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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Congress's Territorial Powers, Implied Powers, Citizenship, and the Bureaucracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An informative resource gives scholars a look into why the US Constitution placed certain federal powers over that of the state. A variety of activities about constitutional clauses helps to create meaningful learning.
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Lesson Plan
US Mint

Absolutely and Relatively: The Puerto Rico Quarter Reverse

For Teachers 5th - 8th
How much does your class know about Puerto RIco? How much can they learn from the back of a 2009 quarter? Use the coin, part of a series of quarters that depict US territories, to teach learners about the geography, culture, and history...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Treaty Trail: US Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and examine primary sources concerning the Washington Territory. In this Native American removal lesson, students view portrait images created by Gustav Sohon. Students then read several biographies that correspond to...
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Assessment
New York State Education Department

US History and Government Examination: January 2014

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What led the United States to acquire territory? What were some of the effects of those acquisitions? Learners explore the questions using the 2014 essay from the New York Regents exam. Other items include practice multiple choice...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping Mistakes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine early European maps and explore geographic errors. They also view maps of the geography of North America. Students discuss the obstacles faced by early explorers in mapping unexplored territory. They consider what the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in the Arkansas Territory

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students compare the living conditions in Arkansas when it was a territory with contemporary times. They participate in a role play activities of the territorial times.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Little House in the Census: Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How would you use census data from 1880-1900? Here are a set of ways you can incorporate the book Little House on the Prairie and US census data from that time period. Learners will research the validity or the book based on factual...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lessons in Looking: Imperialism Cartoons

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using a Smartboard, learners break apart symbolism found in a political cartoon published in 1902. They work to analyze the cartoon in terms of US Imperialism occurring in the late 1890s. All necessary materials are included in this well...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photography and the National Park Service

For Teachers 9th - 12th
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking.  Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They complete a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mexican Cessation

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders create a propaganda poster. For this US history lesson students research the various sides during the Mexican-American War. They present their poster and their position for or against the war.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Geography Application: The Cuban Missile Crisis

For Students 8th
A complete activity! The class reads the provided text, then answers the 7 critical-thinking questions. Topics covered are interpreting informational text, reading comprehension, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and US Policy. 
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PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: The Duel for North America

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Making its way through 18th century America, this presentation details the British and French territories through colorful and clearly labeled maps. Additionally, the maps chart the changes in said territory during and after the French...
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Activity
Smarter Balanced

Growth and Expansion of America

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Despite the difficulty of travel, the US expanded significantly between the 1800s and the early 1900s. To prepare for a performance task assessment on the rapid expansion of the US in the 1800s, class members engage in a write-pair-share...
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PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: Manifest Destiny and its Legacy

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Frame your lecture about Manifest Destiny around these maps, which portray the extended boundaries of various American territories in the 19th century. Campaigns of the Mexican War, and a map of the Spanish Missions on the West Coast are...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bombs Away!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Examine the different perspectives on the future of United States Navy bombing exercises taking place on Vieques, Puerto Rico with this lesson plan from The New York Times. Here, young learners read "Islanders to Vote on Vieques Bomb...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

War of 1812 in the Old Northwest Territory

For Teachers 8th - 9th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Think about the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence with your budding historians. They analyze the importance of historical documents by examining several famous documents, and then they complete activities that check...
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Worksheet
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K12 Reader

The Metric System

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
How did the metric system come to be, and why does the US not use it very much? Your class can learn the answers to these questions with the reading passage included here and then respond to the five related questions.
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Lesson Plan
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation

Propaganda Posters

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Don't be put off by the fact that the World War I propaganda posters in this packet are Canadian and some of them are even in French. All the better, in fact, to see the techniques. The richly detailed plan has instructors model...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overland Trails To The West

For Teachers 5th
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,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Corps of Discovery: Voyaging with Lewis and Clark

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars include maps, drawings, and personal reflections in a journal they keep while "accompanying" Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition of the Louisiana Territory.
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Too Much of a Good Thing?

For Students 4th - 5th
Continuing their study of beneficial insects, young entomologists discover where in the world some of these bugs are. By labeling, coloring, and using the scale on a map, pupils explore the territories and arrival of the Asian lady...
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PPT
Curated OER

Chapter 12: American History

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Short and to the point, these slides cover some basic points about life in 19th centrury America. Topics such as Texas Independence, the California Gold Rush, and the Oregon Territory are briefly mentioned, and some of the facts are hard...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Emergence of Power in the Pacific Northwest: General Howard and the Nez Perce Tribe War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss the role of the military in acquiring territory in the Pacific Northwest. Using a map, they locate the areas in which the Nez Perce were prominent and the routes used by the military to chase them. They discuss whether...