CHAPTER 13 PROJECT IDEAS

  • The date of the test isMonday, May 5th.
  • Projects will be due onMonday, May 5th.
  • If you are absent, it is due the first day you return.
  • Projects will be presented in class on Monday, May 5th. and

Tuesday, May 6th.

  • If you are absent, you present the day you return.
  • You must let me know by Friday, May 2ndwhich option you are doing by returning the sheet at the bottom of the second page.
  • If you sign up for a project and do not do it, you must take the

test.

1. Take the Chapter 13 Test

* Visit to find website resources for the

following projects. You may also use / American Memory.

Of course, your book is always a good place to start.

2. Create a 3-D map of the United States including the Oregon Trail.

Show the geographic features, such as mountains, rivers, grasslands,

and deserts. Be creative in your materials and display. This project

should not be smaller than a full sheet of poster board.

3. Dress as a person from the time period between 1820-1850. Pretend that

you are traveling west on the Oregon or Santa Fe Trail, you are fighting

at the Alamo, or you are mining for gold in California. Perhaps a small

group might wish to role play a scene together. The group should not

consist of more than 4 people, and the work load and parts in the drama

must be equal. Time period dress, dialect, and dialogue are a must for

this project. The role play should be no less than four minutes.

4. Germans first brought the Conestoga wagon to the Americas during

colonization. This was very important in the movement of families west.

Design and build a replica of a covered wagon like the ones pioneer

families would have used.

5. Today, the Alamo is a tourist attraction in San Antonio, Texas. Create a

replica of FORT ALAMO as it would have looked in 1836. This model

shouldshow all sides ofFORT ALAMO.

6. Create a piece of time period art work, such as a painting or drawing,

depicting a scene from the west during this time period. The art work

should show what life would have been like during westward expansion.

The minimum size requirement for the artwork is 12 X 18 inches.

7. Pretend you are a newspaper editor on the western frontier. Your news-

paper is taken back east for people to see what life is like in the west.

Create a time period newspaper that includes a title, date, main story,

one additional story, births, deaths, and advertising. All of the informa-

tion must be relevant to the time 1820 – 1850. Feel free to include

historical information in your stories, deaths, and ads.

8. Imagine your family is moving west on the Oregon Trail. You have left

the only home you have ever known, and your friends. Your family is

convinced they can build a better life in the west, but you are not so sure.

Keep a journal of your travels. This diary might include personal

accounts of the journey, the things you see, the natives you encounter,

the hardships you face, and how you feel. Your project should include

at least 5 entries. Date your entries one week apart so you have enough

to write.

9. Refer to page 410 in your book. By 1853, the continental United States

was complete. Create a timeline that shows how American grew from

one ocean to the other from the Pilgrims landing to the Gadsden

Purchase of 1853. This project should include a traditional time line

and a map that progresses in stages.

______

Name ______Option ______

  • If I do not complete the project, I must take the Chapter 13 test.