Immigrant Railroad Workers Teacher Resources

Students examine the effects the Transcontinental Railroad had on the regions through which it passed. They analyze and discuss maps, view and describe online images, and use photos and documents to develop a cause-and-effect ladder.

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...

Who built the Transcontinental Railroad and why was it important? Your class can learn about the laying down of these tracks by reading a short passage. Pupils then respond to five questions related to the text.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first race-based restriction on immigration in American history. Why was the act passed after Chinese immigrants helped build the Transcontinental Railroad? A series of documents, including speeches and...

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

Students investigate the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Transcontinental Railroad lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the effect of the railroad on Chinese immigrants and American Indians,...

Students stop action and determine how history may have been altered. In this historical perspectives lesson, students consider how the Cherokee Removal, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the dropping of the...

Take a closer look into the American movement to the wild west during the late nineteenth century and the drastic consequences this had for native populations. The video discusses the importance of the transcontinental railroad in...

For this social studies worksheet, 5th graders complete multiple choice questions about immigrants, World War II, the Civil War, prosperity, and more. Students complete 25 questions.

Young scholars examine the Chinese Expulsion Act of 1880. In this History instructional activity, students explore the issues of immigration and exclusion surrounding the Chinese Expulsion Act. Young scholars will use a variety of...

In this U.S. worksheet, students take notes in a graphic organizer as they read several passages, then answer four comprehension questions.

What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...

Fourth graders study the lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction. They explore the...

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,...

Young scholars read Dragon's Gate as a shared literature book. This instructional activity provides excellent extension activities students can engage in while they are reading, and after they have finished the book.

Third graders explore how rice farming came to Texas. In this rice farming lesson, 3rd graders discover the history of how farmers began to grow rice in the United States. Students color code maps and create a timeline for rice farming...

Students explore transportation. In this transportation lesson, students examine the Jupiter locomotive, Washingtion D.C. streetcars, the Leviathan, the Salisbury Train Station, and Route 66. Students respond to 12 questions.

Fourth graders explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power. They trace the transformation of the California economy in its political and cultural development since the 1850's.

In this gold rush learning exercise, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions about the nation during the time period. A short answer question is included as well.

Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its development since the 1850's.

In this grade 5 social studies test activity, 5th graders complete a 30 question multiple choice quiz covering a variety of grade 5 concepts. 

From The Brown Quaterly (1997) an article describing the role of the Chinese immigrant in building the railroad. Includes images of the Chinese railroad workers. (PDF - scroll down to page 7)

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...