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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

First Nations vs. Euro-Americans

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students analyze primary and secondary source documents to help them describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and new settlers. Then, students analyze the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where the Buffalo Roam

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overland Trails To The West

For Teachers 5th
Consider the political, physical, and geographical factors that led to and marked the Westward Expansion. Learners will track the various routes developed during the 1800's. They create a first person journal describing what they see,...
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Harvest Ceremony: Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth

For Teachers K - 12th
There is a grain of truth in myths. Young historians investigate the truths surrounding the popular beliefs about the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After reading the information in a study guide, they use what they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lick Creek African-American Settlement

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the archaeological site of Lick Creek, Indiana. They discover the settlement of African-American settlers. They practice using new vocabulary as well.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Viriginan American Indians

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students complete a KWL chart about the American Indians using graphic organizers from websites. They read a teacher-selected book about the early Virginia American Indians and then read Becoming a Homeplace from the Virginia Historical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Should a House Do?

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students complete a unit of lessons on the similarities and differences between Native American homes and European settlement houses. They explore websites, read stories, design a dream house, and construct wigwam models.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a lesson, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper writing, science...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analysis of the Diary of Narcissa Whitman

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore the West through the eyes of a settler. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, 7th graders read excerpts from the diary of Narcissa Whitman as she journeyed West from Pennsylvania. Students respond to critical...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pass the Peace Pipe

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students investigate the history of smoking in the United States. In this history of smoking lesson, students read about the Native American influence on early settlers before researching the Internet for information about the history of...
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Unit Plan
Oklahoma City Public Schools Native American Student Services

A Story of Survival: The Wampanoag and the English

For Students Pre-K - 4th Standards
Redesign your holiday celebrations with the aid of a lesson plan booklet packed with facts, images, maps, activities, and readings about the three-day feast that marked the English settlers' first successful harvest.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Project

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the influences that geography has on a Native American tribe's culture and lifestyle. They examine how the first encounters with Europeans affected that tribe.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

English-Indian Encounters in Early 17th Century Virginia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers participate in a three part lesson in which they examine the initial encounters between the English and the Indians, the different ways in which the colonist and Indians interacted and why English settlers and Native...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Interesting Facts about the Historic Trails

For Students 6th - 8th
The Oregon trail is a very interesting part of American history. The class, having read or discussed the events leading to the westward expansion and settling of the Oregon Territory, can answer each of these fill-in-the-blank...
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Website
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Smithsonian Institution

Mexican War

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Did you know that without the Mexican War, the United States would not include the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and even parts of Colorado? Scholars learn a variety of interesting facts about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More Than Tipis and Feathers

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research Native American People of the plains, the forest, the northwest coast and the desert. They compare how their lives were similar and how they were different. They make a model of one type of dwelling.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research the Jamestown settlement and examine life in the colonies from 1607-1610. They explore websites, develop a timeline, select two settlers to research, and write three letters written from the point of view of their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Trading Post with the Most: Colonial Dorchester's Settlement and Economy

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the Dorchester settlement, In this American colonial history lesson, 8th graders examine primary resources and maps from the Dorchester trading post in order to learn about its contributions to the Revolutionary War.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living to Avoid The Criminal Justice System

For Teachers K - 12th
Students brainstorm a list of negative stereotypes in the African-American society. In groups, they develop ways to decrease the chance of them living in poverty and being in trouble with the law. They develop ways to solve problems...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voyage to the New World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnolia

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the first English colonies in America. They watch a video on the era of colonization. Students answer questions about the colonies. They visit a specified website to gather information on American settlers and the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Homestead Act of 1682

For Students 2nd - 6th
In this American West worksheet, learners read about the Homestead Act of 1682. Students read 8 paragraphs and complete the 3 activities for the worksheet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Voices of Slavery

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders recognize and can describe the settlers of Early America. In this American colonies instructional activity, 4th graders research using primary and secondary sources, Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans role...