Curated OER
The Railroads in Texas
Fourth graders identify the impact of railroads on life in Texas. They explain how the railroad was used for transportation and communication. They brainstorm and create a list of transportation available in Texas during the Civil War.
Historica-Dominion Institute
Underground Railroad - Secondary
This is a one-day activity to explore the Underground Railroad and its impact on Canadian immigration. Class members explore the government's immigration policies in the past and present. It requires viewing a short video clip and...
Curated OER
Riding the Rails Across Texas
Students research the importance of the railroad to Texas cities and American life. They identify the pros and cons of railroads, locate railroads in Texas cities using the Texas bird's-eye view website, and write a newspaper article.
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Students examine artwork depicting Harriet Tubman. In this Harriet Tubman lesson, students review her life and how she impacted the Underground Railroad. Students view impressionistic artwork showing her life. Students then create their...
Curated OER
The Iron Horse vs. the Buffalo: Indian-Settler Conflict on the Great Plains
The Iron Horse encroached upon the land while conflicts escalated between Native Americans and the settlers. Sophomores study the print, American Progress then discuss how American progress affected Native Americans. They will study the...
Curated OER
End of the Line: What Happened to the Blue Ridge Railroad?
Sixth graders study the westward expansion and the role of railroad construction to the expansion. In this railroad history lesson, 6th graders complete KWL activity for the topic. Students view a PowerPoint about the growth of railroads...
Curated OER
North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement
Students examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Mexican Revolution
The legacies of the Mexican Revolution are visible today—even if some history classes don't cover them. Using primary sources from leaders in Mexico at the time of the popular uprising and other evidence, such as railroad maps, young...
DocsTeach
Reasons for Westward Expansion
"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...
Curated OER
Industrial Revolution
Seventh graders research how the Industrial Revolution impacted people. In this Industrial Revolution activity, 7th graders examine how the change from shop or cottage industry to the factory affected people, how the railroad affected...
Curated OER
The Outrage of Ordinary Men: Pennsylvania's Role in the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Students study the events that surround the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. In this historical lesson students work in groups to analyze documents, determine the facts and present a summary of their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Effects of the Southern Pacific Railroad Causeway
Fifth graders describe the appearance of a substance before and after a physical change. They re-create the Southern Pacific Railroad Causeway across the Great Salt Lake. They determine for themselves how the water is exchanged...
Curated OER
"I've Been Working on the Railroad" - Federal Land Grants and the Construction of the Illinois Central Railroad in Mid-nineteenth Century Illinois
Eleventh graders, in groups, design a self-sufficient community. Groups present the communities they've designed. They compare and contrast the communities presented. They research the theories of Johann Heinrich von Thunen online and...
Curated OER
Transcontinental Railroad
Eleventh graders explain the development of the American West following the Civil War. They also explore the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. They also participate in a simulation about the American West.
Curated OER
The Golden Spike
Students investigate modern transportation in the 19th century by examining artifacts. In this U.S. history lesson, students read the story Joseph's Railroad Dreams, and discuss the Golden Spike used in the first transcontinental...
Curated OER
From Salt Lake City toSingapore... Products of UtahTravel Worldwide
Seventh graders examine the products of Utah. In this economics lesson, 7th graders investigate the products grown and processed in Utah today and historically. Students explore the impact of the railroad on Utah's economy.
Curated OER
Big Business & Industrial Cities
This is a true gem. This PowerPoint is well-organized, has bullet points you control (which gives you time for discussion), has sound effects, and covers several aspects of American industrialization after 1900. The presentation begins...
Curated OER
Just an Ordinary Day
Young sociologists identify how technology has impacted the traditional culture of Romania as they read and discuss "Just an Ordinary Day'" by Nina Porzucki. A lesson encourages learners to study Romania's history and present, including...
K12 Reader
Traveling to the Distant West
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.
Curated OER
Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
Pupils examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the introduction...
Curated OER
Underground Travelers
Students are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the railroad...
Curated OER
Following the North Star
Students give examples of the impacts of science and technology on the migration and settlement patterns of various groups. They draw stars
explaining how the North Star was used to give directions on the Underground Railroad.
Curated OER
Prairie Schooner and Iron Horse
Students identify and explain major symbols on core map, read a railroad timetable, and evaluate the impact of railroads on the transportation in the West.
Annenberg Foundation
Masculine Heroes
What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...