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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Look Through My Antonia's Eyes

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore life as a pioneer in the late 1890's. In this appreciation of history lesson, students read excerpts from My Antonia. Students create presentations about life and culture in Nebraska.  Students write an original short...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Wild, Wild West, or Was It?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the American West. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 5th graders examine the opportunities that the West offered American pioneers. Students watch a montage video and analyze primary documents regarding the topic.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Life in a Sod House: Get a Sense of It

For Students 3rd - 12th
For this history of Nebraska worksheet, students read information about pioneer life in a sod house.  Students conduct 4 experiments where they use measurement skills and observational skills to imagine the size, light levels, smell of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact of Westward Expansion on Indigenous Populations

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pushing the Boundaries: The Pioneer Spirit

For Teachers 11th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneers Heading West

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research Pacific Northwest Pioneers in order to create a bio-web poster about the author in which they illustrate and write facts about the pioneer. Students then create a book page about their pioneer to add to a class book of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Trails and Towns

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research pioneer trails to discover how they have changed. In this pioneer trails and towns lesson, 3rd graders identify trails on a map and gather information on how those trails are now major roads and highways along town...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Farm Cooking

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore pioneer farm life and the types of cooking and ingredients available. They recreate a pioneer version of a sno-cone and discuss why crushed ice was used more often than snow in this recipe.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Pioneer Journal

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders take on the persona of a pioneer boy or girl. They write a fictional series of journal entries describing, from a child's view, some of the events, hardships and adventures of the trek west
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneers to Kansas

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate items for basic survival, needed for survival, and luxury items. They compare what they need to what Indians and Pioneers needed in the 1700's and 1800's.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Scale and the Pioneer Journey

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use a map, ruler and calculato to determine the distance the pioneers traveled from Nauvoo, Ill. to the Salt Lake Valley.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Perspectives-Diverse Opinions on Westward Migration

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine the Westward Migration and expansion of the United States from the perspective of a family migrating westward. They analyze pictures, and in small groups write and present a script based on a photograph, expressing the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sodbusters!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students study American settlers, how and where they lived by observing images. They investigate how the settlers used sod to build houses that were adaptable to the plains environment. They compare living in a sod homes with their home.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Fluency Passages, 3rd Grade

For Students 3rd Standards
What would it be like to travel in a covered wagon? Learn about the life of a pioneer with a short informational reading passage. Kids read four paragraphs about traveling in a covered wagon and how it is different than traveling today,...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Willa Cather's My Ántonia

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Willa Cather's My Antonia might seem like a hard sell for today's teen readers. Rather than dramatic plot twists, trysts, and terrors, the novel celebrates the pioneer spirit that lead immigrants to a small Nebraska town. The Signet...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Meet Four Pioneering African American Astronauts

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An out-of-this-world resource introduces young scientists to four African American astronauts: Michael P. Anderson, Ronald E. McNair, Guion S. Bluford Jr., and Jeanette J. Epps. Groups read biographies of these individuals and prepare...
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Printables
Teacher Printables

My Report Pack for. . .

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Here is a handy guide for putting together a research report on birds, or on a selection of other topics (see the added materials.). Individuals are guided to think of three questions about their topic, they narrow down subtopics, use a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Trip Back in Time

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students investigate the pioneer experience in the 1800s. They view and discuss the images on the Missouri quarter, read a story about pioneer life, complete a worksheet, and create a booklet-form time capsule of pioneer items from the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons West

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars prepare to travel west. In this Westward Movement lesson, students participate in classroom activities that require them to prepare for a trip west as pioneers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whats so Different Between Them

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars evaluate primary sources. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students will write essays that compare and contrast the differences and similarities between pioneers and Native Americans. Young scholars will engage in a wide...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Crossing the Oregon Trail

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students become familiar with the sacrifices that the migrants endured crossing the plains to the west. They experience some of the problem solving that the pioneers faced and pay the natural consequences of their choices.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons West

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders demonstrate knowledge of the size of a wagon by making several different predictions. They develop a list of items that pioneers would need while traveling on a wagon train.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Picture is Worth...

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars use their photo analysis skills to gain an understanding of what pioneer life in Canada may have been like by examining historical photos. Students are then given an opportunity to present their findings to the class in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Long, Long, Ago

For Teachers K
Students discover details of pioneer life. In this history lesson, students examine artifacts and play games from pioneer times.

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