American History: Things You Should Know

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Moving to America: Then and Now - 00:18:49
Look around you and you will see many different people speaking different languages, eating different foods, wearing different clothes. This is America, a country of many different peoples, but where did they come from? When did they come to America? And how did they get here? The answers to these questions await students in this engaging look at the history of immigration to America.

Long Ago, Yesterday, and Today - 00:14:57Compare the lives of people living in a community today to those who lived recently and long ago. Re-creations, artifacts, photographs, and time-lines tell the stories of how our parents, grandparents, and other ancestors lived on a daily basis. Includes different types of shelter, food, clothing, transportation, recreation, and forms of education.

How Customs and Heritage Shape Communities - 00:15:49
Something as simple as food has a rich cultural history. From this springboard students take a look at the heritage of many people groups in the United States. Drawing from historical and community resources students will discover how people all over the world have left their mark on the land they settled. And, while the differences are compared and contrasted, children will be caught up in the rhythm of Cinco De Mayo, the celebration of Chinese New Year and the family focus of Kwanzaa, soon recognizing the ways they are all part of the same community.

American Indians of the Woodlands - 00:19:50
Cooperation and conflict were a part of American Indian life among the Woodland peoples east of the Mississippi river. The Iroquois people and tribes like the Cherokee and the Ojibwe each adapted to their unique environments and experienced the impact of European exploration and settlement in a different way. Students will explore the environmental influences of the Woodland Indians and see their role in the birth of the United States. Early treaties, even the Treaty of Paris, had an impact on the traditional homelands of Woodland tribes. Students will get a glimpse of the Trail of Tears and see the impact of the Indian Relocation Act of 1830.

American Indians of the Southwest - 00:20:23
From the ancient mounds of the Hohokam to today’s Navajo reservation, the largest reservation in the United States, the Southwest is rich with American Indian heritage. Students will discover the advanced building styles and unique farming and irrigation systems of the Pueblo People and their ancient ancestors. They will understand the government policy of assimilation when they hear the story of the Indian boarding schools. Students will also see contemporary American Indian heroes like Hopi artist Charles Loloma, and Navajo doctor Lori Arviso-Alvord, the first female American Indian surgeon.

Pioneers: The American Frontier - 00:19:01
With the help of Lester Conrad, a pioneer scout, students learn who the pioneers were, experience life as a pioneer, and travel along with pioneers as they leave the crowded cities in the East through the frontier to a better life in the West. Relive the journey through the hardships, sacrifices, accomplishments and glory of the pioneers.

Early Settlers: The Era of Colonization - 00:22:36
Students witness colonial life in a new land as Annabel Lee Sloan, with the help of her diary, reminisces about the wonderful homecomings she had with her father when he would return from his many travels and reveal to her the fascinating tales of a new and ever-growing nation. We travel from the ports of New England to the lush fields of the South - and everywhere in between - so that we may witness the politics, economy, and culture of a new people and a new land.