Lesson Plan: Westward Expansion
Lesson BasicsClass level: Beginning Topic: Westward Expansion
Length: 2 hours
Objectives:
The student will be able to:
- Understand who lived on the land before the U.S. acquired it, and how the land was acquired through purchase and wars.
- Name 3 out of 4 groups of people who settled in the new United States territories during westward expansion. (cowboys, missionaries, settlers, fur traders, or Indians)
- Describe the hardships various groups of people faced during Westward Expansion
- Describe some of the conflicts among the various groups of people
- Report information about the perspective of one of the groups of people living in the era of Westward expansion.
- Record information about different groups of people through listening to a report of a classmate.
- Produce a story about themselves using the model used in the reading and listening jigsaw activity.
Language skill primary focus:
X Listening X Speaking _X Reading _X_ Writing
Benchmarks from Virginia’s Adult ESOL Content Standards:
S3.3a Use simple present, past, and present progressive tenses with some consistency.
S3.4a Produce simple descriptions and explanations with direct prompting.
L3.4c Begin to apply prior knowledge and contextual clues to understand some information in a conversation.
R3.1c Understand simple connected text on a single topic with some unfamiliar vocabulary that is not essential for comprehension of the meaning.
R3.3a Use visuals or other aids and real world knowledge to predict content or draw logical conclusions about text.
W3.2a Write short paragraphs, notes, and messages related to familiar contexts and purposes.
Materials/Equipment:
- Online Access
- Handouts 1-6
- Prezi Presentation
- PowerPoint Presentation
- Glogs (online multi-media posters)
Stages of the Lesson Plan
Warm Up/Review.
Grouping Strategies:
whole group
Materials Needed:
PowerPoint Slides 1-6
Slide 7- optional
/ Activity Steps:
- Section off a part of the classroom or hallway. Have all the students go inside that area. It should be crowded, but not uncomfortably so. Would anyone like to go to another area? Why? This is one of the reasons early settlers wanted to move West.
- Who were the first people who lived in what is now the United States?
- Show a map of the United States when it declared independence and the map of the United States now. (PowerPoint Slide 1)
- How did the country get all the additional land?
- What happened to the people who were living there before the land became part of the US? Are their descendants still living there? (Slide 2- Native American Indians)
- Who moved to these new lands?
These people had different ways of making a living, and this led to some conflict. (slide 6)
Optional- Discuss the concept of Manifest Destiny used to justify moving native people off the land. (slide 7)
Introduction/Presentation
Grouping Strategies:
Whole group
Materials Needed:
Online access
Prezi Westward Expansion
Index Cards / Activity Steps:Prezi
Major land acquisitions as the United States grew:
As you talk through the Prezi, students will work in small groups. They will look at maps for each land acquisition, put them in order, and write the date on an index card matched to each map.
Guided Practice
Grouping Strategies:
Small groups
Materials Needed:
Glogs for each group
Handout 6 / Activity Steps:
The Westward Expansion of the United States affected many different groups of people. We will learn about several groups.
Jigsaw:
- We will form small groups and each group will learn about the perspective of one of the groups of people involved. Then we will form new groups with one person from each group. They will share their stories.
- In small groups, students will view their Glog, searching for information about their person/group. Explain to students that the left side of the Glog has the information they need to complete Handout 6 for their person, the information on the right side is additional information about the group. Have students discuss their topic, and what they will share with the other groups.Model the process with one of the Glogs. Walk around and help develop student understanding as needed.
Communicative Practice
Grouping Strategies
Small groups
Materials Needed:
Listening guide, Handout 6
Glogs / Activity Steps:
Jigsaw Part 2: Students will form new groups, with one student from each of the original groups. They will each share information about their person. The other students will take notes on the listening guide, handout 6. They can use their Glogs to aid understanding. Model the process before students begin sharing.
Application
Grouping Strategies:
Individual, then pairs
Materials Needed:
Paper, word processor, or Glogster / Activity Steps:
- Students will create their own story using the format of the Glogs- either written as a paragraph, or their own multi-media Glog.
- Name
- Where you are from
- What you do
- How your neighbors affect your life(optional)
Students will share their stories in pairs.
Evaluation
Grouping Strategies:
Materials Needed:
Exit slip, handout 7 / Activity Steps
- Evaluation throughout, especially through the map ordering in the presentation phase, and the completion of handout 6 in the guided and communicative practice jigsaw activity.
- Exit slip
Extension
Grouping Strategies:
Pairs or small groups
Materials Needed:
PowerPoint slides 8-16 / Activity Steps:
Image vs. Reality
- The United States government wanted people to move West to settle the land there. To get people to go, they made it sound ideal- great land for planting, lots of resources, beautiful country.
- In pairs or small groups, have students look at pictures on the PowerPoint and decide which were created with idealism – the Eastern view, and which were created with the understanding of the true harsh conditions faced when moving west- the Western view.
- Debrief as a whole group – be brief or in-depth depending on the unique needs of your specific students.
Additional Extension Ideas
Grouping Strategies:
Whole group, then individual
Materials Needed:
Handout to assess assimilation
Prezi on Indian Removal:
Handout 8 - Assimilation / Activity Steps:
The Native Americans had to make some hard decisions when the settlers moved into the areas where they were living. We will talk about the sequence of events for one specific tribe in Georgia.(The Cherokee)Use the Prezi to guide your discussion. We will talk about 3 decisions they had to make. For each decision, think about:
- What would you have chosen?
- What do you think the Cherokee chose, and why?
One of the decisions the Indians had to make was if they should assimilate- Should they abandon their traditions and start doing things like the White settlers?
Every immigrant has to make this decision. Use these questions to guide a discussion:
- How much do you want to assimilate?
- What traditions will you hold onto, which new ways will you take on?
- What are advantages and disadvantages of assimilation?
Teacher Resources 1
Presentation Guide for Westward Expansion Prezi:
Link to Prezi:
As you present the information on the Prezi, have students work in small groups to order maps of the land acquisitions, write the date of acquisition on an index card, and match the picture and date.
Overview- 2 maps below title- slide 2-3
- In 1776 the new nation of the United States was formed from the 13 British Colonies.
- Over 100 years the original 13 states became what is now the continental United States through war and purchase. The continental United States lies between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the countries of Canada and Mexico. (slide 3)
- A great many different groups of people were affected by this westward expansion
Circle 1: Native American Indians- slides 4-6
- Share map of the wide variety of Native American Indians who lived in what is now the United States before the European settlers came.
- Highlight some specific Indian tribes and where they lived.
- Show the map of the tribes in Virginia(slide 6)
Circle 2: Map of the United States in 1789- slides 7-8
Discuss map- which countries had ownership of which parts of what is now the United States. (discuss how Colony of Louisiana was owned by France 1682-1762 and 1802-1804- They ceded the land after the Seven years war, then gained it back in 1802)
New France- Slides 9-10
- Talk about New France
- You can discuss some of the hardships of the French settlers. They lived far apart from one another.There were yellow fever, cholera, and malaria epidemics, and they didn’t have much protection from Indian raids.
- Some French were fur traders and traveled up the Mississippi river. Others were farmers, producing mostly corn and wheat, and raised horses, cows, and pigs. Farming was seasonal, and flooding of the Mississippi was a problem. Lower Louisiana had slave owning plantations.
Circle 3: Louisiana Purchase-Slides 11-15
Use text on Prezi to guide discussion. Note the Louisiana Purchase is considered one of the best real estate deals ever.
Circle 4: Annexation of Texas-Slides 16-19
- Mexico encouraged Anglo-American settlers to move to that part of Mexico through land grants. Initially Mexico did not enforce laws in Texas, but as the population grew, Mexico wanted more control. The settlers didn’t agree with some of the policies of the Mexican government including outlawing slavery. Texas gained independence in 1836, and wanted to become part of the United States.
- Use text on Prezi to guide discussion about Texas annexation and cattle drives.
Oregon Country- Fur Traders- Slides 20- 21
- Discuss British and French Canadian fur traders, and the Pacific Ocean as a means for maritime trade. Discuss land problems which occurred due to informal and inexact allocation of land in the early days when the land was owned by Spain and Mexico.
Circle 5: Oregon Treaty of 1846- Slide 22
Missions on land of Mexico Cession-Slides 23-25
- Discuss Spanish missions set up on these lands
Circle 6: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo-Slides 26- 27
- Use text on Prezi to guide discussion
Teacher Resources:
Warm Up/ Review:
Find out what your students already know about Westward Expansion. Tailor the lesson to your student’s current understanding. This is a great time to review specific vocabulary students will use in the practice sections of the lesson.
PowerPoint:
Introduction/Presentation:
Link to Prezi:
Perhaps add a tutorial – how to navigate through a Prezi
Guided and Communicative Practice:
Glogs for Jigsaw:
Native American Indians:
Missionaries:
Settlers:
Cowboys:
The Glogs vary in difficulty, so this can be a multi-level activity. You can also have lower level students complete fewer columns on handout 6, and higher level students complete more of the columns. You can also reGlog the Glogs to modify them in any way to better suit the needs of your unique students.
Application:
Create an example, either using one of the people in the Glogs, or you. You can also create a frame for students who need more help. For example, My name is ______. I am from ______.
Extension:
You can extend this activity by choosing a few of these pictures to explore in depth. Look at the details and discuss the meaning they portray.
Additional Extension:
- Prezi on Indian Removal:
- Some background information about the Indian Removal Act:
- Video:
- Interactive Map on Indian Removal Act and Assimilation:
Suggestions for adapting the lesson to higher levels:
Warm Up:
Have students do a think-pair-share activity with one or more of the groups of people on slides 2-5. Extend the warm up to discuss the concept of Manifest Destiny.
Introduction/Presentation:
•Have students check their answers to the map ordering activity using the Interactive map of US expansion:
•In small groups, have students explore more information about how each piece of land was acquired and share their results. Students will use this Interactive Map(with explanation of how acquired):
Guided and Communicative Practice:
- Students can explore and share the additional information on the Glogs.
- Additional Resources for more in-depth information:
- Homesteaders video- dramatic readings of diaries, interviews with historians, stories told by descendents of homesteaders
- Cattle drives- the Chisholm Trail- lots of easy text- video-
- Cattle drive in art:
- Higher level- missionaries:
- Good in-depth video about Indian boarding schools-
- Kill the Indian, save the child- personal digital story- moving- higher level-
Application:
Higher level students will not need a structured sentence frame to complete this activity. Discuss how the way people live can affect their neighbors. Make a T chart of positive and negative affects of neighbors. Some examples: noise, pets, parking, helping neighbors by shoveling show, borrowing things, etc. Have students write about how their neighbors affect their lives in their story.
Evaluation:
Have students check their handout 6 after the jigsaw activity. You can create an answer sheet digitally or on paper, or you can collect and check them.
Extension:
You can extend this activity by choosing a few of these pictures to explore in depth. Look at the details and discuss the meaning they portray. You can discuss their impressions of the United states before they came, and once they started living here. Did their idea of the United States match the reality?
Additional Extension:
- Westward Expansion affect on Indians Rap-
US Citizenship Questions addressed in this lesson:
59. Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
American Indians or Native Americans
71. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
the Louisiana Territory or Louisiana
72. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, Spanish-American War
87. Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
Cherokee, Navajo, Sioux, Chippewa, Choctaw, Pueblo, Apache, Iroquois, Creek, Blackfeet, Seminole, Cheyenne, Arawak, Shawnee, Mohegan, Huron, Oneida, Lakota, Crow, Teton, Hopi, Inuit
88. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
Missouri (River) or Mississippi (River)
89. What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?
Pacific (Ocean)
90. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States
Atlantic (Ocean)
You could easily include these questions in the lesson:
64. There were 13 original states. Name three.
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
92. Name one state that borders Canada.
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania. Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska
93. Name one state that borders Mexico.
California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
96. Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
•because there were 13 original colonies
•because the stripes represent the original colonies
97. Why does the flag have 50 stars?*
•because there is one star for each state
•because each star represents a state
•because there are 50 states
Handout 1
Handout 2
Handout 3
Image from:
Handout 5
Jigsaw Listening Guide- Handout 6
Native American Indians
Missionaries
Settlers
Cowboys
Handout 7
EXIT SLIP
Who are these people? / What did they do?Handout 8
Assimilation
How much have you assimilated? Mark along each line with an X
How much do you want to assimilate? Mark along each line with an O