Interactive
DocsTeach

The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American Communities

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Although Westward Expansion is often romanticized, its impact was devastating on Native American communities. Primary source documents, including pictures of United States troops invading indigenous lands and Native American tribes, tell...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Indian Nations vs. Settlers on the American Frontier: 1786–1788

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Once Americans won the Revolutionary War, their quest to gain land did not end. An interesting activity focuses on Americans' expansion into the frontier following the war and how it conflicted with Native Americans living in the area....
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of a Treaty Council

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A photo catches a moment in time that provides a glimpse into the past. An interesting resource focuses on historical analysis using an image from a treaty council with Native Americans. Budding historians complete an online worksheet...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Assimilation of American Indians

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Imagine being forced to give up your culture and then being graded on how well you complied with orders to do so. Documents show young historians the price indigenous peoples paid as a result of the Dawes Act, which was essentially a...
Interactive
DocsTeach

American Indian Voting Rights through History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Vote ... it's your right! An enlightening lesson examines the history of voting rights for Native Americans. Leaners analyze primary documents and place them in chronological order. Academics also create a list of other events that took...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter About American Indian Voting Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An informative activity focuses on the law preventing Native Americans from voting until 1947. Scholars read documents from the Office of Indian Affairs, complete an online worksheet, and participate in group discussion. Academics learn...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of a Young American Indian

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
A true glimpse of the past, Angelic La Moose smiles back from more than 100 years ago. Young learners examine the picture of a young girl on a Montana Native American reservation from 1913 to comb it for historical details. A form, which...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Patent Analysis: Joseph Glidden's Barbed Wire

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Barbed wire may have made cattle farming easier, but it brought to an end the free-roaming days of the plains. No longer could Native American groups continue their nomadic lifestyle, and the days of cowboys herding large groups of...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Evaluating Perspectives on Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Although popular culture tells the story of the American West simplistically, its reality is far more complex. Native American tribes—while already on the land—didn't have the same interests, and conflicts between white settlers and...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Tools of the Trade

For Students 6th - 12th
Archaeologist David Hurst Thomas details his search for a lost Spanish Mission on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. A great way to introduce youngsters to the life of and the tools used by archaeologists.
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Placing Artifacts in Time

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Can history distort the true story behind famous people? Scholars analyze the many faces of the Native American Pocahontas. Incorporating technology and historical thinking skills, they uncover the many different sides to the Pocahontas...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Petition Against Annexation of Hawaii

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Stop westward expansion! The quick activity delves into the past to understand the petition against the annexation of Hawaii by the United States. Scholars analyze the petition to understand why native Hawaiians were against the...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Before and After Carlisle School

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
White reformers thought they were "killing the Indian" to "save the man." Native children were taken from their parents and placed at boarding schools, such as the Carlisle School. Using a comparative photo analysis of children before...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Lewis and Clark's Expedition to the Complex West

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Lewis and Clark's famous expedition is a prime example of the United States' westward expansion. Aspiring historians examine maps from Lewis and Clark's journey, as well as discuss their interactions with Native American tribes. The...
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Trail of Tears

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
An interactive practice boosts reading comprehension skills. Scholars read an informative text, then show what they know by answering 10 questions. A progress report details their answers and overall score.
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Cherokee

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
An interactive practice challenges scholars to read an informational text then answer 10 multiple-choice questions. The topic of the text is the Cherokee. The resource provides a report once the practice is completed.
Interactive
DocsTeach

Reasons for Westward Expansion

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
"Go West, young man!" is a familiar refrain in American history. But why did people leave their homes in the East to travel westward and what impact did that movement have on people already living in the American West? By examining...
Interactive
University of Richmond

The Overland Trails 1840-1860

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What led Americans to head west in the 1800s? Using an interactive map and journals from those who traveled, pupils explore the stories of those who migrated. In addition, they see how the numbers fluctuated in response to the push-pull...
Interactive
DocsTeach

What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Examine a time of political division and upheaval— not unlike our own—using firsthand accounts. While study of the Civil War often takes center stage in the classroom, the 1850s and 1860s were a period of profound change in other areas...
Interactive
ABCya

Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
Solve an eight-question crossword puzzle all about Thanksgiving. Players click on rows and columns, read a question, and answer using the given letters. Hints are provided at a point cost. 
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Sacagawea

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
A reading comprehension interactive practice focuses on Sacagawea. Scholars read an informational text, then answer 10 questions.
Interactive
Curated OER

General Knowledge of American History #67

For Students 6th
In this general knowledge of American history #67 worksheet, 6th graders interactively answer 10 multiple choice questions with immediate online feedback.
Interactive
Curated OER

The Gilded Age & the Progressive Era (1877–1917)

For Students 7th - 12th
In this online interactive philosophy worksheet, students respond to 7 short answer and essay questions about the Gilded Age and Progressive Era in the United States. Students may check some of their answers...
Interactive
Curated OER

Archaeology For Kids Quiz 78

For Students 4th - 6th
In this archaeology for kids quiz 78 worksheet, students interactively answer 4 questions about housing in history, as part of an online magazine.