|
[ Key to US ] |
|
|
| Key to Oklahoma |
Student Activities
- Oklahoma Overview
- Prehistory to 1802
- Oklahoma becomes part of the United States, 1803-1865
- The Wild West: 1866 to 1888
- Oklahoma's Americanization: 1889 to 1906
- Early 20th Century: 1907 to 1920
- Oklahoma and Hard Times: 1920 to 1941
- Mid 20th Century: 1941-1960
- Progress in Modern Oklahoma: 1961 - 1999
- Oklahoma in the new Millennium
- Other General Activities
1. Create a land form map of Oklahoma. Color each geographic area a different color. State one unique characteristic about each area. Click here for an outline map of Oklahoma.
2. Make a chart that shows the three branches of government in Oklahoma. List the components of each branch and their responsibilities. Draw lines between responsibilities which show how the branches implement checks and balances over each other.
3. Compare the Oklahoma
Constitution with the United States Constitution in
the following ways:
A. How are responsibilities shared and limited
by the two constitutions?
B. How are the legislative, executive and
judicial branches of government defined by the two constitutions?
C. What are the similarities and differences in
the Bill of Rights of the two constitutions?
1. See if you can find a fossil in your yard or in a nearby streambed. Bring it to class to make a display with your classmates.
2. Compare the lifestyles of the Caddoan Mound Builders in eastern Oklahoma and the plains village Indians who lived in western Oklahoma from 800 to 1500 A.D.
Oklahoma: Part of the United States, 1803-1865
1. Imagine you are an explorer in Oklahoma during the early 1800's. Make a map of the territory you explored, tracing the route of your exploration. Write a report to the U.S. government about what you found about the land, geography, climate and people you encountered during your explorations.
2. Trace the movements of the Five Civilized Tribes from their original lands in the Eastern United States to the Indian territory in Oklahoma. Describe the hardships encountered by these tribes on their moves to Oklahoma. (See the Oklahoma Encyclopedia - Trail of Tears and the Cherokee Nations for information.)
3. Complete the project Life on the Great Plains from EdSITEment and learn about early American settlements in this region.
4. Complete the activity about Causes of the Civil War from EdSITEment. In this activity, students will list differences and similarities between life in the North and the South in the years before the Civil War and discuss how these differences contributed to serious disagreements between the North and South.
Oklahoma: The Last of the Wild West: 1866 to 1888
1. What was it like to participate on a cattle drive along the Chisholm Trail? What hazards were encountered on the drive? Create a diary describing a "long drive" in which you are a participant. (Watch the video Life On the Chisholm Trail for ideas.)
2. Complete the Activity: The Indian Agent Appointment Interview from the Library of Congress web site. In this activity, students play the role of a Quaker applying for a job as a federal Indian agent on the frontier in the 1870s.
3. Imagine yourself as the head of a Wild West show. Create posters to publicize your show and describe the stars and acts in the show.
Continuing Americanization of Oklahoma: 1889 to 1906
1. Research the early beginnings of the town where you live. When was it formed? How was its government structured?
2. Find out if any of your ancestors participated in the early Land Rushes in Oklahoma. Where did your ancestors originally settle in Oklahoma?
3. Explore the effects of the Indian Boarding Schools in the late 1800s on Indian children.
Oklahoma in the Early 20th Century: 1907 to 1920
1. Complete the Activity: Voices for Votes, Suffrage Strategies from the Library of Congress web site. In this activity, students examine a variety of primary source documents related to the women's suffrage movement. They identify different methods people used to influence and change attitudes and beliefs about suffrage for women.
2. Make an economic family tree of your ancestors. Identify what jobs your ancestors held. Does your family's employment reflect economic changes in the history of Oklahoma?
3. Complete the activity United We Stand from the Library of Congress web site. In this activity, students will describe the working conditions in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century that gave rise to the labor union movement and use primary documents to understand and justify the rise of organized labor unions.
Oklahoma and Hard Times: 1920 to 1941
1. Complete the activity Dust Bowl Days from the EDSITEment. Students will list problems ordinary Americans faced during the Great Depression and cite examples of the attempts of the government and citizens to solve these problems.
2. Complete the Lesson 2, The Great Depression and the Present Day from the Library of Congress web site. In this lesson, students will examine certain New Deal programs and identify in what form they exist today.
The Mid 20th Century: 1941-1960
1. Find out if any of your ancestors participated in World War 2. Did any of your female ancestors work in factories during the war? Conduct an interview with someone who participated in World War 2 or lived during that time to learn about their experiences.
2. Complete the activity On the Home Front from EdSitement. This activity is on the actions taken on the home front to help with the war effort during World War II.
3. Make a chart to show the ethnic backgrounds of the members of your class. Identify when each student's first ancestors came to Oklahoma and in what part of the state they originally settled. How many students are first generation Oklahomans (i.e. they moved to Oklahoma after they were born?)
Progress in Oklahoma: 1961 - 1999
1. Complete the activity Listening to History from EdSitement. This activity is on conducting an oral interview with a family member.
2. Complete the lesson Exploring Cultural Rituals from the Library of Congress web site, In this lesson, students will use photos, documents, and music from the American Memory collection and other resources to investigate rituals and customs of various cultures.
3. Conduct an interview with someone from your community of a different ethnic background than your own. How do their experiences differ from your own family's experiences?
Oklahoma in the New Millennium
1. Participate in the activity Is the Electoral College Out of Date. In this activity, students will gain an understanding of the electoral college system, interpret and analyze the need for an electoral college in today's political society and make proposals on changes to the electoral college system.
1. In our study of history, we use primary and secondary sources to acquire information. Click on the link to find the difference between primary and secondary sources. Then create a list of sources and categorize each item as a primary or secondary source. For example, how would you categorize an original photograph of an event and a newspaper article about an event? Finally, complete the activity from the Library of Congress on Analyzing Primary Sources .
2. Complete the lesson America Dreams - through the Decades from the Library of Congress web site. In this lesson, students will research the American Memory collection to uncover the dreams of Americans through the decades.
3. Divide the class into groups. Have each group take one of the major eras in Oklahoma history and create a presentation for the class describing the major social, cultural, political and economic characteristics in Oklahoma during each era.
4. Divide the class into groups. Have each group create a timeline that identifies the significant people and events for one of the major eras of Oklahoma history. Post each group's timeline along a classroom or hallway wall to create a complete timeline of Oklahoma history. Go to the Timelines page for a list of timelines on Oklahoma history.