HISTORY Channel
Westward Expansion of the United States
How did early American pioneers decide what to take with them on their journeys, and what was their traveling experience like? Here you'll find a collection of activities to help you explore Westward Expansion with your young learners.
Curated OER
The History of Maple Syrup
Students explore the process of harvesting maple syrup. In this science and history lesson, students make their own maple syrup and create a picture book that shows the Native American and American pioneer methods of making the syrup.
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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...
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Lesson 6: Native Americans in the West
Learners recall their knowledge of Native American people who lived in the West and reflect on how their perspectives differed from pioneers and argonauts of the 19th century.
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Pioneers to Kansas
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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Curiosity Drives Change: Early Pioneers' Sense of Disc
Fifth graders examine the journals of some of the earliest pioneers in Utah. They discover the attitudes of pioneer living and summarize what they have learned.
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The American West-Knowledge Test
In this American West instructional activity, students complete a 24 questions test about the American West. Answers are included beneath questions on instructional activity.
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Pioneer Perspectives-Diverse Opinions on Westward Migration
Learners 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...
Lesson Planet
Black History Month: Celebrating Diversity and Progress
Black History Month is a time to recognize the achievements of our civil rights heroes while looking toward the future with a vision of equality for all.
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History of Modern Cuba
Set the context for the often-strained relationship between the US and Cuba with this informative and entertaining presentation. From political cartoons to photographs of Fidel Castro and Fulgencio Batista, as well as heartbreaking...
Reed Novel Studies
Little House On The Prairie: Novel Study
Laura Ingalls Wilder memorialized life in the American West with her Little House on the Prairie series. Readers explore the first book in the series using a novel study guide. Along with standard text-based questions, scholars complete...
Curated OER
Pioneer Women of Florida's Frontier
Fourth graders read the passage, "Florida's Fabulous Frontier Females" and write two narrative essays, one expository, using examples of differences in life in Florida during frontier times and today. They then complete one descriptive...
Smithsonian Institution
Stamp Stories of Westward Expansion
What a fantastic project idea for discussing not only the history of America's expansion into the West, but for reviewing any major unit of history in your class. Pupils build stamp collections to visually represent themes of the unit,...
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Pioneering Principles: Why Character Matters
What does it mean to "be of good character"? What are the qualities that define such a person? The 1825 Colonization Law of Coahuila y Texas required that all new immigrants into Mexican Texas present documentation that they were of good...
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The Poet's Message-"The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes
Students analyze the poem, "The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes to gain a greater experience of how poets use language to create meaning, influence thinking and thus become pioneers of change in American society. They work on the...
Curated OER
Frontier Life Story
Students explore American frontier life. In this history lesson, students participate in a series of activities that challenge them to discover what pioneer life was really like.
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Wagons West
Students 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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Going West
Young scholars examine the lives of early pioneers who traveled west for better opportunities. They listen to story "Josafina and the Story Quilt", and discuss hardships encountered by traveling families. Students then complete research...
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Westward Expansion: Chief Joseph's Words Of Surrender
Students explore westward expansion in the United States as it relates to Native Americans and the novel Holes. Students read a passage from Holes and discuss how westward expansion affected the Native Americans. Students compare and...
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Surrender at Yorktown
Eighth graders examine the start of the American Revolution. In this American History lesson, 8th graders analyze primary sources. Students prepare a narration of events leading up to the revolution.
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Heritage: Petroglyphs and the Stories They Tell
Fourth graders are introduced to the use of petroglyphs as a form of communication by the Native American tribes of the region that is now Utah. They prepare their own original picture stories and then switch with a partner to translate...
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Ship of Gold
Students explore American values. In this American history lesson plan, students read passages from Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea. Students collaborate to conduct research in order to build a timeline of the events surrounding the...
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What's In A Name: UTAH
Fourth graders discuss the possible origins of the word, Utah. They use multiple resource sources to present a more accurate picture of Native Americans. They discover that historic ideas change as new information is discovered or...
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At Home On The Range
Young scholars explore the history and domestication of the Bovidae family and their importance to our prairie ecosystem. Using a map of the United States, students located the American Great Plains. They complete worksheets and...
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