+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Antonia: K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Lonely But Free I’ll Be Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Tumbling tumbleweeds! Scholars work with video clips, primary and secondary documents, and song lyrics to uncover life in the Old West. They examine song's lyrics to uncover myths told in the 1930s about life in the Wild West. 
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: Kit Carson to the Rescue

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's nothing like the Wild Wild West! Scholars investigate the American Frontier through the eyes of Kit Carson. To complete the first installment of a three-part series, they use presentations, a short video, and primary and...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: The Battle of the Washita

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Go West, young man! Scholars use PBS video clips, slide shows, and interactive materials to create a picture of Manifest Destiny in the American West. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, young historians learn about the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heading West

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. instructional activity, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be Specific, Go West To The Pacific

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Fifth and sixth graders follow Lewis and Clark from St. Louis to the Pacific and back again. They read online journal entries made by Lewis and Clark to gather information. The official Lewis and Clark website is used by learners to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Negotiating Treaties

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders recognize the interaction between early settlers and indigenous people in the U.S. They recognize the impact of the Indian Removal Act on displaced Natives in the early West and the impact on Native attitudes today.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California Trail and Native Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify the American Indian tribes who lived on the lands in which the California Trail went through. They investigate and describe the impact of western expansion on the American Indians.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rivers to the West

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the reasons they may have chosen to follow certain rivers. They list the rivers that start from St. Louis and follow the route of Lewis and Clark. Students trace and label the rivers...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making a Pinhole Camera

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students participate in a number of activities in order to study the history of photography and to examine the workings of a pinhole camera.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Factors Contributing To the U.S. Dominance of the Pacific Northwest

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students examine the painting Columbia by John Gast. They discuss the concept of Manifest Destiny and the role of different groups (miners, missionaries, fur trappers, farmers, etc.) in the Americanization of the West. In groups, they...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine journals and documents to investigate Lewis and Clark's explorations and how they relate to the concept of Manifest Destiny. They consider the impact of modern civilization to some of the areas Lewis and Clark wrote about.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students study westward expansion. In this US history lesson, students describe the adventures and hardships faced by the explorers known as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Students write a report to the President about the journey...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Lives and the Four Seasons

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students compare and contrast the four seasons. Using this information, they determine the plant, animal and environmental activities that can be enjoyed in each season. They discuss why the seasons must change and how humans adapt to them.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nickel Knowledge

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students report facts found on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of American Independence. Students find the original words on the epitaph that Thomas Jefferson wrote for placement on his grave upon the time of his death. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Political Cartoons

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students draw two political cartoons. They compare the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 to the stand-off that took place at Wounded Knee in l973. They examine the role that Manifest Destiny played in the West.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Deadly Equilibrium Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students read a narrative "The Domestic Slave Trade" and answer questions about states' slave trading. They read another narrative "Runaway Journey" and answer questions about runaway slaves. They discuss the impact of the slave trade on...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Ho-- With Multiple intelligences

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners acquire knowledge and literacy (through multiple intelligences) in social studies, language arts, science and math as we study the Oregon Trail. This type of lesson is strong in its attempt to be accessible to all learners.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny and the Power of Perspective

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the concept of Manifest Destiny and the United States. They analyze the Mexican War from the perspective of the Mexicans and the Indians. They write an essay about these different perspectives.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny and the Commercial Conquest of the United States

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the role of commerce in the United States to help fulfill Manifest Destiny. They write commercials that could have been used by the Mexicans or Americans during the Mexican War.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The People of Kansas: Where Did They Come From and Why Did They Come?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research and discuss the reasons why early settlers emigrated to Kansas. They, in groups, analyze census district reports from the 1850's and then identify the advantages and disadvantages of using this information as research.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The People of Kansas: Who Are They and Why Are They Here?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the settlement patterns of the Kansas Territory. In this Kansas history lesson, students analyze primary documents from the pioneers in the territory. Students write letters or perform skits that feature their findings.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

The Pursuit of Democracy and Diversity: The Trial of Pro-Social Injustice in Historical Documents and Accounts

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...
+
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Headin' West! The Life of a Pioneer

For Teachers 5th
Students explore the life of a pioneer and the relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and pioneering. Students complete activities, maps, writing and reading to experience pioneer life. Handouts and worksheets are included...