Transportation Systems Teacher Resources

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...

Students explore the Westward Expansion Movement of U.S. history. In this Westward movement lesson plan, students use primary and secondary source documents research personal accounts of those who travelled west during the era....

Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...

Young scholars complete a unit of lessons to learn how products reach the market and study the history of the fur trade. In this history and trade lesson, students first learn about the technology that allowed products to reach market...

Consider the political, physical, and geographical factors that led to and marked the Westward Expansion. Learners will track the various routes developed during the 1800's. They create a first person journal describing what they see,...

Fifth graders create a brochure outlining what he or she has studied throughout the unit. The brochure contains evidence that Students have understood and mastered the answers to the essential questions.

High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.

Students research the major developments in transportation. In groups, they use this information to plot them on a timeline. They also write a paragraph about how advances in technology have changed the world. As a class, they discuss...

Learners research the Westward Movement and struggles encountered by the pioneers as they moved from Nebraska, Westward along the Oregon Trail. For this Westward Expansion lesson, students read an Oregon Trail poem and visit 5 different...

Students complete a Web quest about Biddy Mason's journey Westward to California as a slave and her ultimate rise to one of the wealthiest and generous woman of the Westward Movement. They present an exhibit of their research.

Students explore the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on the development of Skagway, Alaska. Lesson can be used in units on western expansion, late 19th and early 20th-century commerce, and urban history.

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.

Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...

Young scholars explore the means of transportation available in the 19th century and its role as both facilitator and enabler of the westward expansion. They create a project board illustrating their findings.

Without the cell membrane, our cells just couldn't keep it together! What else does this multifunctional membrane do? Take a deeper look at the fluid mosaic model using a video from an expansive biology playlist. Topics include embedded...

Students explore the concept of company expansion. In this company expansion lesson, students read an article about FedEx and how it was able to expand. Students discuss how FedEx was able to expand. Students discuss reasons a product...

Students evaluate the impact of transportation on society, the economy, communication, and travel. They complete an inquiry project about modern modes of transportation, and compare transportation of the 19th century to transportation...

Students compare their travel needs to homesteaders from the late 1800's in this multi-instructional activity unit. Students analyze a historic document, explain modes of transportation of the homesteaders, and articulate the personal...

Students read about and discuss the reasons European countries were interested in the Ohio Valley. They complete a puzzle to review vocabulary and watch a video on the Illinois Prairie and the I & M Canal. They rewrite the historical...

Learners research the Conestoga wagon. In this early transportation lesson, students use primary documents to research how the invention of the Conestoga wagon improved transportation.

Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...

Students examine how the events that took place during the time of the Westward Expansion affected the pioneers and Native Americans through the seven lessons of this unit. Enhancements in transportation over time are also a part of the...

High schoolers place the Ohio river in its historical and geographical context. They listen to the radio stories, and are asked what postive and negative influences does the Ohio River have on nearby communities>

Students examine the western migration in the United States in the early 19th century and identify the factors that caused the migration as well as how government adapted to meet the needs of an expanding country.