Curated OER
An Orderly Wagon Train Migration
Sixth graders work in small groups to organize a wagon train for a trek westward. They determine leadership responsibilities and rules needed to make a successful trek.
Curated OER
Town Development
Young scholars evaluate how the impact of building of towns affected slavery. In this United States History lesson, students work in small groups to construct a map, then they participate in a role-playing activity.
Curated OER
Wagons West
Students examine life on westward trails. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students analyze textbook passages about life on the Oregon Trail and the motivations of the people who settled Oregon.
Curated OER
Wagons West
Students prepare to travel west. In this Westward Movement lesson, students participate in classroom activities that require them to prepare for a trip west as pioneers.
Curated OER
Wagon's West: Life on the Trail
Students investigate what life on the Oregon Trail was like. In this Westward Movement lesson plan, students eat foods that were eaten by settlers on the trail as they read textbook pages about the trial. Students then draw an Oregon...
Curated OER
Wagons West: Native Americans
Students examine interactions between Native Americans and settlers. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students analyze select passages from Plains Indians by Dana Newmann and The World of Native Americans by Marion Wood. Students...
Curated OER
Pioneer Scramble
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Movement lesson, students study why Americans emigrated west in the 1840s and 1850s. Students create interactive timelines, write exploration reports, and complete an art...
Curated OER
Study History through Journal Keeping
Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...
K12 Reader
Traveling to the Distant West
If you build it they can come. After reading a short article about the impact of western expansion, middle schoolers cite evidence from the article to explain how this expansion forced changes in transportation.
Center for History Education
Transforming the West: Did the Reality Match the Expectations for Kansas Homesteaders?
They expected good soil and hearty crops ... but they found buffalo chips and grasshopper plagues. Using an advertisement encouraging famers to go west, budding historians examine primary sources including letters, photographs, and...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Settlement of Frontier Alabama
What comes to mind when the class imagines settlers traveling out West? The instructional activity teaches pupils about the western frontier of Alabama and what life was like for people traveling West—in wagons with few possessions....
Curated OER
Sectionalism
Students examine sectionalism. In this sectionalism activity, students explore reasons sectionalism developed. Students realize the conflicts that led to the Civil War and how sectionalism affected citizens on the border of Kansas and...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Whats so Different Between Them
Students evaluate primary sources. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students will write essays that compare and contrast the differences and similarities between pioneers and Native Americans. Students will engage in a wide...
DocsTeach
Petition Against Annexation of Hawaii
Stop westward expansion! The quick activity delves into the past to understand the petition against the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Scholars analyze the petition to understand why native Hawaiians were against the...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Photograph of a Treaty Council
A photo catches a moment in time that provides a glimpse into the past. An interesting resource focuses on historical analysis using an image from a treaty council with Native Americans. Budding historians complete an online worksheet...
Core Knowledge Foundation
A History of the United States
This 262-page Core Knowledge teacher guide presents an overview of the two-volume History of the United States program designed for middle schoolers. The guide includes information about the learning strategies used, a pacing guide, the...
Curated OER
Western Expansion and Native Americans
Fifth graders research the Oregon, Old Spanish, California, and Mormon trails, and the impact western expansion had on the Native Americans living on those lands.
Curated OER
Westward Ho
Middle schoolers examine primary sources regarding Western migration. For 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...
Curated OER
The People of Kansas: Where did they come from and why did they come?
Students review census data to correlate to emigration in Kansas. In this Westward Expansion instructional activity, students analyze a painting and create definitions for emigration and discuss why people emigrate. Students read and...
Curated OER
The Homestead Act of 1862
Students, in groups, study the Homestead Act. Each group studies a region of the country in the 1840s: the North, the South, and the West. Ask each group to research and write their region's position on the homestead issue.
Curated OER
Let's Party like its 1849
Learners explore prairie life. In this Oregon Trail lesson plan, students read literature regarding the move west and participate in cross-curricular activities. Learners should take digital photographs of the participation in activities...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Curated OER
The Wild, Wild West
Sixth graders research the history of the transcontinental railroad. They use advertising propaganda techniques to design and create a poster encouraging people to explore the West by rail.