Classroom Law Project
What does the Constitution say about voting? Constitutional Amendments and the Electoral College
As part of a study of voting rights in the US, class members examine Constitutional amendments connected with voting and the role of the Electoral College in the election process.
Annenberg Foundation
A Growing Global Power
How does a nation turn into a global superpower? The 16th installment of the 22-part series on American history investigates the rise of the United States to global importance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Groups...
Curated OER
The Stock Market: Risks & Rewards
In order to better understand the US economy, learners read and interpret stock market price reports. They define profits and explain the role of profits in the American economic system for both firms and individual investors. Several...
Curated OER
Lonesome Linda
Students analyze the create of Loma Linda. In this Western expansion lesson, students look at the development of a resort in the desert and how a town is begun.
Curated OER
The U.S. Westward Movement
Students, working in groups, research and write about one of the trails that were used during US Westward Movement. They create a travel brochure for their trail keeping in mind the era in which the travel took place.
Curated OER
Pioneer Scramble
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Movement lesson, students study why Americans emigrated west in the 1840s and 1850s. Students create interactive timelines, write exploration reports, and complete an art...
Smithsonian Institution
Native Resistance: Native Resistance Then and Now
Native Americans lost so much—and gained so little in return. Scholars explore Native Americans' resistance to the United States government. The lesson uses primary sources to explore the different forms of protest and gives a voice to...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Center for Civic Education
Lesson 2: Suffrage Amendments
Youngsters examine selected amendments to the Constitution to determine how voting requirements in the US have changed from the colonial days to the present.
Fluence Learning
Writing About Informational Text: The Dred Scott Decision
Looking for a performance assessment that asks individuals to demonstrate their competency in writing about informational text? Use Frederick Douglass' essay "On the Dred Scott Decision," and an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's 1857 speech...
Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 18: The Oregon Trail & Native Americans
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Oregon Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
Curated OER
The Mormon Trail and Native Americans
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived in the lands that the Mormon Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 19: Old Spanish Trail & Native Americans
Fifth graders name the American Indian people by tribe who lived in the lands which the Old Spanish Trail traversed. They investigate and describe some impacts of western expansion upon the American Indians.
Curated OER
How the West was Won? Conflict and Change on the Western Frontier
Seventh graders assess the conflict and change that occurred in the westward expansion following the Civil War. They list specific reasons why different groups moved west and the interaction between the "white" European civilization and...
Curated OER
The Nez Perce and the Dawes Act
Eleventh graders explore westward expansion in the United States. In this US History lesson, 11th graders watch the epic struggle of the Nez Perce. Students evaluate how a variety of Americans viewed Nez Perce through a role play.
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
Wagon's West
Students travel to the American West. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students discuss the Oregon Trail and then play the computer game of the same title. Students take on the roles of those who travelled the trail.
Curated OER
Wagons West
Students prepare to travel west. In this Westward Movement lesson, students participate in classroom activities that require them to prepare for a trip west as pioneers.
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny
For this Westward Expansion worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages which describe Manifest Destiny and respond to 33 short answer questions.
Curated OER
American Growth and Expansion in the late 1800s
Eleventh graders examine a picture of John Gast's, American Progress to determine what they know about American growth between 1877- 1900. By working through thirteen center or folder activities, they study the economics,...
Curated OER
Absolutely, Positively a Force in China
Students explore the concept of company expansion. In this company expansion lesson, students read an article about FedEx and how it was able to expand. Students discuss how FedEx was able to expand. Students discuss reasons a product...
Curated OER
My Antonia: K-W-H-L Strategy
Use the well-known KWHL chart as a tool for building up to a research project and oral presentation related to Willa Cather's My Antonia. Starting with a class brainstorm, pupils research and gradually narrow down topics relating to...
Curated OER
Hammurabi's Code: What Does It Tell Us About Old Babylonia?
Students examine Hammurabi's Code. They take on the role of his council of advisors and report their "advice" to the king. They write an essay discussing an aspect of daily life that the Code exemplifies.
Curated OER
War of 1812 in the Old Northwest Territory
Students write 1-4 sentence answers to the Time Travel worksheet (available online). They design period costumes, orally present their perspectives to the rest of the class, and explain why this war played an important role in the...