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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The People of Kansas: Who Are They and Why Are They Here?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the settlement patterns of the Kansas Territory. In this Kansas history lesson, students analyze primary documents from the pioneers in the territory. Learners write letters or perform skits that feature their findings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Settlers are Coming, but the Natives are Here

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine interactions between Native Americans and settlers. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students participate in a classroom simulation and then write paper about how the Native Americans and settlers could keep the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Lit. 19: Old Spanish Trail & Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Old Spanish Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Lit. 18: The Oregon Trail & Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Oregon Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Trail of Tears

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the terms of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. They research the implications of the Indian Removal Act for Native American people. Students demonstrate an understand the impact of Manifest Destiny had on Native...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lord of the Rings: The Quest is Achieved

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students analyze what makes a hero in The Lord of the Rings, Book Six. They discuss the characters and the aspects of their behaviors that make them heroes and write essays regarding the climax and heroic gestures of a character. After...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Land is my Land-Westward Expansion During Reconstruction

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze policies regarding Native American territories during Westward Expansion. In this Reconstruction instructional activity, students research primary and secondary sources pertaining to the transfer of Native American land....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying the Haitian Immigration: 18th and 19th centuries

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students read a narrative and conduct extensive research to determine how Haiti's population has had an influence on the social, political, and economic culture of present-day Louisiana. As a culminating activity, students write papers...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tension Over Slavery

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders research the events that lead to the US Civil War. They use the Jigsaw technique to report the findings of their research.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Spot Resolutions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the controversy and varying points of view leading up to the 19th century Mexican War. They research examples of anti-war movements throughout history and write editorials about their findings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Policies that Relate to American Indians

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the western settlement patterns on American Indians. They analyze the growth and division of the United States from 1820 through 1877 and examine the non-Indian concept of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking Back at Pre-Civil War Slavery

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explain the nature of slavery, the impact of slavery on African-Americans, and how slavery intensified the conflict between the North and South that eventually led to a major cause of the Civil War.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

City Upon a Hill: Urban Centers and African-American Migrants

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine why fugitive slaves migrated to cities and towns rather than rural areas. In this lesson, students consider the social, economic, and political benefits provided by cities and towns in comparison to rural areas.
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Primary Source Set: Westward Expansion Teacher's Guide [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
As the United States expanded westward, many cultural groups came into contact with one another, such as Native American tribes, Chinese, and various Europeans. In this set of exercises, students use primary source documents to explore...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Moving West, Natural Disasters

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Assign reasons from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to explain pioneers' migration to and return from the American plains in the 1800s. Research, write and produce a newspaper dedicated to a natural disaster such as the 19th-century drought.