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Connie Brummel Crook: 'The Hungry Year' Teaching Guide [Pdf]
"The Hungry Year", an historical novel by Connie Brummel Crook, begins in 1787 and is set in what is now Ontario. It follows the life of a Loyalist pioneer family that has fled into Canada. This teacher's guide has a book summary,...
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,...
Read Works
Read Works: Heading West
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about every-day life for American pioneers. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in comparing and contrasting.
Read Works
Read Works: Heading West: Learn About a Pioneer's Life
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about what life was like for pioneers. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Getting Water From a Well
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about how to get water from a well. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: The Homestead Act Went Into Effect
This 4-page article discusses the Homestead Act of 1862 and its effects.
Library of Congress
Loc: Merica's Story: Oregon Territory
Read about the settling of Oregon country and how westward expansion prompted Congress to make it a territory.
Curated OER
National Park Service: California National Historic Trail
This site from the National Parks Service gives a brief history, and description of the California trail system which was used by settlers moving to California during the 1849 Gold Rush days.
Other
Kings Landing Historical Settlement
Kings Landing Historical Settlement reflects life in the 19th century. Learn about the Loyalists who escaped the American Revolution and the hardships they faced working to establish their homes in New Brunswick.
Intel Corporation
Intel: Music of the Western Expansion
What was life like for a western pioneer? Young scholars take a journey through westward expansion using music to understand the experience of the pioneers. As they listen to lyrics and analyze the different types of music that was being...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Movement South and Westward
Following Eli Whitney's invention in 1793 of the cotton gin -- a machine that separated raw cotton from seeds and other waste -- the cotton market boomed. Planters in the South bought land from small farmers who frequently moved farther...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Westward Expansion
Here you can learn about the Oregon Trail, Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and life as a pioneer through text, images, video, and quotes.
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Jo's Journey Teaching Guide [Pdf]
Jo's Journey, a novel by Nikki Tate, follows the adventures of an orphan girl named Jo as she heads north disguised as a boy to look for gold during the Caribou Gold Rush. This teacher's guide includes a book summary, teaching ideas and...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Strawberry Moon Teaching Guide [Pdf]
Strawberry Moon, a novel by Becky Citra, continues to follow the life of Ellie, a young girl living in Upper Canada in the 1830s. In this story, her strict grandmother has come to take her back to England and Ellie doesn't want to go....
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Secret Signs Teaching Guide [Pdf]
In Secret Signs, a novel by Jacqueline Guest set in the Depression, a young boy runs away from home to look for his father. He learns that he shouldn't take home for granted. This teacher's guide includes a book summary, teaching ideas...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Five Stars for Emily Teaching Guide [Pdf]
Five Stars for Emily, a novel written by Kathleen Cook Waldron, looks at a young girl's experience of leaving modern comforts behind and going to live in a log cabin without electricity. This teacher's guide includes a book summary,...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Max and Ellie Books Teaching Guide [Pdf]
The Ellie and Max books by Becky Citra take place in pioneer times and follow the experiences of a brother and sister in Upper Canada. This teacher's guide includes a book summary, teaching ideas and the author's reflections on writing...
Orca Book Publishers
Orca Book Publishers: Runaway Teaching Guide [Pdf]
In Runaway, a novel by Becky Citra, a boy must make some difficult decisions about whether to help another boy that he has seen steal but who is also being physically abused. The story is set in the 1830s in Upper Canada. This teacher's...
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Journeys West
A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"
Curated OER
Bureau of Land Management: Basic Facts About the Oregon Trail
Learn basic facts about the Oregon Trail and the early pioneers who used it in their move West.
Other
Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area: Introduction to Pioneer Farming
Examines the topics of soil fertility, the first farmers, the fur trade, and pioneer farmers.
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: English Language Arts: Grade 3: Louisiana Purchase
Third graders learn about the Louisiana Purchase and the characteristics of pioneers during this time period. While exploring literary and informational texts, including quotes from primary source documents, 3rd graders discuss elements...
Digital History
Digital History: Life on the Trail
Read what life was like for the pioneers traveling west in wagon trains, especially along the Oregon Trail.
Digital History
Digital History: Pioneers
Read about the pioneers that migrated West and see what drove some of them to seek a new way of life.