Teaching Resources

Access each story map’s page to open and download student guides and lesson plans for each of the Story Maps.

Placing America’s Journey Westward by Jamie Craft,
This lesson will use GIS technology and a story map format to demonstrate the rapid westward on the young United States westward to the Pacific Ocean ? Key events in America’s westward expansion, the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas, the War with Mexico, and the California Gold Rush are examined through  maps and primary sources,

Geography’s Impact on the Evolution of United States Political Parties by Scott Mace, Charlottesville HS, Charlottesville, VA
This lesson will allow students to explore geography’s impact on the development of political parties in the United States between 1789 and 1965. Looking at 11 separate layers, they will identify primary source documents and make inferences as to how those documents were either shaped by geography or, conversely, how they impacted the geography of their respective region.

The Uneasy Balance: Stepping Stones to War  by Jared Morris, Madison County Public Schools, VA
The American Civil War was a terrible, yet transformative event in the history of the United States. The following is an interactive, chronological look at some of the important factors and events that plunged the country into terrible conflict.

Placing U.S. Immigration by Kameron Schaefer, Warhill HS, Williamsburg, VA
In this lesson, students will analyze the origins and destinations of immigrants during three main eras of U.S. immigration. Through analysis of migration flows, students will gain a better understanding of why people left their home countries when they did and consider why they settled where they did in the U.S. Finally, students will be asked to consider both history and current events to draft a plan for future U.S. immigration policy.

Global Expansion by Elizabeth Mulcahy
During the 19th century the United States was motivated by Manifest Destiny to control land from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.  However, the leaders of the young nation were not satisfied with staying within the continent.  From the Monroe Doctrine forward, the US expanded its international political and economic influence while gaining numerous territories.  Students will explore this movement of global expansion through a GIS Story Map and Library of Congress primary sources.

Over There: The Story of the American Expeditionary Force by Jared Morris, Madison County Public Schools, VA
World War One was a conflict on a level never before seen on the planet. By the end of the war, thirty-two countries were involved on either the side of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) or the Allied Powers (Britain, France, Russia, and Italy). Soldiers maimed and killed each other on an industrial level over the course of four hellish years. Initially, the conflict was largely a European affair until an impressive piece of spy work by the British intelligence community brought the United States of America into the fray – the American Expeditionary Force was born.

The Progressives by KC Jacoby, Albemarle High School, Albemarle County, VA
This lesson might be used to introduce or extend a Progressive Era lesson.  Students will learn about important cities and regions to US History and will see how population density impacted people in the United States. The story map journal examines the growth of cities, labor reform, women’s suffrage, and the conservation movement.

Island Hopping in the Pacific World War II by Scott Mace, Charlottesville HS, Charlottesville, VA
This lesson will emphasize geography’s impact on United States’ strategy in fighting World War II in the Pacific.  Students, through the use of Library of Congress resources explore geography’s impact on the average soldier in the Pacific.  They will also chart the progress that the armed forces made in their attempt to hop over non-strategic islands in their attempts to get ever closer to the home islands of Japan.

World War II in Europe by Georgeanne Hribar, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
This Story Map will examine how the United States contributed to the Allied victory in Europe during World War II. Three major topics will be addressed: support for Europe before the U.S. declared war on on Japan and then Germany in 1941, support from the home front, and the human and historical significance of D-Day.​

Placing Cold War Conflicts by Elizabeth Mulcahy
Students will explore the causes, course, and results of the direct conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.  They will analyze documents, videos, photographs, drawings, and maps to understand the conflict, competition, compromises, and reactions of this worldwide event in an attempt to argue who is at fault and if the Cold War is even over.

Civil Rights by Kameron Schaefer, Warhill High School, Williamsburg ,VA
Students will explore the spatial trends of the Civil Rights Movement, including events and people leading up to, during, and since the movement. The Story Map uses maps and primary sources to explore key events from the civil rights movement from the Emancipation Proclamation to the #MeToo movement.