Mapping Activities for Early American History

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Mapping Early American History: why it works

Students remember westward expansion a lot better once they've marked it on a map themselves. I use these research and mapping pages to walk students from the 13 Colonies to Reconstruction one presidency at a time, plotting where the key events happened.

Each set has a picture of each president, a chart of key events to research and map, and a reflection question. It works for middle and high school US history, in print or on Google.

American History Presidential, Mapping Research (Print, Digital, Google) BUNDLEEarly American history mapping activities connecting geography with historical events

Why Use Mapping Activities to teach History? 
  • Visual representation: Mapping allows students to visualize historical events and concepts, making them more engaging and memorable. This can help students understand the context of historical events and their significance.
  • Critical thinking: Mapping activities require students to analyze information and make decisions about how to represent it on a map. This can help develop critical thinking and decision-making skills.
  • Spatial awareness: Mapping activities require students to think about geography and spatial relationships, which can enhance their spatial awareness and understanding of the world.
  • Interdisciplinary approach: Mapping activities can incorporate elements of geography, math, and art, making history lessons more interdisciplinary and engaging.
  • Collaboration: Mapping activities can be done in groups, which promotes collaboration and teamwork skills.
Mapping activities can be a valuable tool in teaching history because they help students engage with the material in a visual and interactive way, while also developing critical thinking and spatial awareness skills.

American history presidential research and mapping graphic organizersAmerican history presidential research and mapping graphic organizersAmerican history presidential research and mapping graphic organizers
American history presidential research and mapping graphic organizers



This RESEARCH AND MAPPING packet is a new and engaging way to have students complete guided research either in print (interactive notebook) or digital (digital interactive notebook). Each set includes major events for the time period. Students will research and determine if each event is either foreign or domestic, then give a summary of the event. If the event has a location symbol, student will use the mapping guide to MAP It and create a map key. This would be great for a flipped classroom. THIS IS ALSO PART OF EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY MEGA BUNDLE!


Includes the following: 

Mapping the New World activity for early American historyMapping the American Revolution activity for early American historyMapping Western Expansion activity for early American historyMapping Western Expansion activity for early American historyMapping The Civil War activity for early American historyMapping Reconstruction activity for early American history

How I'd use this

Have students color-code their maps by presidency, one color per president, and keep the same colors all year. When you reach the Civil War, they can flip back through their maps and see how the country grew and then split. I'd also save the reflection question for the next day's bell ringer, so they walk in already thinking about the map.

See every mapping resource in my shop: browse the collection.

Find a year-long curriculum designed for middle and high school classrooms.

More Resources from Learned Lessons Teaching Materials
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