In this lesson, students create a historical fictional character based on research. Through a letter writing activity, students gain a richer understanding on the pressures and challenges facing people working with the railroads. This lesson is found on pages 14-15 of the PDF.

Students learn about the Native American peoples who lived in the region which is now Oregon and Washington states.

Students will learn about the importance of preserving Native culture and see how families share and pass down traditions. Students will gain an understanding of the ongoing Plains traditions of beadwork and quillwork"”decorative arts done with beads and porcupine quills"”and the "giveaway" (an honoring celebration). Students will explore the significance of designs and symbols found on dresses and better understand the Plains peoples"™ long-standing, close connection to their surroundings and natural resources.

In this lesson, students can learn about the traditions of the Sioux, who resided in the Midwestern part of the United States. This lesson focuses on their winter traditions, including the migration patterns which they followed.

Students can learn about the traditions of the Sioux, who resided in the Midwestern part of the United States. This lesson focuses on their winter traditions, including the migration patterns which they followed.

In this lesson, students will examine the concept of Manifest Destiny as it relates to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition through discussion, reading, and the examination of artwork and maps. Students will demonstrate their understanding of this content in a creative writing assignment in which they assume the persona of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and/or a Native American and create inferred journal entries.

This presentation is a supplemental resource to the lesson "Manifest Destiny and the Lewis and Clark Expedition." In the lesson, students will examine the concept of Manifest Destiny as it relates to the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition through discussion, reading, and the examination of artwork and maps. Students will demonstrate their understanding of this content in a creative writing assignment in which they assume the persona of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and/or a Native American and create inferred journal entries.

In this resource, students can learn about maritime issues during the 19th Century in the United States.

In this lesson, students will learn how modern day immigrants may be pilgrims in their own respect. They will learn what immigrants and pilgrims are, and be assigned to demonstrate learning about an immigrant in their ancestry.

Students explore some of the other ways dolls can be important. Through interviews with Native doll makers, photographs of dolls similar to ones the doll makers have made, and supporting materials illustrating the environments the dolls come from. Students will see the larger connections between Native American dolls and the cultures they represent and will gain a greater understanding of the complexity and diversity of Native cultures.

Students will learn about the impact which the Spanish explorers had on the Native Americans in the area which is now the state of New Mexico.

In this lesson, students gain an understanding of North Carolina Native Americans, their way of life and their culture by assuming the role of an archeologist and recreating an artifact that would have been used by Native populations in the pre-colonial period.

Children will watch a short silent film recorded in 1930 and get a sense of a Harlem club during the Jazz Age. Part of an OurStory module entitled Duke Ellington and Jazz, this activity includes a link to a newsreel video from the Smithsonian Archives Center, discussion prompts, and background information.

In this lesson, students explore the various modes of transportation used to move west across North America in the 1800s. Then students will write an imaginary log about a train journey across the continent and use art supplies to create a scene from the west.

In this online interactive, students learn how people in Nova Scotia were forced by the British to leave their homes and move to the colonies.

In this resource, students can explore jazz through listening activities, interviews with musicians, and background information on SmithsonianJazz.org. Students can also hone their skills at analyzing oral histories with a collection of over fifty recordings of jazz composers, arrangers, and performers.

Students will locate, explore, and photograph evidence of maritime activities affecting them and/or their community, write a detailed description about the effect of the activities, and share both photographs and descriptions online.

This curriculum focuses on eight quilters, their communities, and their individual quilt stories.

Students can learn about the devleopment of Raleigh after the fire of 1833 and the impact of the first railroad line to the city. Thestudents will also discover the background behind the nickname "Tornado", which Raleigh had for many years.

In this lesson, students will trace the development and expansion of the U.S. while studying the Trail of Tears. They will look at the political factors and analyze the impact the Indian Removal Act had upon a society. Students will also study the causes of death and grief of the Cherokee Nation.