Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baltimoreans in the California Gold Rush

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the reasons for migration to California during the Gold Rush.  For this American History lesson, 11th graders read letters about the opportunities and obstacles people faced.  Students create a map of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils identify the implications of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students view a PowerPoint presentation on the topic and then respond to questions based on the details of the presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Log Book of a Connecticut Slave Trade Ship

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate the slave trade. In this Middle Passage activity, 7th graders read excerpts of ship logs from Connecticut Slave Trade ships. Students respond to the provided analysis questions based on the logs. 
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Channel Islands Film

Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
Lesson Plan
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Victory in Europe, 1944-1945

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the overall strategy pursued by the Allies in the final moths of World War II in Europe by examining military documents and consulting an interactive map of the European theater.
Lesson Plan
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Off to the Future

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read a handout and predict the position of the San Andreas Fault far in the future. In this future world lesson plan, students use a map worksheet to demonstrate the path of the Pacific Plate millions of years from now.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Baseball

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Learners research how climate, distance, population shifts and immigration have influenced American baseball. They also consider how players from other countries have made their mark on American baseball.
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The Gullah People of the Sea Islands

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the lives of the Gullah-Geechee people. In this unique cultures lesson plan, 8th graders explore music, language, and slavery of the Gullah-Geechee people from the southern low-country in the United States....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sorting by Site: Missouri quarter reverse

For Teachers K - 1st
Lewis and Clark took note of the animals common to their home state. As they traveled, they noticed that different places had different types of animals. Your class will use this model to compare and contrast elements that make up their...
Lesson Plan
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Lesson 6: Native Americans in the West

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Young scholars recall their knowledge of Native American people who lived in the West and reflect on how their perspectives differed from pioneers and argonauts of the 19th century.
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The Kanaka Village at Fort Vancouver: Crossroads of the Columbia River

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars study the interaction between Native American and European cultures in the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s. They focus their study on the Hudson's Bay Company and Fort Vancouver.
Lesson Plan
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Explorations in American Environmental History

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the historical perspective of nature and the environment.  In this American History lesson, 9th graders examine materials in a variety of formats to understand the contexts of America's concern for the...
Lesson Plan
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We're Going on a Bison Hunt

For Teachers K
Students examine significance of Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, and compose journal entry to demonstrate their knowledge of the use of the American bison as a resource to both the Corps and...
Lesson Plan
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Racists Actions Toward the Native Americans

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore Thomas Jefferson and his attitude toward Native Americans. They study maps from European colonization and the westward movement that pushed the Native Americans further west. Students analyze primary source writings of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living in America (The Earliest Years)

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders work in groups to study a particular group of Native Americans. They use a study guide to guide their research and use the internet and text resources to gather information. Students post their research on a class web page.
Lesson Plan
Edgate

Discovering New Resources

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is a natural resource, and what resources did the Lewis and Clark expedition seek? After reading an article on the mapping of the west, learners get into small groups to discuss the important natural resources of the period. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Globe Skills Lesson 11The Vietnam War

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students develop their globe and map skills, In this geography instructional activity, students examine the Vietnam War as they complete an activity that requires them to plot latitude and longitude.
Lesson Plan
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Going, Going, Ghost

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research ghost towns. In this geography lesson, 3rd graders locate ghost towns on a map and choose one location to research. Students construct a research paper and present it to the class.
Lesson Plan
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The Founding of Los Angeles, California

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the social and cultural impact of settler groups in California and the origins of the founding of Los Angeles, California. They read and discuss an informational handout, and discuss what it is and was like to...
Lesson Plan
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South America Layered

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders create an overlay map of South America. They show the relationships between population, landforms and economies with their maps.
Lesson Plan
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Math and Native Americans

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore how math is relevant to Native Americans. Students investigate Indian culture through geometry. They describe and create geometric polygons and patterns. Students problem solve with tangram patterns to make Indian...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sand Creek Massacre

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study the events that occurred during the Sand Creek Massacre and write about them in their journals. They make comparisons between the events at Sand Creek and modern day human rights events.
Lesson Plan
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Freed Slaves

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners are given the identify of a newly freed slave at the end of the Civil War. Students participate in a discussion to explore some of the difficulties and decision making freed slaves had to consider. Learners present their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A to Z Observations

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the cultural conflicts that occurred when Europeans moved into the land the Native Americans lived on that would become West Virginia. In this West Virginia history activity, 8th graders visit the state history...