Curated OER
Westward Ho-- With Multiple intelligences
Pupils 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.
Curated OER
Racists Actions Toward the Native Americans
Pupils 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...
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QUIZ SHOW! What were you thinking? What did you say?
Students participate in a game show to share the information they have uncovered about the US expansion policy and how it affected Native Americans.
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The People of Kansas: Who Are They and Why Are They Here?
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.
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American Indian Art
Students complete a unit of study about Native American visual art. In this visual art lesson, students complete five lessons to study Native American art.
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Lewis and Clark: Prized Possessions
Students consider the role of Sacagawea as part of the Corps of Discovery. In this Lewis and Clark expedition lesson, students discover details about Sacagawea's wampum belt and then create their own wampum belts using their computer and...
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A Sense of West Virginia
Students consider their perceptions of the world through their 5 senses while visiting the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students discover how knowing about the past helps with their understanding of...
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Pioneer America: Pioneer Living
Fourth graders research pioneer life. In this pioneer lesson, 4th graders read the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and discuss what life was like for early pioneers. They research pioneers and show what they have...
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Cells: Structures and Processes
Students explore the basic unit of life, the cell in this nine lessons unit. The cell structure of animal and plant cell functions and how they affect our world are probed in this unit.
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Be Specific, Go West To The Pacific
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...
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Legends of the Fifth
Students explore the the legends and myths of the Orient, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas in this six lessons unit. Different cultures and belief systems of the inhabitants of these areas are examined through storytelling techniques.
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Indian Removal and Forced Assimilation
It can be difficult to describe the removal and forced assimilation of indians during Andrew Jackson's presidency to a class. Reading the manuscript of the Indian Removal Act and analyzing photographs and political cartoons from the time...
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Pioneer Life: Food
Students investigate the types of food the pioneers ate, and how they prepared and preserved their meals. They explore websites, view video diaries from PBS Frontier Life, read recipes, and complete a crossword puzzle.
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"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
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Trekking Across America
Students evaluate the impact of transportation on society, the economy, communication, and travel. They complete an inquiry project about modern modes of transportation, and compare transportation of the 19th century to transportation...
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Holes
Students distinguish between primary and secondary sources when researching on the Internet and evaluating historical records. They recognize important features of a primary source such as the type of document, who created it, what is...
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The Cherokee: Trail Where They Cried
Students read the Trail of Tears about the Cherokee Nation removal and write a letter pretending they are the grandparent of a Cherokee child. In this Trail of Tears lesson plan, students understand the changing of boundaries.
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Horse and Rider: The Pony Express in Utah
Fourth graders research the Pony Express. In this Pony Express lesson, 4th graders discover the reasons behind the development of this business and the technology that ended it.
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
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Andrew Jackson
Fifth graders examine the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Using the Internet, they research his decision to remove the Indians from their land and place them on reservations. They discuss the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
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Kill the Indian to Save the Man: Reservations, Assimilation, and Native American Resistance and Persistence in the West
Students investigate the theory versus the reality of US government reservation policy in the mid to late 19th Century by watching a video. They design a time line that shows how the individual tribes surrendered to the reservation...
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In the Footsteps of West Virginia
Young scholars prepare for a visit to the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students research the individuals whose leadership impacted the state. Young scholars create multimedia projects featuring the...
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The Relationships and Cultural Exchanges Between Native Americans and the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver
Learners are introduced to the geography of the Columbia River basin and its history. Using the internet, they research the relationships between the Native Americans and the Hudson Bay Company. They also discuss the effects on the...
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The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Students examine the Lewis and Clark expedition. They develop skills for historical analysis. They locate a variety of geographic features encountered by the expedition, and create a timeline that documents Lewis and Clark on their journey.