RESOURCES FOR TEACHING CHILDREN
ABOUT PIONEERS
Also see Books About Pioneers for Children
The American Frontier by Tim McNeese. Milliken, 2002. This book
provides a detailed and richly illustrated overview of the westward expansion
of colonial and post-colonial America through diplomacy, war, wanderlust, and
grit. The frontier is defined and demythologized as Hollywood's stereotypical
portrayals are replaced with factual yet no less fascinating and lively
depictions of pioneer life. Daniel Boone, the Louisiana Purchase, the
explorations of Lewis and Clark, the subjugation of the Indians, the
Mexican-American War, and the building of the transcontinental railroad are
among the events and personalities vividly described. Challenging review
questions encourage meaningful reflection and historical analysis. Maps,
tests, answer key, and extensive bibliography included. For grades 7-12.
Student pages may be reproduced for one copy each for the students of one
teacher for a single course . 111 pages. BTH-4760. Follow title link for
current pricing.
 American
Pioneer Family Paper Dolls by Tom Tierney. Dover, 1996. Recreate three
generations of a hard-working mid-19th-century pioneer family with 9 dolls and
36 detailed, accurate costumes. Buckskin outfit, calico dress, suit, gown, work
and farm clothes, accessories and more. Informative introduction and notes
supply descriptive details. BTH-3495. $5.36-D
 Cut
and Assemble A Western Frontier Town by Edmund Gillon. Dover. 10
authentic full-color buildings on heavy cardboard stock in H-O scale. Sheriff's
Office and Jail, Saloon, Wells Fargo, Opera House, others. Exploded diagrams,
numbered and labeled pieces for easy assembly. 48 pages. BTH-3489. $8.06-D
Photo Fun Activities from Edupress, Frontier America for grades
2-6. This is a packet of 8 full-color photo charts (8 1/2 x 11") dealing with some
important aspect of American pioneer life. Each photo has a set of related reproducible
activities on the back, including information about the photo, a cooperative activity, an
independent activity, and some trivia questions. Use Cat. # EP041 to order.
$7.19 per set.
 Frontier America
Activity Book, $7.19, from Edupress. This book contains a number of crafts and other
hands-on activities relating to the pioneer period of America's history for grades K -
8.
 History
in the Headlines: The Louisiana Purchase by Douglas Rife. Good Apple, 1999.
For grades 6-8.This book uses primary source materials (reproduced), including a
full-size poster of a newspaper page containing the story about the Louisiana
Purchase from the Charleston Courier to introduce students to this
important event in American History. Teachers will find lesson plan suggestions,
reproducible pages with the documents to be examined and related critical
thinking and writing activities, and an answer key. 32 pages. BTH-3152. $6.23-D
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls: The Big Woods Collection, includes
two giant pull-out scenes. You'll find Laura, Mary, Baby Carrie, Ma Pa, and their faithful
bulldog, Jack. From helping Ma gather food in the garden to watching Pa play his fiddle,
children can be part of Laura and Mary's happy days in the Little House in the Big Woods.
Sturdy dolls on heavy stock. $7.19-D
Read and Respond: Frontier American Literature,
This book can be used independently or as a companion to the previous book. It
contains lesson plans and reproducible activities related to the following books: Save
Queen of Sheba; The Way West: Journal of a Pioneer Woman; The Little House Books;
Grasshopper Summer; Caddie Woodlawn; and Meet Kirsten: An American Girl. Cat.
#EP-027. $7.15-D
Pioneer Life Sticker Picture with 50 Reusable Peel
and Apply Stickers. This is an oversize Dover book. The inside covers are 18 1/2" x
12 1/4" laminated backdrops (interior of log cabin with fireplace, etc.;
homesteader's small farm) where students can add any or all of the full-color stickers
depicting family members engaged in various pioneer tasks, cooking pots, a cast-iron
stove, a kerosene lamp, animals, furniture, etc. It helps children visualize life in a log
cabin. Price is $4.05-D
 Spotlight on
America: The Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Louisiana Purchase by Robert
W. Smith, Teacher Created Materials. 48 pages. For grades 4-8. Reproducible for
classroom use. Besides reading in the content area, there are a variety of
activities in written language, social studies, oral expression, art, and
science. The author has designed the activities to make history come alive and
take root in the minds of the students. Teacher lesson plans are included.
There are student reading pages followed by reading
comprehension quizzes. Students have map activities, research activities,
journal writing activities, studies and research on cultural differences
relating to Native Americans and slaves, and more. For science related
activities they will keep a Science and Discovery Journal, study leaves and
collect them in a scrapbook, and study and press flowers. There is a
reader's theater script which is an abbreviated account of the meeting between
the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Shoshone people. Students will also do
some timeline work and research famous people, picking one to "become." The
culminating activity is a Western History Day.
Resources at the book's end include selected literature
information, a glossary of terms, an annotated bibliography, and an answer key.
TCM-3233. $8.09-D
 Stagecoach:
The Ride of the Century, by Mansur. Imagine yourself riding in a stagecoach
through the American wilderness. This book is full of journal entries, photographs, maps,
diagrams, and paintings to assist your imagination. You'll learn what travel was
really like back then. Has index and time-line. Paper, 32 pages. Cat. #CharBr.
$6.26-D
Westward Expansion. Written by Jim McAlpine,
Betty Weineek, Sue Jeweler, and Marion Findbinder. The three units in this book are
Issues, People, and Places. Among the 27 topics covered are Louisiana Purchase; Log
Cabins; Monroe Doctrine; Indian Removal Act: Manifest Destiny; Homestead Act; Lewis and
Clark; Sacajawea; Mormons; Cowboys; Chief Joseph; Horace Greeley; Boonesborough;
California; St. Louis; The Alamo; Pike's Peak and more. Cat BTH-402
 Westward Ho!: An Activity Guide to the
Wild West, by Laurie Carlson. This over-size trade paperback has 146 pages of history
and activities connected with the Westward Movement. Beginning with a time line, it moves
on to cover the following topics with historical background and hands-on activities: Early
History of the West (with focus on horses and a horse-trading game); Trail Blazers: Lewis
and Clark; Trappin' and Tradin' Mountain Men and Fur Traders; Rush for Gold!; Wagons'
Roll; Settling Down (Measuring and Marking Land, Building Homes, Food and Clothing, etc.)
and Ridin' the Range (Saddle Songs, Cattle Drive Game, Knot Tying, and much more) I've
only mentioned a few of the wide variety of games, recipes, crafts, songs, and other
hands-on activities in this book. Best used with ages 5-12. There is a wider variety of
activities in this book, using a greater diversity of materials than will be found in the
Edupress Frontier Activity Book. So which book you choose really depends upon your
particular needs. $11.69-D
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Books About Pioneers for Children
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