Category: Louisiana Purchase Through Early Statehood 1803-1860

The goal of this unit is to teach students about the symbolism of the Arkansas state flag and its accompanying pledge. They will learn to identify the Arkansas flag, salute and recite the pledge, and create a replica of the flag as a culminating activity. (This lesson is designed to provide a music or art lesson while teaching content.)

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:K-4 Elementary School

Time period:Early 20th Century 1901-1940

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

In today’s culture of celebrities, it is appropriate for students to know celebrities from their state. One goal of this lesson is to teach Arkansas History using Arkansans who have become known for their talents, services to mankind, or entrepreneurship. A second goal is to provide a format for introducing these Arkansans to students while allowing students the opportunity to do research about a self-selected or teacher-selected “Famous Arkansan”.

Students will take a modified form of the Racial Attitudes in Pulaski County that was administered by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). Students will then compare and contrast the responses to their survey questions from the actual survey.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:9-12 High School

Time period:Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

One goal of this unit is to introduce students to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas website and teach them to navigate the site independently in order to learn more about the contributions made by Arkansans. A second goal is to teach students how to use technology tools to complete a task.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period:Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

The goal of this unit is to teach students the basics of the election process by holding a class election. This unit could be used to help students understand about the policies and procedures associated with the election process which involves a basic knowledge of rights and responsibilities. The school library is a place where students have the rights and responsibilities of obtaining resources.

Students will learn about the formation of Crowley’s Ridge and the features that make it one of Arkansas’ six natural divisions. They will also learn about the impression that this “upland in the lowlands” made on the Europeans who explored Arkansas and the reasons Crowley’s Ridge was attractive to them. Students will read about the plants and animals important to early settlers on Crowley’s Ridge and use this information to produce a class quilt depicting the natural features of the ridge.

Students will study civilian Arkansans during the Civil War. These Arkansans, who held down the home front during the Civil War, faced many challenges, including outlaw bands know as Jayhawkers who ravaged the people and the land. Additionally, students may study the events leading up to the war and the post Civil War era.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period:Civil War Through the Gilded Age 1861-1900

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Through the study of the rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, students will analyze the physical changes in the state of Arkansas, creating a timeline to depict the changes, and completing a writing prompt for further analysis and opinion. Students will utilize content area textual resources.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period:Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Students will be introduced to Arkansas History by becoming archeologists who discover artifacts in a “dig simulation.” They will gain an understanding of how archeology has aided the study of Arkansas’ past and be introduced to the different groups who have made our state their home. By placing artifacts on an Arkansas History Timeline, students will develop an overview of the important time periods in Arkansas History.

Students will study and examine the Southwest Trail as described in “Bears and Panthers Aplenty”, Chapter II of Bandits, bears, and backaches.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period:Louisiana Purchase Through Early Statehood 1803-1860

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.