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Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
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Manifest Destiny
Students explore the Manifest Destiny. They interpret quotations, study point of view in writing, research English words that derived from Mexico, and analyze reasons why settlers moved west. After writing journal entries in first-person...
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Westward Expansion
Eighth graders explore the components of the Westward Movement in the United States. Understanding the past and the linkages it has to the present is the intended goal of this seventeen day unit.
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Westward Ho
Students examine primary sources regarding Western migration. In this Manifest Destiny lesson, students determine why the pioneers moved west and what the trip was like as they examine sources and write journals based on their findings.
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Photography and the National Park Service
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking. Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They complete a...
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THE MASSACHUSETSS FRONTIER:TURNER
Students examine the political, social, religious, and economic world and national context in which the settlement of Deerfield occurred and the competing political agendas, and competition for land, power, and wealth in Deerfield.
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Native Lands: Indians in Georgia , Losing Ground: Removal, 1802-1838
Students investigate the removal of the Creek Indians from Georgia. Students read the story of the Creek removal from Georgia, locate sites mentioned on a map, and create a related timeline. Students share their thoughts on the Creek...
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The Cherokee Removal
Eleventh graders examine the issue of Cherokee removal from the perspectives of Andrew Jackson, members of Congress, and members of the Cherokee nation. They adopt the perspectives and engage in debate over the issue of Cherokee removal.
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The Pocahontas Show
Eleventh graders complete background reading of Europeans and the Native American Indians. They work in groups and represent an area of European colonization and create a "character" to represent their colonists on a class talk show....
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History & Civics Lesson for Grades 5-7
Young scholars become aware of the culture, lifestyles and attitudes of Native American kids living on the Crow, Navajo and Nez Perce; reservations.
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Naming Names on Mars
Students examine maps of New Hampshire to determine town and physical features that have Native American and European names. They discuss the reasons for these names to determine what influences the naming of places. They name geographic...
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Diplomatic Misunderstandings: Indian Treaties and the Black Hawk War
Students examine and discuss the U.S./Native American treaty process of the early 19th century. They write essays describing the events behind the 1804 and 1816 treaties, and their assessment of U.S. diplomatic interactions with the...
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Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties
Students role play positions in the Walla Walla treaty negotiations. They identify the significance of the Sacred Circle and other beliefs of the Native Americans. They discover the complications the tribes faced after the treaties...
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The Institutions of Government: The Judiciary
Students explain the difference between tribal, state and federal sovereignty. Using the internet, they read Supreme Court cases that focus on Native American law. They compare and contrast the view of the case from the Native...
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Make a Bison
Students discover how bison were hunted by the Native Americans and compare it to the buffalo. Using construction paper, they trace a bison outline given to them and use coffee grounds to fill in the space where the fur would be. They...
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Pilgrim Immigration Lesson Plans: Then and Now
Pilgrim immigration lesson plans offer more than a study of these early settlers. It gives students an insight into modern immigration.
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William Penn's Peaceable Kingdom
Students explain the methods Penn used to attract settlers to his colony. They compare and contrast Penn's account with Daniel Pastorius' account. Students evaluate the effectiveness of Penn's ability to attract settlers to the colony....
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City Animals
Students identify some of the most important native and introduced species of animals in the United States. They describe how animals populations of cities have changed over time, outline the benefits and problems associated with...
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Learning to Respect Each Other
Discover how important Martin Luther King Jr. is to our society. In this civil rights lesson, investigate how Dr. King was an advocate for nonviolence and how he fought for civil rights for all Americans. Read and analyze Dr. King's "I...
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Negotiating Treaties
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
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Dark Days on the Prairie
Fourth graders research the location and causes of the Dust Bowl in 1935. In support, they interpret photos from that period in Oklahoma history, They also compare/contrast the American Dust Bowl to the dust storms that occurred in...
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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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The Story of How Deerfield Came to Be
Eleventh graders explore how the native peoples had lived in the Connecticut Valley for nearly 10,000 years, prior to the English settlement and how their culture and life ways were markedly different from that of the English settlers.
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The Jamestown Colonies
In this colonial American instructional activity, learners read a 1-page selection about the Jamestown Colony and then respond to 5 short answer questions about the selection.