Donner Online

http://www.kn.att.com/wired/donner

Description: The plight of the Donner Party remains one of the most poignant episodes in the history of westward expansion during the 19th Century. "Donner Online" is a type of Web-based activity in which you learn about a topic by collecting information, images, and insights from the Internet, and then you "paste" them into a multimedia Scrapbook (a HyperStudio stack or a Web page) to share your learning with others. Standards 4.3.2, 5.8.4, and 8.8.2

Author: Tom March, Wired Learning

Lesson ID: 328

Erie Canal: Document Based Question

http://www.bethpagecommunity.com/Schools/socialst/k5/eriedbq.htm

Description: Transportation systems often have a big impact on communities. In 1825 the Erie Canal opened in New York State. Read the documents prived and answer the questions that follow them. After reading the documents and answering the questions, write a composition that explains how the Erie Canal affected New York State?s development. Standard 5.8.1

Author:

Lesson ID: 1542

Establishing Borders: The Expansion of the United States, 1846-48

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/borders/intro.html

Description: The dramatic expansion of the United States to the Pacific Coast and into the Southwest in the years 1846-48 is the focus of this lesson. As modern America vies with contentious issues of immigration and ethnic identity, this series of geography and history activities will show students how a brief two years in history had an indelible impact on American politics and culture. Standards 5.8.6, 8.5.2, and 8.8.6

Author: Smithsonian Center for Education

Lesson ID: 360

Go West Across America with Lewis and Clark

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/west/main.html

Description: Participate in a simple online simulation with Lewis and Clark. It includes simple animations, excerpts from the actual journals, and places where you must make a decision about what to do next. You may even submit a story of one of your own adventures in exploration via e-mail. Standards 2.5 and 5.8.3

Author: National Geographic

Lesson ID: 453

Go West: Imagining the Oregon Trail

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?ID=277

Description: People looked at the Oredon Trail as a 2,000-mile trek across a continent-with no idea what awaited them on the other side. Put on your traveling shoes and prepare for the journey of your live! In this lesson, participants will compare imagined travel experiences of their own with the actual experiences of 19th-century pioneers. After writing stories about contemporary cross-country journeys, students learn about the experiences of the emigrants who traveled on the Oregon Trail. They create works of historical fiction in the form of picture books or letters, drawing upon the information you have learned. Standards 5.8.4

Author: EDSITEment, National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson ID: 454

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Mapping

http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/4_0_0/page_4_1_2_1_0.html

Description: In this four-lesson unit and culminating performance assessment, students will examine and analyze several historic maps of the era representing both the cultural perspectives of Euro-Americans and American Indians. Primary sources, including maps, a video interview, objects, and other documents are the heart of this lesson.. Students start by mapping their neighborhood, then organize and compare historical information from maps using diagrams and charts, and, finally, in the role of a park ranger, develop a presentation on the characteristics of Euro-American and American Indian maps. Through this investigation students will come to the deeper understanding that a map tells us a great deal about its maker. Standards 5.8.3 and 8.8.2

Author: Missouri Historical Scoeity, Lewis & Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition

Lesson ID: 651

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Politics and Diplomacy

http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/4_0_0/page_4_1_4_1_0.html

Description: This unit contains five lessons that center on politics and diplomacy between Lewis and Clark and Indian tribes, especially the Teton Sioux and the Shoshone. The unit includes the examination of both American and tribal values/goals. It also explores diplomatic strategies and how Lewis and Clark used these strategies both successfully and unsuccessfully. Relying heavily on the use of primary documents, artifacts, paintings, a map, and a time line, students gather and analyze information, compare and contrast cultures and points of view, make inferences, and write about their discoveries. Standards 5.8.3 and 8.8.2

Author: Missouri Historical Scoeity, Lewis & Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition

Lesson ID: 652

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Preparing for the Trip

http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/4_0_0/page_4_1_8_1_0.html

Description: This unit focuses on Meriwether Lewis's preparations for the expedition. It uses Lewis's trip to Philadelphia as a foundation for students to consider the idea that life is a journey of discovery. Students will understand some of the challenges inherent in preparing for the unknown and will learn about the preparations necessary for Lewis and Clark's expedition. They will use maps and paintings to gather information about Philadelphia in 1803. Through primary and secondary documents, students will learn about the people Lewis met with in Philadelphia, and they will discover why each person's area of expertise was deemed important for Lewis's preparation. Students will gather and classify information from documents to determine what items were taken along on the expedition and for what purposes. They will learn how discoveries can be guided and shaped by expectations, supplies, and knowledge. Standards 5.8.3 and 8.8.2

Author: Missouri Historical Scoeity, Lewis & Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition

Lesson ID: 653

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Trade and Property

http://www.lewisandclarkexhibit.org/4_0_0/page_4_1_5_1_0.html

Description: This unit presents the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition from the perspective of trade and property. It highlights the commercial motivations of the expedition and explores the established American Indian trade networks of the Northwest. It also asks how various cultures define wealth. The benefits of trade, the influence of culture on trading practices, the specialization of American Indian tribes, and the influence of geography on trade are all presented in the historical context of the expedition. Standards 5.8.3 and 8.8.2,

Author: Missouri Historical Scoeity, Lewis & Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition

Lesson ID: 654

Lewis and Clark: The Language of Discovery

http://smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/lewis_clark/index.html

Description: Download these pdf file lessons from Smithsonian Magazine Fall 2003. After reading the fascinating article, students use the descriptions and sketches from the Lewis and Clark journals to write about the animals they encountered. They also interpret the maps of the territory and take notes in Lewis and clark style. Standards 5.8.3 and 8.8.2

Author: Evelyn Porreca Vuko, Smithsonian Institute

Lesson ID: 656