Curriculum Connections:
Addie Across the Prairie


• Click here for books to read in collaboration with any of the Addie Books.


• Laura's story of Addie began with some family information found in a letter written in 1852. Additional information about the prairie life was found in interviews from the 1880s.
  
  • Write about your family and its history -- Find out about your family's ancestors in the 1850s to 1900. Where were your ancestors? Within the United States? In another homeland? How did your family get to the home they are in now? To do this you will want to interview your grandparents and great-grandparents if they are available. Find family records in Bibles or other family books.
  
  

• Study the Ecosystem: Life on the Prairie -- The University of Minnesota has a series of videos available about various topics. Information about Life on the Prairie: The tall grass prairie ecosystem developed with the relationships between soils, bodies of water, climate, plants, and animals. Settlement in the 1850s marked the beginning of the end of the tall grass prairie. Access the information about this program by clicking here. and scrolling down to "Episode Two: Life on the Prairie." Discuss the effect of settlement on the ecosystem.
• Illinois Prairie History -- Read a brief article about Illinois prairie and it's history
• Iowa Prairie -- Originally Prairie, contained within an article about hunting, these paragraphs discuss the evolution of the present day prairie area at Loess Hills in Iowa. Read the section subtitled "Originally Prairie."

• Graphic organizers for:
  Addie and Native Americans pdf file
  Family History Story pdf file
  Family History pdf file
  Living on the Prairie pdf file
  Learning about the Prairie pdf file
  

Reading the Book: Background Information for Discussions

There were many outrageous and untrue perceptions of Native Americans during the mid to late 1800s. Pick an immigrant group who came to the United States during the turn of the century. In what way did native-born Americans view this group wiht disrespect and contempt? How is that same group viewed in America now at the end of the century?

These sources are perhaps more appropriate to the educator planning activities, for obtaining background information. Selected sites may be at a readable level for direct use with students.


Native American Sites -- A page of links mounted by Cathy Chamberlain of the Oswego City (New York) School District.


Resources (links) for the study of discrimination against Native Americans. A page on the site of Spring Hill College - the Jesuit College of the South (Mobile, Alabama).


Stereotyping of Native Americans -- a document from the "Native Nevada Classroom."


Student Sites


Students On Site -- Native Americans - Early Contacts Pages are part of the Units of the Arts of Citizenship Program, University of Michigan.


A Different World: Native American Children's Perceptions of Race and Class in the Media. -- part of the "Children Now" web site. (Children Now, 1212 Broadway, 5th Floor, Oakland CA 94612)

The Homestead Act brought many settlers to the west - -the farm land was available at veryr cheap prices. Railroad companies actively courted new immigrants to come and settle in the west. The companies were actually building a base of potential customers that would use their railroad for receiving goods and services. Investigate the role of the railroads in enticing homesteaders to the west. Were they truthful in their advertising? Some believe that immigrants tended to settle in the parts of the United States that most resembled their homelands.


Plucky Dakota women recorded her-story A Great summary and story of women who homesteaded in the Dakotas. (Deadwood Magazine, Black Hills, South Dakota).


Iowa Ag History - Westward Movement. Brought to you by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.


History of the U.S. Department of the Interior - Part 3 Westward Expansion U.S. Department of the Interior (Narrative regarding the victims of the Westward Expansion.)


History of the Westward Expansion in Lee County (Illinois) -- final paragraphs tell of the role of the railroad in the westward expansion.


The Homestead Act of 1862 by Richard Pence (a narrative)


The Homestead Act of 1862 Time Passages: Genealogy of the Dakotas ("The Homestead Act set forth by the Thirty-Seventh Congress, Session II, Chapter 75 of 1862: -- May 20, 1862 Chapter LXXV - An act to Secure Homesteads to actual Settlers on the Public Domain.


The Homestead Act (narrative on the National Park Service web site).


Adeline Hornbek and the Homestead Act: A Colorado Success Story Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plans, National Park Service.


Today in History: May 20 American Memory Site, Library of Congress. (Includes links to more sites that will connect to information about the Homestead Act and Westward Expansion.

Trains were often called "The Iron Horse" because of their ability to bring raw materials with finished good and consumers. Fruit and food growers in California, meat packers in Chicago, iron ore miners in the Northern Plains States, and steel mill operators in Pittsburgh all utilized the railroad. Investigate the role of the industrial giants in promoting the railroad and who made the largest fortunes during this time period.


The Iron Horse the impact of the railroads on 19th century American society by Marieke van Ophem (A List of print resources, a few WWW links).


"How did the building of the railroads affect the settlement of the west?" The Road to Mt. Rushmore: Westward Expansion and the Plains Indian -- Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. Scroll down to the appropriate section. There are several links that will help.