Curated OER
"Old 300"
Fourth graders combine art and history to assess the importance of the "Old 300." They explore a group of colonists that Stephen F. Austin brought to Texas as the first settlers and then create a time line of major events leading to the...
Curated OER
Invaders and Settlers: The Vikings
Introduce your young historians to the amazing Vikings! This presentation provides information on the culture, travels, rule, religion, and tools used by the Vikings. After each 3-5 slide section are slides containing compression...
Curated OER
The Lansing Old Stars Trading Card Collection
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...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Conservation, Preservation, and the National Parks
Going green? Scholars investigate the creation of the US National Park program. Through diary entries as well as expert testimony, they synthesize information and analyze the need for conservation and preservation. Finally, they display...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact
Eighth graders investigate historical documents of the United States by reading the Mayflower Compact. In this U.S. History activity, 8th graders analyze the wording of the original Mayflower Compact of the first U.S. settlers and...
Jacaranda
First Australians
Here you'll find an extensive textbook chapter on Australia's indigenous people and the impact of European settlers on aboriginal tribes. The text includes several images, graphs, primary and secondary sources, follow-up...
Curated OER
Hit The Trail
Young historians research one of the most colorful periods in US History: the cattle drives of the 1800's. They research the three most popular trails, and complete mapping and writing assignments about each one. The lesson plan has many...
Curated OER
Jamestown Changes
Students examine how the Jamestown settlement changed the first few years after it was founded. They take a virtual field trip of Jamestown, read primary source documents, discuss census information, and write a summary of changes in...
Smithsonian Institution
Mexican War
Did you know that without the Mexican War, the United States would not include the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and even parts of Colorado? Scholars learn a variety of interesting facts about the...
Curated OER
Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving lesson, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write a...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Students write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Students research animals indigenous to the area.
Curated OER
American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...
Curated OER
The First Thanksgiving
Third graders see the differences between the first Thanksgiving and the present day Thanksgiving. They create a menu for a Thanksgiving dinner after listening to a short article and helping the teacher create a Venn diagram. Students...
Curated OER
The Children of Eric the Red Explore the West: The Norsemen Encounter Indigenous People of North America
Students read about Viking exploration and complete activities based on the Indigenous people they encountered. In this Viking exploration lesson plan, students compare and contrast stories, write a character sketch, and more.
Curated OER
Interesting Facts about the Historic Trails
The Oregon trail is a very interesting part of American history. The class, having read or discussed the events leading to the westward expansion and settling of the Oregon Territory, can answer each of these fill-in-the-blank...
Curated OER
Hunt the Fact Monster #20
In this search engine instructional activity, 3rd graders will need to use factmonster.com to discover answers. Students will respond to 10 short answer and multiple choice questions using the given website.
Curated OER
Overland Trails To The West
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,...
Curated OER
The American Dream
High schoolers discuss the American dream and explain what the American Dream consists of. In this American Dream lesson, students listen to music about America for the reasons people love America. High schoolers create a list of...
Curated OER
Ozark Folk Culture and Geography in the Mountain View, Arkansas Area
Upper grade through early high schoolers develop an understanding of Ozark culture, and the geography of the Ozark Plateau. They study place, location, human environmental impacts, and movement. This interesting plan incorporates muic,...
McGraw Hill
Study Guide for Island of the Blue Dolphins
Dive your class into a reading of Island of the Blue Dolphins with this in-depth study guide. Breaking the novel into three parts, the resource begins each section with a focus activity that identifies a specific theme or question...
Curated OER
South Africa: Revolution at the Ballot Box
Pupils explore apartheid. In this South Africa instructional activity, students discover details regarding apartheid and determine how the black majority suffered under apartheid. Pupils discuss why the white minority...
Curated OER
The Voices of Slavery
Fourth graders recognize and can describe the settlers of Early America. In this American colonies instructional activity, 4th graders research using primary and secondary sources, Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans...
Curated OER
Crossword: First Settlements
In this elementary social studies activity, learners complete a crossword puzzle with 14 words related to settling the first U.S. colonies.
Curated OER
Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!
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...