Curated OER
Spain in Puerto Rico: The Early Settlements
Students participate in a lecture to discover the history of how Puerto Rico was changed after Spain discovered the island. In groups, they compare and contrast the conditions on the island before and after Columbus' discovery. To end...
Lubbock Independent School District
Antarctica Research
Sixth graders determine the possibility of establishing a colony on Antarctica to help eliminate the world's overcrowding. They consider environmental and economic criteria in determining how this colony functions ans is expected to do...
Curated OER
Human Settlement and Movement
Students are introduced to the way humans have settled and moved throughout history. In groups, they compare and contrast the settlement and movement of two different ethnic groups. They discover why some are more dominate in an area...
Curated OER
Settlement Patterns of the United States
Students examine the conditions that affected the way people settled in the United States. Using maps, they examine the topography and climate of different locations and determine the factors that do and do not allow settlement to occur....
Curated OER
Be a River Pioneer!
Students role-play as pioneers in Illinois river towns. They research and choose a home town and participate in the development of the town. They present their simulation in either a written report or visual presentation.
Curated OER
The Myth and the Reality: Pioneering in the Midwest
Students examine the myth and reality of settlement in the Upper Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Curated OER
Uncle Sam is Rich Enough to Give Us All a Farm:
Students examine websites and video clips to become familiar with tenets of the Homestead Act, challenges faced by settlers and misconceptions about settlers. They role-play colonists on the Planet XR-38 and make choices similar to...
Curated OER
A Sense of West Virginia
Students consider their perceptions of the world through their 5 senses while visiting the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students discover how knowing about the past helps with their understanding of...
Curated OER
Population Changes in U.S. Cities
Students investigate the changes in the population of major U.S. cities from 1920 to 2003. They write down as many U.S. cities as they can in one minute. Students discuss the top five cities on their lists and they disucss why there are...
Curated OER
Colonial Settlement and Environmental Problems
Students work together to develop a chart showing the relationship between the settlement of the United States and environmental problems. Using this information, they identify the human activities responsible for damaging the...
Curated OER
The Colonies: An Adertisement
Students explore the early colonies of American settlements. After researching important characteristics such as land, politics, economics, and educational opportunities, students create their own advertisement for one of the colonies.
Curated OER
Occupation, Use and Settlement of the Smith River
Young scholars examine the settlement and use of the Smith River area. Using the internet, they research concepts such as the "right of conquest" and "natural rights". In groups, they demonstrate how the land was transferred to the...
Curated OER
Welcome to Paradise
Fifth graders listen to Lynne Cherry's novel, The River Ran Wild. They work in two groups one of whom represents the native people and the other represents the English settlers from the book. They look at the geography of the settlement...
Curated OER
Patterns of Settlement in Early Alabama
Fourth graders study the settlement of Alabama. They collect data from the U.S. census website and answer questions regarding settlement patterns in the counties of Alabama in 1820. They write a paagraph describing where they would have...
Curated OER
Heritage: Make a Model of a Typical Utah Settlement
Fourth graders examine the different types of settlements used in Utah. They take a community map of Utah past and present and compare the two. They create a model of the early types of settlements used by pioneers in Utah.
Curated OER
Heritage: What Would YOU Take?
Fifth graders classify goods based on their value and decide what they would take with them if they were resettling to a new land. They write an essay defending their choices.
Curated OER
Boom and Bust Exploring Bannack, Montana's Colorful Past
Students study what life was like for the early settlers of Bannack, Montana after gold was discovered. They explain the important buildings and then, why Bannack became a ghost town. They participate in a gold mining simulation.
University of Alberta
Atlas of Alberta Railways: Land Grant System
Presented by the University of Alberta, this resource contains information on the land grant system in the Alberta region. Information on how the Canadian government used land grants in the late 19th century to spur population growth in...
Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: The French Connection
This exhibit features narratives and pictures that recount the history of French settlers to the banks of the Detroit River in the 1700s.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah Communities and the Railroad [Pdf]
Third graders will use the computer to briefly research six communities in Utah and evaluate key factors that determine how a community develops and explain changes within communities caused by human inventions. They will be able to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Images of the New World
In this lesson plan, students will consider "Images of the New World." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
Alberta Online Encyclopedia: The Land of Opportunity: Heritage Trails
This is a collection of audio and text files that describes Alberta's early history as the west is opened for settlement. Included are the stories about the great migration of immigrants from all over Europe, Asia and North America who...
Other
Conservation History Association of Texas: The Texas Legacy Project: Maps
A collection of links to a variety of maps and exercises about state resources, and help give historic background and regional context to the environmental issues that arise in Texas.
Texas Public Broadcasting
Texas Pbs: Texas Our Texas: The Land and Its Early People: Prehistory 1519
Learn how the four different regions with their diverse geographical features make Texas' environment quite varied and unique, and how this influenced early settlers in the state.