Curated OER
Selling of the West, or The Portrayal of Emigrant Travel on the Oregon Trail
Students compare and contrast the realistic and romantic art and literature about experiences on the Oregon Trail. Using this information, they compare their viewpoints and write messages on what they believe it was like on a trip down...
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
Moving to the Frontier
Young scholars explore the Frontier House website, examining the challenges of frontier settlement in the American West in the late 1800's. They develop budgets, and create displays based on their own research.
School Rack
Westward Expansion Project Choices
What a great list of brief research projects for reviewing the era of westward expansion in the United States! Learners are directed to choose and complete three of the projects on the given list, which includes opportunities to design...
Curated OER
Western Sunsets
Young scholars observe and paint sunsets. In this sunsets lesson plan, students look outside and at pictures of sunsets, paint sunsets using water color or tempura paint, and cut out silhouettes from black paper and insert them into the...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the War with Mexico
High schoolers evaluate primary sources to develop their own opinions about Westward Expansion. In this Manifest Destiny lesson, students examine and respond to questions about Gast's painting titled American Progress High schoolers...
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny Lesson Plan
Learners examine how Americans justified Westward Expansion. In this American history lesson, your historians will watch a Manifest Destiny Powerpoint presentation and discuss each slide then participate in a class discussion about...
Curated OER
Values and Beliefs of Manifest Destiny
Fourth graders examine the beliefs of Manifest Destiny and its role in the California Gold Rush. They analyze a painting to gather information about Manifest Destiny.
Curated OER
Sadorus Lesson Plan: The American Farm as Portrayed by Artists
Learners describe how artists painted American farms in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They identify idealized, nostalgic, and realistic views of farming through discussion, bringing into play their own knowledge of farms today.
Curated OER
National Gallery of Art: Jackson Pollock
Students paint a picture in the style of Jackson Pollock. In this painting lesson, students learn about Jackson Pollock and the method that he used to create his famous pieces of art. Students use objects other than paintbrushes to...
Curated OER
John Singleton Copley's art
Students illustrate a story after researching John Singleton Copley's paintings. In this John Singleton Copley lesson plan, students read the background of some of his paintings and then illustrate their own story and create a flip book...
Curated OER
The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality
Students create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day lesson. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the lesson.
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion
Students explore the economic, political, racial, and religious roots of Manifest Destiny. They read articles and analyze how the concept influenced the nation's westward expansion. Students discover the motivations and expectations of...
Curated OER
The People of Kansas: Where Did They Come From and Why Did They Come?
Students research and discuss the reasons why early settlers emigrated to Kansas. They, in groups, analyze census district reports from the 1850's and then identify the advantages and disadvantages of using this information as research.
Curated OER
The People of Kansas: Who Are They and Why Are They Here?
Students examine the settlement patterns of the Kansas Territory. In this Kansas history lesson, students analyze primary documents from the pioneers in the territory. Students write letters or perform skits that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Experiencing Nature
Students create their own landscapes based on the topography of their region after studying the artwork of Cincinnati-based artist William Sonntag and other "Hudson River School" artists.
Curated OER
Situation of America, 1848
Students explore 19th century American artwork. In this cross curriculum New York history and art appreciation instructional activity, students view a reproduction of the painting "Situation of America, 1848," and identify visual...
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Images of the Parks
Students explore U.S. geography by completing a research project about the National Parks. In this scenery image analysis lesson, students identify the different national parks in our country and observe paintings and images by famous...
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What's Your Brand?
Pupils explore the history of branding livestock and discover it began as early as 2000 BC. They discuss reasons for branding and then design their own brand from pipe cleaners. Students dip their brand into paint and print it on muslin...
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A Cowboy Song
Fifth graders sing "Cowboy Lullaby" with two-part harmony and discuss the text of the song.
Curated OER
The People of Kansas
Students investigate primary sources to experience first- hand accounts of Kansas pioneers. They write an historical fiction letter or skit based on territorial documents.
Curated OER
Oregon Trail Art
Students describe events that happened on the Oregon Trail and in the daily lives of Native Americans by writing a narrative essay of a family traveling through Nebraska based on Thomas Hart Benton's paintings.
Curated OER
Gilbert Stuart and Presdidential Portraits
Students read passages about the context of paintings for artist Gilbert Stuart. In this art history instructional activity, students study paintings by artist Gilbert Stuart and learn about the context of his art. Students then complete...
Curated OER
Working With Environmental Issues
Young scholars begin the lesson by completing a survey about how much and what types of water they drink on a daily basis. Using a worksheet, they calculate the amount of water an American uses each day and the amount their own family...