Bessie Coleman. William Powell. Willa Brown. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. While these names may not be familiar to many Americans, they are African American pioneers in aviation history. Class members have an opportunity to research the...

Designed specifically for lower elementary pupils, this is a great biographical research project in which students research a famous American, and then design creative poster boards to help them "become" the famous American they have...

Students explore the topic of African American aviation. In this African American aviation activity, students examine primary and secondary sources that enable them to discover challenges faced by African American aviators, identify...

To establish a context for an assessment or a study of pioneers and the American frontier in the 1800s, groups examine photos and record observations about clothing, housing, and travel.

Readers of O! Pioneers are asked to cite evidence from a paragraph of Willa Cather's novel to support an analysis of Alexandra Bergson, the personal qualities she possesses, and how these qualities will help the Bergson family after her...

Is the modern American identity an outgrowth of European civilization, or is it a unique result of westward expansion? Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance of the Frontier in American History raises an important question about the...

Included in this resource are a variety of activities to do while reading Willa Cather's My Antonia. The activities, which range from mapping out Nebraska to writing activities about pioneer living, are all designed with one guiding...

Students investigate photographs of American "pioneers." In this historical figures lesson, students discuss photographs and documents that feature famous Americans in an effort to understand that ordinary people can make great...

Fourth graders research pioneer life. In this pioneer lesson, 4th graders read the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and discuss what life was like for early pioneers. They research pioneers and show what they have...

You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a lesson, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper writing, science...

Students examine Aboriginal people of the Americas. In this history instructional activity, students make connections between their own lives and those of Aboriginal people. Students engage in a 'talking circle' and use storytelling as a...

For this Elizabeth Blackwell: American Pioneer vocabulary worksheet, students respond to 5 matching and 5 word search with clues questions. Students are also asked to write a conversation.

Hop into a covered wagon and follow Laura Ingalls Wilder through the Midwest. A series of lessons based on Little House on the Prairie encourages young pioneers to see the world through Laura's eyes as they map her journey, discuss the...

High schoolers study the settlement of the American frontier through literature. In this literature lesson, students read and discuss works by James Fenimore Cooper, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, and Hamlin Garland. High...

If you'd like to quickly access a simple graphic organizer designed for a class to divide and conquer a larger subject, then check out this resource. Assign class members to study a specific topic within a historical theme or event, and...

Students explore the topic of African American aviation. In this African American aviation instructional activity, students examine primary and secondary sources that enable them to discover challenges faced by African American aviators...

Young scholars participate in a role play activity in which they play an American pioneer moving west. During the role play, they select an occupation and a town to live in. In groups, they use a map to determine the best route to arrive...

As your young historians study Westward Expansion, practice in-depth primary source analysis with the documents and guidelines presented in this resource. They will examine a lithograph and excerpts from two letters written by a Nebraska...

Students read and view video about the pioneers moving west.  In this African American pioneer lesson, students become familiar with the problems faced by the pioneers and African-American pioneers. Students complete worksheets and...

Fifth graders explore the American West. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, 5th graders examine the opportunities that the West offered American pioneers. Students watch a montage video and analyze primary documents regarding the...

In this American pioneer quiz learning exercise, students advance their understanding of the early American pioneer days by answering ten fill in the blank questions.

Gets artsy during your westward movement unit, studying values and symbols of the pioneers through a t-shirt design group activity. After prior research on Manifest Destiny and the settler experience, groups create t-shirts the pioneers...

Use geometric principles to analyze North American quilt patterns. Learners review the concept of area, perimeter, and symmetry. They explore the importance of the star in quilting and conduct research on Morning Star quilts using the...

Fifth graders examine the U. S. Western movement of the mid-1800's. In this pioneer settlement lesson, 5th graders explore primary sources, read literature, create foldables, compose a written piece, and make a costumed presentation...