Expansion & Reform – Everyday Americans, Exceptional Americans

The Buffalo Hunt

bhurwit3 — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 23:01:06 +0000

The topic of this lesson is the Buffalo Hunt. The students will be investigating the importance of the buffalo in the Midwest to the Native American tribe. They will also be looking at the decline of buffalo due to buffalo hunting and how the white man pushed Native Americans westward due to the high value of the buffaloes. This lesson fits into our content because the students are currently learning about the Midwest region. We have previously learned about how the Native Americans were pushed westward from the Southeastern region because of the white man taking over the land because of its rich, fertile soil which they used for farming.

Presidency of Andrew Jackson

Jessica Kilday — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 14:23:02 +0000

Students will be looking at documents and cartoons that relate to the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Students will read excerpts from speeches he gave pertaining to the Bank of the US, The Nullification Crisis and the Indian Removal act as well as look at several cartoons that reflect upon the presidency of Jackson and portray him as either a hero or a corrupt political drunk with power.

Yankee Doodle: How has it changed over time?

Jessica Kilday — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:36:36 +0000

The topic of the lesson is Yankee Doodle Dandy. Students are investigating different versions of Yankee Doodle Dandy sheet music and lyrics in order to introduce themselves to different events in U.S. history and to discover how political songs can change to reflect new situations.This lesson will be used in language arts classes as well as a beginning ELL History Concepts class. It integrates historical concepts with language use. In particular, students will consider the word yankee and how it is and has been used, not only in the U.S., but also in their countries.

Reward: Valuable Slaves

Jessica Kilday — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:44:25 +0000

In this lesson students will examine run-away slave advertisements and slave auction broadsides to get an understanding of how enslaved African Americans were viewed during the time of slavery. Students will be put in small groups and using the documents will answer primary source activities. Each group will present and discuss their documents with the whole class. Then students will write “I Am” poems from the perspective of the slaves in their document.

What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?

Jessica Kilday — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:17:44 +0000

Students will examine a Nebraska land advertisement from 1869 to discuss the reasons that settlers moved to the midwest. …

The Homestead Act

Jessica Kilday — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:48:48 +0000

In this lesson the students will learn about westward movement after the Civil War and the economic opportunities offered to people who moved. The focus of the primary source activity is the Homestead Act and how it changed our nation and the lives of the people during that time.