Lesson Plan
PBS

Extranjeros and Expansion

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A three-part lesson gives light to the Unites States expansion from the view of Texans, New Mexicans, and Californians. Through videos and written activities, scholars work collaboratively to research specific individuals and their...
Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

American Exclusivity: The Chinese Exclusion Act

For Teachers 11th Standards
The Chinese Exclusion Act—the first race-based immigration restriction—is echoed in today's debates on the topic. Using graphic organizers and structured discussions, historians consider the reasons behind the act and compare the...
Lesson Plan
University of California

Impact of the California Missions on Native Americans

For Teachers 4th Standards
While the Spanish claimed to bring civilization to California indigenous peoples, in reality, they also brought violence and forced assimilation to European values. Primary sources, such as the reports of Catholic priests and Europeans...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Textual Evidence: Working Conditions in the Mills

For Teachers 7th Standards
Deafening, dusty, debris. Such were the working conditions in the 1800s textile industry as portrayed in Katherine Paterson's novel Lyddie. Scholars watch a short video clip about life and work in the mills. Next, they work...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative: Myth of the Happy Slave

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...
Interactive
DocsTeach

A Petition for the Cotton Gin

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While almost forgotten today, the cotton gin could be seen as one of the causes of the Civil War. The innovation led to more cotton production, which in turn undermined political power balances in the 1800s. Individuals unpack the...
Lesson Plan
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US House of Representatives

Hispanic Congressional Representation in the Era of U.S. Continental Expansion, 1822–1898

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
From the Louisiana Purchase to the Spanish-American War, the history of the United States is intertwined with the story of Hispanic Americans. Using an article about Hispanics in Congress during the 1800s, learners research their lives...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Lens into the Past

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Explore the history of immigration through photographs. Scholars will view and discuss photographs depicting the culture and lifestyle of late 19th and early 20th century immigrants. They take pictures of current examples of culture in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overland Trails To The West

For Teachers 5th
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,...
Activity
Smarter Balanced

Growth and Expansion of America

For Teachers 5th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Learning Logs

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students read a book about Abraham Lincoln. Using a log, they write factual information from the book. As a class, they discuss what they believe childhood was like in the middle to late 1800s. They fill out a KWL chart before beginning...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Industrial Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the development of the textile industry in Great Britain. They link the rapid growth in both the textile industry and in coal mining in Great Britain. Students connect the process of industrialization to the expansion of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music of Slavery and Oppression in the Mid-1800's

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine 19th century life for African-Americans. In this slavery instructional activity, students analyze the lyrics of slave songs and present their findings to their classmates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

That's Not Fair!! Human Rights Violations during the 1800s

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore the migration of African Americans into the Hoosier area. They develop a time line showing migration patterns in Indiana and explore reasons for African Americans to settle and/or travel through Indiana.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Growth and Expansion in the late 1800s

For Teachers 11th
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,...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Art & Entertainment in the Late 1800's to Early 1900's

For Students 6th - 8th
In this arts worksheet, middle schoolers find the words that are related to arts and entertainment. The answers are found at the bottom of the page.
PPT
Curated OER

School in the Past

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
School was a lot different in the past. Let your class discover what life in school would be like if they lived in the 1800's. Starting with the ring of the school bell, this presentation shows how kids learned and how they were...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sketch Book Making: Places for Creative Communication

For Teachers 10th - 12th
High schoolers create sketchbooks, explore the uses of journals, write (across the curriculum) from others' points of view, and compare forms of communication from the 1800s to today. A nice blend of individual, whole class,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working for a Living: Child Labor Laws

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students research the working conditions in the late 1800's and the evolution of child labor laws. They discuss how the laws affect them today and if they are fair. They write a paper summarizing the laws and the view of the laws.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mary and the Red River Raft

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine how the clearing of rivers such as the Red River helped to boost the Arkansas economy of the mid-1800's. They listen to a story called, "Mary and the Red River Raft," then conduct research on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lansing Old Stars Trading Card Collection

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students study about the first people that came to the Lansing area. After reading a series of stories students have gained an examineing of how people in the 1800s and 1900s dressed. They design trading cards to portray their settler...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the history of the United States in the 1800s, including the issue of slavery. They discover that the Underground Railroad was a network of people and hiding places in the United States and Canada, set up to help escaping...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocky Train Trek

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Young scholars research about America's westward movement and the effect of railroads on indigenous peoples, U.S. society, the environment, and the economy. They plan, map, and document an imaginary train journey across North America in...
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: The Great West and the Agriculture Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What comes to mind when you think of the 1860's - other than the Civil War? Paired with The American Pageant textbook (or not), this series of images completes a lecture on the mid-19th century. Cattle trails, Indian wars, and...

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