western Ontario: Early Writing in Canada: Catharine Parr Traill
Excerpts of letters written by Catharine Parr Traill, which she collected and published, along with her journals, in The Backwoods of Canada (1836). In these excerpts, she writes about her arrival in Newfoundland and a journey to Quebec.
Other
Historic Trails: Oregon/california Trails
Find a map of the Oregon Trail and California Trail and click Historical Trails tab to discover the hardships and daily grind of traveling on the Oregon Trail.
Other
At Home in the Heartland: At Home on the Fringes of the Prairie (1800 1850)
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...
Other
Texas Beyond History: Texas and the Western Frontier
Read about the expansion of the frontier in and around Texas during the middle of the nineteenth century as the Civil War was coming to an end.
Other
Connie Brummel Crook: 'The Perilous Year' Teaching Guide [Pdf]
"The Perilous Year", an historical novel by Connie Brummel Crook, begins in 1793 and is set in what is now Ontario. It follows the life of two brothers into adulthood. This teacher's guide has a book summary, chapter discussion guides...