Curated OER
California's Golden History: 1848-1880
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
Curated OER
Fifth Grade Social Studies
In this social studies worksheet, 5th graders answer multiple choice questions about World War II, the transcontinental railroad, slavery, and more. Students complete 25 questions.
Smarter Balanced
Growth and Expansion of America
Despite the difficulty of travel, the US expanded significantly between the 1800s and the early 1900s. To prepare for a performance task assessment on the rapid expansion of the US in the 1800s, class members engage in a...
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: Illinois
Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: August 2011
Using primary source documents, pupils consider how the United States' democratic story has evolved over time. A second essay question examines the role of geography in history, and multiple-choice questions sharpen test-taking skills.
Curated OER
Industrial Revolution: A Definition
America sure did have a few growing pains during the Industrial Revolution. Share the problems, causes, effects, and reformation that marked the turn of the century and shift in policy during US industrialization. This slide show...
Curated OER
American West: Railroads
In these American West worksheets, students cut out the cards related to the American West and the railroads. Students match the cards together.
Curated OER
Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
High schoolers examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the...
Curated OER
History and Government of the United States
In this U.S. worksheet, students take notes in a graphic organizer as they read several passages, then answer four comprehension questions.
Stanford University
Great Plains Homesteaders
"Westward, ho!" may have been their cry in spite of the hardships. Using a series of photographs by Solomon D. Butcher of those who ventured west, class members consider what life was like in the 1800s for those who embarked on the...
Curated OER
5th Grade Social Studies
In this social studies instructional activity, 5th graders complete multiple choice questions about immigrants, World War II, the Civil War, prosperity, and more. Students complete 25 questions.
Curated OER
Social Studies Test B-Grade 5
In this grade 5 social studies test worksheet, 5th graders complete a 30 question multiple choice quiz covering a variety of grade 5 concepts.
Curated OER
Cities as Transportation Centers
Middle schoolers work in small groups to identify some of the major transportation centers, recommending two as possible sites for a national political convention, based on population density and the travel networks available in 1835.
Curated OER
American Growth and Expansion in the late 1800s
Eleventh graders examine a picture of John Gast's, American Progress to determine what they know about American growth between 1877- 1900. By working through thirteen center or folder activities, they study the economics,...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Binding the Nation by Rail
Read about the explosive growth of railroad track across the United States after the Civil War. Find out about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, the men who made fortunes from the railroads, and the first American regulatory...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Early American Railroads
Read about the growth of railroads throughout the eastern part of the United States, which greatly reduced transportation costs. See why there was opposition to railroads from many groups. Be sure to look at the stereograph of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Chinese Immigrants and Mexican Americans
Discusses the conflict with Mexican American and Chinese groups as white settlers pushed westward in the nineteenth century. Explains what brought so many Chinese immigrants to America and the roadblocks and discrimination that they had...
Country Studies US
Countyr Studies: United States History: The Last Frontier
This site describes the settlement of the West happened quickly with the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the push for the Transcontinental Railroad. With the explosion of the mining and ranching industries, the West was all but...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Golden Spike National Historic Site
Homepage of the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Provides general information about the completion of the transcontinental railroad and contains links to other information.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Railroads in United States, 1910
A map from 1910 of the United States showing the railway network and connecting steamship lines. This map distinguishes the transcontinental railroads and secondary lines, and shows the standardized time zones used in 1910. The clock...
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: The New West, 1889 1912
A map of the western United States showing the rapid growth of the New West between 1885 and 1912 during the presidencies from Benjamin Harrison to Howard Taft. The map is color-coded to show the States admitted to the Union before the...