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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Pioneer Values in Willa Cather's My Antonio

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The objective of this site is to guide students through a self-directed exploration of pioneer life in reference to the book, "My Antonio." Students will have an opportunity to work on combining the study of history and literature...
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Website
Other

Images Canada Picturing Canadian Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource contains 150 images, which provide a glimpse into pioneer life, during the late 18th and early 20th century, in the Canadian West. Each photograph is complete with a description.
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Website
US National Archives

Pioneering Journals of the Ingalls Family: Pepin, Wisconsin: Household Chores

For Students 9th - 10th
Based on journals for Laura Ingalls Wilder's family, these descriptions of housework in a pioneer home are typical of the life of most pioneers on the prairie or in the northern woods. These chores would have been "women's work."
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Website
Other

At Home in the Heartland: At Home on the Fringes of the Prairie (1800 1850)

For Students 3rd - 5th
Interactive site offers information and pictures pertaining to early pioneer life. See advertisements in the paper, furniture, glassware, and food preparation tools. Read stories of individuals who lived during that time and make...
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Handout
York University

York University: African Canadian Online: Black Pioneers

For Students 9th - 10th
Black people have played an important part in the history of Canada from its earliest days when the first black man came to Canada in 1606. Learn about these pioneers and their accomplishments.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Illinois Pioneers and Prairies [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Illinois Pioneers and Prairies" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about life in the prairies of Illinois for the early settlers including their hard work, setting up governments, building schools, and making laws. It is...
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Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: "Hardship Without Glory": Life on the Trail

For Students 9th - 10th
From the PBS series, "Frontier House," read about the struggles that pioneers experienced as they made their ways west to new lands via wagon trains.
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Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: "The Little Old Shanty on the Claim"

For Students 9th - 10th
An essay provided as part of the PBS series, Frontier House, describes the housing options of pioneers on the prairies in eastern Montana.
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Unit Plan
Have Fun With History

Have Fun With History: Pioneers and the Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
Learning module with a variety of video and other resources on the expansion westward as pioneers settled new frontier in the 1800s.
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Handout
Other

Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area: Introduction to Pioneer Farming

For Students 3rd - 5th
Examines the topics of soil fertility, the first farmers, the fur trade, and pioneer farmers.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Themes: Auto Safety Pioneers

For Students 9th - 10th
Since the 1970s, Americans have witnessed an amazing number of safety improvements in automobiles and the driving environment. Seat belts, air bags, safer fuel tanks, the Jaws of Life, and driving while intoxicated (DWI) campaigns are...
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Website
Rutgers University

Blueprint for Change: The Life and Times of Lewis H. Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive look at the inventor, Lewis Latimer, from the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University. Read essays about his life and inventions, the culture in Boston which encouraged his work, and his life outside his inventions. A...
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Website
Other

County of Peterborough: Lang Pioneer Village Museum

For Students 9th - 10th
Visit this early pioneer village that features restored buildings constructed between 1820 and 1899. Explore the interactive map of the settlement. View artifacts from the period and several video clips that provide a picture of life...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Women P Ioneers in American Memory

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This is an online resource from the Library of Congress discussing Women Pioneers. Includes some audio and internal links for more information.
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Pioneers on the Plains: Pioneer Living

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the struggles that pioneer settlers who established farms on the Plains faced. Without trees, they had to build homes using sod and cow dung. Temperatures were extreme and farms were isolated, making life lonely.
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Website
Other

Kings Landing Historical Settlement

For Students 3rd - 8th
Kings Landing Historical Settlement reflects life in the 19th century. Learn about the Loyalists who escaped the American Revolution and the hardships they faced working to establish their homes in New Brunswick.
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Article
Other

Pioneer Women: How the West Was Really Won

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the varied roles that women played in the settling of the frontier, how those roles differed from women's roles in the 21st century, and, surprisingly, how much they were similar.
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Lesson Plan
Orca Book Publishers

Orca Book Publishers: Max and Ellie Books Teaching Guide [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
The Ellie and Max books by Becky Citra take place in pioneer times and follow the experiences of a brother and sister in Upper Canada. This teacher's guide includes a book summary, teaching ideas and the author's reflections on writing...
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Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Read About Pioneers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart contains a lot of information to read and learn about the ways of the Pioneers. It also gives opportunity to learn new vocabulary.
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eBook
Other

Kansas Collection Books: Emigrant Life in Kansas

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is a textual copy of a book written by an Englishman, Percy G. Ebbutt entitled Emigrant Life in Kansas, published in 1886. The book focuses on a young man's experiences on the prairie in Kansas. Written for an English audience.
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Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: Recreation and Leisure Time on the Frontier

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about how the homesteaders on the American frontier added a little levity to their otherwise harsh frontier life, and in particular how women, how spent much time at home, worked to add variety to their lives. From a companion essay...
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Unit Plan
Cengage Learning

An Introduction to the Life and Writings of Willa Cather

For Students 9th - 10th
This website is an attempt to give a comprehensive introduction to Cather's (1873-1947 CE) life and work. Aside from an introduction to the body of work, it includes a short biography, an extensive bibliography, an overview of the...
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Website
Virtual Museum of Canada

Virtual Museum of Canada: Community Stories: One Man's History in Wood: The John Mc Crea Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore this collection of models created by artisan John McNeely. The exhibit features furnishings, homes, and buildings used by Ontario pioneers. Excellent annotations accompany each artifact.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: Adeline Hornbeck and the Homestead Act

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This Teaching with Historic Places instructional activity effectively depicts the life of a pioneer woman and ways in which the Homestead Act impacted her life. The site includes lesson plans, inquiry questions, and photos that may be...

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