Matt Ekdahl’s Westward Expansion Unit Plan

U4.2 Regional and Economic Growth Describe and analyze the nature and impact of the territorial, demographic, and economic growth in the first

three

decades of the new nation using maps, charts, and other evidence. 8 – U4.2.1 Comparing Northeast and the South – Compare and contrast the social and economic

systems of the Northeast and the South with respect to geography and climate and the

development of

• agriculture, including changes in productivity, technology, supply and demand, and price

(E1.3,1.4) (National Geography Standard 14, p. 171) • industry, including entrepreneurial development of new industries, such as textiles (E1.1)

• the labor force including labor incentives and changes in labor forces (E1.2)

• transportation including changes in transportation (steamboats and canal barges) and impact

on economic markets and prices (E1.2,1.3) (National Geography Standard 3, p. 148)

• immigration and the growth of nativism (National Geography Standard 9, p. 160) • race relations

• class relations

8 – U4.2.2 The Institution of Slavery – Explain the ideology of the institution of slavery, its policies, and

consequences.

8 – U4.2.3 Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West through

the Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands,

the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, the Mexican-American War, and the idea of

Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154) 8 – U4.2.4 Consequences of Expansion – Develop an argument based on evidence about the

positive and negative consequences of territorial and economic expansion on American Indians,

the institution of slavery, and the relations between free and slaveholding states. (C2)

(National Geography Standard 13, p. 169)

Unit on Westward Expansion

Unit Goal: This unit introduces students to the impact of the westward movement and expanding

in the 1800’s. Upon completion of the unit, students will be able to explain in short answer and

essay questions, the Northeast and South, the Institution of Slavery, Westward Expansion, and

the Consequences of Expansion in America.

Unit Objects:

1- In a number of essays, students will be able to explain the importance of Westward Expansion

through conquest and settlement, the institution of slavery and how it affected American policies

overtime, and the consequences of expansion through the Indian Wars.

Name________________________________

Westward Expansion Pre-Test

A. Multiple Choice

1. What was the name of the two major companies building the transcontinental railroad>

a. North and South Union

b. West and East Union

c. Atlantic Union and Pacific Union

d. Pacific Union and Central Union

2. What was the main funding behind the Transcontinental railroad?

a. Irish Workers

b. Asian Workers

c. Freed Slaves

d. The Government and Business Owners

3. What was one of the main largest geographic challenge on the Oregon trail?

a. Plains

b. Oregon Coast

c. Rocky Mountains

d. Canadian Tundra

4. The Trip to Oregon was _____ miles long

a. 2,000

b. 15,000

c. 7,500

d 10,000

5. Where were the American slaves taken from?

a. China

b. Africa

c. Canada

d. Russia

B. Identifying- Identify two out of the four terms.

Manifest Destiny Pacific Union

Western Expansion Atlantic Slave Trade

6.___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7.___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Short Answer:

8. Explain what the goal was between the two railroad companies building the Transcontinental

Railroad?

9. What group of people did the American settlers run into and battled with when moving west?

10. How were American Slaves treated differently than slaves in British Colonies or Brazil?

11. How were the Slaves in Brazil being put to work?

12. What are three Advantages of expanding into the west?

13. How were African slaves collected in their homeland?

14. What is a disadvantage of Expanding west?

15. Explain what the Homestead Act is and why it was important?

16. How did the Indians look at settlers?

Essay:

17. What were the main reasons to build a railroad across America? What were the advantages? What

were the disadvantages? What were some of the challenges settlers and railroad workers ran into along

the way? Use examples to explain your answer.

18. What would be some of the challenges going across the Oregon trail? What geographic hardships

would settlers have to cross when traveling the Oregon trail and why were they so challenging? What

other unknown challenges may they have faced along the way?

19. How were slaves treated based on their location in the western hemisphere? What happened to the

slaves in Brazil? What were some of the challenges slaves faced in the British colonies? Why were the

American slaves treated so much better? What were the advantages of slave owners treating their

slaves better and keeping them healthy?

20. What are some questions or topics you want to learn about in this unit? What are you most

interested in?

Northern Union Industry Lesson Plan

Mr. Ekdahl

US History

Grade:8

90 minute class

MI Standards:

8 – U4.2.1 Comparing Northeast and the South – Compare and contrast the social and

economic

systems of the Northeast and the South with respect to geography and climate and the

development of

• agriculture, including changes in productivity, technology, supply and demand, and price

(E1.3,1.4) (National Geography Standard 14, p. 171)

• industry, including entrepreneurial development of new industries, such as textiles (E1.1)

• the labor force including labor incentives and changes in labor forces (E1.2)

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to list three differences and three similarities between life in the

North and the South in the years before the Civil War.

2. Students will be able to discuss how these differences contributed to serious disagreements

between the North and South.

Content:

If one region's economic needs threaten another region's needs, conflict can arise. One of the

significant developing differences between the North and South in the years before the Civil War

was their economies. The South was very dependent on cotton. Cotton, which could be

processed in greater quantities after the invention of the cotton gin, depended on slavery.

In the North, where slavery was illegal, workers had to be paid. Though conditions were often

quite poor for the working class in the North, the flourishing factory system held great promise

for many: employment, the possibility of advancement, and cheaper goods.

Northerners depended on the federal government to build the infrastructure—such as roads and

railroads—necessary for its developing industries. In a time before income taxes, this

infrastructure could be built only with tax money raised largely through tariffs on imported

goods the South needed, while the North was developing factories for producing such goods on

its own.

By 1860, both the North and the South were moving toward systems of mass production. In the

North, factories were springing up. In the South, plantations had developed. In surprising ways,

these systems resembled each other in their attempt at mass production. The similarities helped

workers realize the country needed to improve the treatment of its workforce. The differences

must have made Southerners feel it would be quite difficult to abandon a system on which their

entire economy depended.

Anticipatory Set:

By 1860, the differences between the North and South had become so great that Northerners and

Southerners felt as if they belonged to two different countries. What were some of these

differences? Which ones were important enough to fight about? Explain to students that they are

going to study life in the United States in the years before the Civil War to gain a better

understanding of why people grew willing to fight to defend their way of life.

Many of the documents students will look at will be the lives of ordinary people, these people

would fill the ranks of the armies and would be on the home front supporting the war effort.

Public support for a war comes more easily when those who have to fight feel they are defending

what is important in their own lives. Students will learn about everyday life before the Civil War

in the South and North to begin to understand which differences were significant.

Advanced Preparations:

Before you begin to teach this unit, review the suggested activities and familiarize yourself with

the websites involved. Select, download and duplicate, as necessary, any documents you want

the class to use.

Procedure-Lesson Development:

1. If possible, give class members an opportunity to view a map of Population Engaged in

Manufacturing and Trade. Point out the differences between the North and South. Counties with

the most manufacturing are indicated in red. Notice that the North is almost completely red.

Discuss the differences between the North and South with students. Help students to recognize

the effect of these differences at the time before the Civil War: People disagree if they feel

prevented from doing what they need to do. People need to make a living.

2. Lead the class in comparing the rules of management for a factory and a plantation to model

the process of comparing documents. The students can use the worksheet Factory and Plantation

Rules Compared, available as a .pdf file, to facilitate the gathering and organizing of their data.

Lewiston Mill Rules (factory) and Plantation Management, De Bow's xiv (February 1853) are

available from the EDSITEment-reviewed Whole Cloth. (Note: Background information on the

development of the American factory system is available in The First American Cotton Mill

Began Operation: December 20, 1790 from The Library of Congress' America's Library, a link

from the EDSITEment-reviewed American Memory.)

For this activity, you may wish to group students in pairs; assign each pair one or two of the mill

rules, and read aloud one of the plantation rules. Ask the pairs to identify any of their rules that

are similar to the plantation rules as you read them.

After going through all the rules, discuss the similarities and differences between the factory and

plantation systems' treatment of the workforce. Hypothesize about the design of the rules. Why

were they deemed necessary or desirable?

3. If desired, the students can now work in small groups to conduct a similar analysis with the

following sets of documents:

Compare the physical set-up of factory and plantation using the following documents:

North: o Merrimack Mill (Lowell, Mass.), available through a link from the EDSITEment

resource History Matters

o Lowell, circa 1853

o Whitney's Gun Factory (New Haven, Conn.)

South: o Plantation diagram, available through a link from the EDSITEment resource

ArchNet

Compare the following songs of protest:

Factory (North):

1836 Song Lyrics Sung by Protesting Workers at Lowell:

Oh! isn't it a pity, such a pretty girl as I

Should be sent to the factory to pine away and die?

Oh! I cannot be a slave, I will not be a slave,

For I'm so fond of liberty,

That I cannot be a slave.

Source: Liberty Rhetoric and Nineteenth Century Women, a link from the EDSITEment resource

History Matters

Plantation (South):

Go Down Moses (traditional spiritual):

1. When Israel was in Egypt's Land:

Let my people go.

Oppress'd so hard they could not stand,

Let my people go

2. Refrain:

Go down Moses

'way down in Egypt's land

Tell ol' Pharaoh,

Let my peoples go.

3. Thus saith the Lord, bold Moses said:

Let my people go.

If not I'll smite your firstborn dead,

Let my people go.:

4. O let us all from bondage flee;

Let my people go.

And let us all in Christ be free!

Let my people go.

Compare workers and machines:

North: o Woman Weavers, available through a link from the EDSITEment resource

History Matters

o Woman working at a Weaving Machine, available through a link from History

Matters

South: o Cotton gin: Small image and background and larger image, available from the

EDSITEment-reviewed Africans in America

o Cotton press, available from Africans in America

o Slaves at Work on a Tobacco Plantation, available through a link from

Documents of African-American Women

o Slaves from one Plantation, available from the EDSITEment-reviewed Africans in

America. This photograph (albumen print), taken by Timothy O'Sullivan in 1862,

shows perhaps the largest group of enslaved African Americans ever to be

photographed at one time. O'Sullivan was a pre-eminent Civil War photographer

who visited this region of the South from about November 1861 to March 1862.

The people in the photograph were the property of James Joyner Smith.

Check for Understanding:

1. What differences existed between ordinary Americans living in the North and those

living in the South in the years before the Civil War?

2. What important issues are reflected in the differences between life in the North and the

South? What kinds of changes were taking place in the United States at the time?

Assessment:

To evaluate the students understanding for the topic, the teacher would have the students write

and perform skits based on some of the documents studied that dramatize the working conditions

in the North, and slave labor in the South.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

References:

MMS, . "Factory Vs Plantation in North and South." EDSITEment n.pag. Web. 7 Nov 2012.

<http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/factory-vs-plantation-north-and-south

North and South Culture Lesson Plan

Mr. Ekdahl

US History

Grade:8

90 minute class

MI Standards:

8 – U4.2.1 Comparing Northeast and the South – Compare and contrast the social and

economic

systems of the Northeast and the South with respect to geography and climate and the

development of • transportation including changes in transportation (steamboats and canal

barges) and impact

on economic markets and prices (E1.2,1.3) (National Geography Standard 3, p. 148)

• immigration and the growth of nativism (National Geography Standard 9, p. 160)

• race relations

• class relations

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to list three differences and three similarities between life in the

North and the South in the years before the Civil War.

2. Students will be able to discuss how these differences contributed to serious

disagreements between the North and South.

Content:

By 1860, the differences between the North and South had become so great that Northerners and

Southerners felt as if they belonged to two different countries. What were some of these

differences? Which ones were important enough to fight about? Explain to students that they are

going to study life in the United States in the years before the Civil War to gain a better

understanding of why people grew willing to fight to defend their way of life.

Many of the documents students will look at reflect the lives of ordinary people, those who

would fill the ranks of the armies and those on the home front supporting the war effort. Public

support for a war comes more easily when those who have to fight feel they are defending what

is important in their own lives. Students will learn about everyday life before the Civil War in the

South and North to begin to understand which differences were significant.

Materials Needed:

Teacher

Computers with Internet access

Enough Computers for class

Projector

Whiteboard

Student

Pen

Paper

Anticipatory Set:

When come into the room there should be a warm-up question on the board that gets the students

thinking about the cultural differences between the North and South right before the Civil war.

The students should write for five minutes about the differences and similarities between the

culture of society in the North and South. The questions should look like the following:

What would the cultures between North and South be like before the Civil War? What

would the South be like? What would society in the North be like? What are some similarities

and differences between the two cultures? Be ready to discuss your answers.

Procedure Lesson-Development:

The resource Valley of the Shadow provides archival documents for two nearby communities—

Franklin County, Pennsylvania (considered part of the North during the Civil War), and Augusta

County, Virginia (South)—both located in the Shenandoah Valley. The differences between

these communities are probably not as pronounced as they would be if one were comparing a

Massachusetts town with a Mississippi town, but there are differences that students can compare

through primary source documents.

This lesson uses the Valley of the Shadow's searchable census for 1860. At that time, the total

population of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, was 42,126. The population of Augusta County,

Virginia was 27, 749. To compare statistics equally between the counties, multiply Franklin

County figures by .65 or divide Augusta County figures by .65. For example, if Franklin County

had 100 machinists, a count of 65 machinists in Augusta would represent an equivalent number

of machinists within the community, adjusting for the population difference.

If your class has sufficient access to computers, students can conduct searches on their own. If

not, you can do the analysis on one computer in class and discuss the results or you can print out

search results such as the following:

1. Search the population census for trades and professions such as Machinist, or Doctor.

2. Search the population census for a particular family name, such as Clark.

3. Search the manufacturing census for a capital investment of $10,000 or a type of

business, such as a Mill. (Note: Begin search terms with capital letters. A list of common

business types is available here)

4. Search the agricultural census for farms worth $10,000.

5. Search the slave owner census for anyone with more than 25 slaves, for example.

If possible, let students suggest search terms. Avoid searches that will be too broad -- they will

return so much data that the computer will work slowly.

Multiply Franklin figures by .65 to see how they compare to Augusta County values. How do the

adjusted values for the two counties compare? In what areas did the adjusted values fail to

match? What differences and similarities between the two counties do the students note?

Remind students that these counties are located in the same valley system. Are students surprised

by the differences between two communities that are geographically close to each other? (If you

wish, have students locate the two communities on a map to see just how close they are.)

Have students work in groups to discuss the search results and list any conclusions they draw

from the data. Appoint a spokesperson for each group. Compile a composite list of conclusions

as each group in turn shares one conclusion at a time, until all unique responses have been listed.

If desired, students can use the Venn diagram available for download in .pdf format as an aid for

sorting out similarities and differences.

Check for Understanding:

1. What differences existed between ordinary Americans living in the North and those living in

the South in the years before the Civil War?

2. What important issues are reflected in the differences between life in the North and the South?

What kinds of changes were taking place in the United States at the time?

Assessment:

Before students leave they need to turn in an exit slip to a question presented on the board. The

students may not leave until they turn in a piece of paper answering the exit question. The exit

question should look like the following:

What are three things you learned from the activity today in the computer lab? What

were the demographic differences between the North and south? What were the cultural

differences between the north and south?

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

Resources:

MMS, . "People and Places in the North and South." EDSITEment n.pag. WE THE PEOPLE.

Web. 7 Nov 2012. <http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/people-and-places-north-and-south

Institution of Slavery Lesson Plan

Matt Ekdahl

Grade: 8

Class: 10-11-12

Us History

90 min class period

MI Content Expectations:

8 – U4.2.2 The Institution of Slavery – Explain the ideology of the institution of slavery, its

policies, and consequences.

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will understand the Atlantic Slave Trade route and the difference in treatment

between Brazilian slaves, British colonies slaves, and North American slaves

2. Students will understand how slaves were traded for items such as guns, food, or exotic

textiles.

3. Students will be able to describe the harsh living conditions of the boat ride from Africa to the

Americas.

4. Students will learn songs from the time period and see how songs encouraged slaves to work

and keep morale up.

5. Students will learn about the advantages of reproduction of slaves in Northern America.

Content:

Students will learn about the slave trade present in the Atlantic that became known as the

triangle trade route. The beginning of this starts in Africa where tribes would capture members of

another tribe and trade the captured members for supplies and luxuries from the Europeans.

Many would trade for guns and exotic textiles, but would also trade for food as well.

The ship journey was harsh for slaves because the area they were transported in was very

tight and many died from disease. On average only 60-80% of slaves that started the journey

managed to survive long enough to get to their destinations. Slaves were shackled and kept

down in the cargo hold at all times.

Songs were a major part of slave’s activity during their work. The songs they sung were

simple to learn and had a rhythm that was easy to work to. Songs kept the slaves on track during

their work and it also helped keep their spirits up.

There were three different groups that bought the slaves from Africa and they were

Brazil, the British colonies, and the North American colonies. The Brazilian colonies were the

toughest on slaves, and would work them for up to 48 hours straight. Many slaves would become

injured and died young when working in Brazil. The British colonies treated their slaves better,

and gave slaves a better chance of living longer. The American colonies were the best living

conditions for slaves, and plantation owners realized the importance of keeping slaves well

enough so they would be able to reproduce and create more slaves over time. Land owners had

the option of either selling children to make money or to keep the children to have a new

generation of slaves that did not cost the slave owners money.

Materials Needed:

-Teacher

-Overhead Projector

-Computer with Internet access

-Speakers for Computer to play music

-Access to YouTube

-Students

-Paper

-Pencil

Advanced Preparations:

The teacher will want to click on the YouTube links before hand and let them load, so students

are not waiting for the clips to load and there is an amount of dead time in the lesson. The

teacher should also check the videos the night before to make sure the clips load properly and are

the correct clips.

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students come in and write down five characteristics of what slavery is or the slave

trade. Also ask about what slaves would have done to keep motivated and have a high morale.

Give students five minutes to write down their ideas and then share as a class. After everyone has

shared their ideas as a class, the teacher would play two music clips of famous slave songs that

slaves used in the field to keep busy and used for a morale booster.

Black Woman- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0LZiTPTsxc

Jumpin’ Judy- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz3m972N4xI&feature=relmfu

Have students write down the certain emotions that come to mind and if they think one of the

songs would be more effective at keeping slaves encouraged working the fields and morale up.

Take a poll at the end of the second clip to see what students thought the most effective song was

as well as calling on individuals to share their opinions they wrote down.

Procedure-Lesson Development:

1. Talk about warm-up with students and listen to clips. Take poll after the music clips about

what was more encouraging to work as a slave as well as a morale booster.

2. The teacher will go into detail about what the slave trade was made up of and will go into

detail about the triangle setup of the Atlantic slave trade. Also explain how slaves came from

African tribes that were captured and sold by other tribes to the Europeans for goods and

supplies. Also talk about the journey from Africa to America, and the terrible living conditions.

Talk about being chained up inside the vessel and having no room to move, explain the rapid

movement of disease throughout the ships during their journeys that killed 20% of the slaves.

3. Have students watch a ten minute video clip showing the basic functions and workings of the

slave trade and how each country treated their slaves. This also explains why the slaves were

treated so much better than the other countries slaves.

Crash Course to the Atlantic Slave Trade-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnV_MTFEGIY

4. Talk about the three different classes of slave based by location. These consist of Brazilian

slaves, British slaves, and North American slaves. Explain to students how harsh Brazilian slaves

were treated, and how much better the North American slaves were treated compared to the

British slaves or the Brazilian slaves. Go into detail about how North American slave owners

would keep their slaves healthy enough to let them have children, so the owner could either sell

or keep the baby to work the land. This enabled slave owners to either sell the babies for a profit

or keep them on the land to work without buying another slave.

5. Have students reflect on the slave trade workings and procedures and write a 5 paragraph

essay about the information given in class that day.

Check Your Understanding:

1. How did songs affect the slaves work performance?

2. How would tribes get supplies from the Europeans?

3. What are some of the problems with transporting slaves across the ocean in tight quarters?

4. What are some advantages of treating your slaves well if you were a slave owner?

5. What are some of the options a slave owner had if his slaves had a child?

6. What would be some problems with overworking your slaves like many Brazilian plantations

did?

Assessment:

The students will write a 5 paragraph essay on the slave trade. The question will be set up so

each sub question can be answered and be reinforced by examples from the information given in

that class time. Students will have the last bit of class to prepare and work on their essays.

Whatever they do not finish is homework and the essay is due on the next day of class.

Throughout today’s class we have learned about the Atlantic Slave Trade and the function of the

slave trade. Using the information from today’s class, write a 5 paragraph essay explaining the

way slaves were picked up from Africa, transported, and treated in the three different countries.

Explain how the three locations treated slaves and if you had to pick, which of the three countries

would you want to live in? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Explain your answer.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

Mr. Ekdahl

9-27-2012

US History

Grade 8

90 minute

Oregon Trail Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will be able to explain the terrain associated with the expansion and movement west through

the Oregon Trail and the Rocky Mountain formation.

2. Students will know the concept and theory of Manifest Destiny and what settlers believed in during the

mid 1800’s.

3. Students will know the concept of subduction zone through the Rocky Mountain Formation.

4. Students will be able to identify the concept of Manifest destiny through the settler’s belief in their

journey.

MI Standards:

8 – U4.2.3 Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West through

The Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands,

The growth of a system of commercial agriculture, the Mexican-American War, and the idea of

Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154)

8 – U4.2.4 Consequences of Expansion – Develop an argument based on evidence about the

positive and negative consequences of territorial and economic expansion on American Indians,

the institution of slavery, and the relations between free and slaveholding states. (C2)

(National Geography Standard 13, p. 169)

Content:

The Rocky Mountains were formed by one plate subducting into another. Overtime the subducting plate

was pushed upward and became shallow making the continental crust be pushed upward overtime. The

Granite rock that was below the crush was thrusted up creating the mountain formation we know of today.

Manifest Destiny was a phrase which invoked the idea of divine sanction for the territorial expansion of

the United States. It first appeared in print in 1845, in the July-August issue of the United States

Magazine and Democratic Review. The anonymous author, thought to be its editor John L. O'Sullivan,

proclaimed "our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free

development of our multiplying millions."

- History and background

- Route of Oregon Trail

- Manifest Destiny

- American Indians

Interdisciplinary-Earth Science

- Rocky Mountain formation due to plate collision

- Video on Rocky Mountain Formation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJk9cFz152s

Materials:

Teachers

Overhead Projector

-Computer

- Google Earth

Students

-Oregon Trail Game

-Computer

Text book

-Pad of Paper

-Pencil

Anticipatory Set:

Sutdents will write down what they think it would be like to travel the Oregon Trail in the mid 19th

Century. After five minutes of students writing down ideas, The teacher will ask the class to share their

answers as the teacher writes the results on the board, showing what the students prior knowledge is.

Procedures- Lesson Development:

1. Write down for five minutes what you think it would be like to travel the Oregon Trail in the mid 19th

century. Why?

-Discussing the responses to the bell ringer question as a whole in class.

2. Start off with history and background of the Oregon Trail and explain that settlers went west for land

and better opportunities as well as the California gold rush. Explain that settlers had a belief that it was

their God given right to expand and move west. Talk about how Settlers moved into Indian territory and

were treated as invaders of the Indian land.

.

3. Talk about the collision of the plates due to a subduction zone. Show short video on rocky mountain

formation. Talk about going from frigid cold temperatures of the rocky mountains to the hot desert on

other side of the mountains. Talk about challenges of surviving in the Nevada with limited resources and

why it is challenging to survive in a desert environment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJk9cFz152s

4. Have students group up into pairs and play the Oregon Trail Game on the computer. Students must

take notes and record their observations on how the game changes when the environment change. Notes

will be collected and graded.

5. Have partners group up with another set of partners to form a group of four and share their experiences

and problems playing the Oregon Trail Game. Have one student in the group of four be the recorder and

write down a list of positive and negative experiences and turn it in at the end of discussion.

6. Have students discuss in each group their findings from the Oregon trail. Some examples should be

what they found challenging, what surprised them, and how this made them better understand what life

was like during the movement west.

7. Before Students can leave, They must write down a brief response to the question on the board and

hand it to the teacher to leave the room. This gets students thinking on their own about the day’s lesson

and can have an individual reflection rather than with partners.

Checking For Understanding:

1. What do you think were the struggles?

2. What were the most challenging sections of the Oregon Trail?

3. How were the Rocky Mountains formed?

4. Identify the two major obstacles in the later part of the Oregon trail we discussed earlier in class.

Assessment:

Before Students can leave, They must write down a brief response to the questions on the board and hand

it to the teacher to leave the room. This gets students thinking on their own about the days lesson and can

have an individual reflection rather than with partners. The question should be the following:

- What would be the benefits of moving west when the land and environments in the west of the

United States was untouched? Would there be any challenges in getting there using the Oregon

Trail? What Two land masses would be most challenging to the settlers? What was the concept of

Manifest Destiny and what was important about it? Explain your answers.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw diagrams on board or at stations of procedures to follow. Use simple labels on

diagrams and materials.

Ability: Stop and ask if students need assistance on a regular basis throughout the class.

Gender: Do single-sex groupings of students to encourage all students to participate.

Sources:

"Manifest Destiny." United States History. N.p.. Web. 17 Oct 2012. <http://www.u-s-

history.com/pages/h337.html>.

New West Lesson Plan

Mr. Ekdahl

US History

Grade:8

90 minute class

MI Standards:

8 – U4.2.4 Consequences of Expansion – Develop an argument based on evidence about the

positive and negative consequences of territorial and economic expansion on American Indians,

the institution of slavery, and the relations between free and slaveholding states. (C2)

(National Geography Standard 13, p. 169)

Objectives:

The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint students with the life of Geronimo, and with the history

of the Indian wars in the United States, particularly from 1866 to 1890.

Content:

In 1886, during the second year of the Cleveland Administration, the Apache warrior, Geronimo,

finally surrendered, marking the end of significant Indian Wars in the United States. The story

of Geronimo, told in his own words and the words of others, is a story that should not be

forgotten by either white or native Americans, because it is a story intricately woven into the

fabric of American culture and society.

Materials Needed:

Teacher

-Access to the Internet Access to print materials

-Paper

-Pens and pencils

-Word processor Art supplies

Advanced Preparations:

The teacher will have to print out handouts and get the pencils and pens so the students can color

the different areas and battles.

Anticipatory Set:

Have the students respond to a warm-up queston that will be present on the board when they first

walk in to the room. The question should tap their prior knowledge about the Plains Indians and

should have students think about the Indian movement out of the west by the American army.

The question should look like the following:

When you think of the Indian wars during the westward expansion, what comes to mind?

Are there any specific leaders that come to mind? Take five minutes to write down some general

ideas that come to mind when it comes to the Plain Indian wars. Be ready to discuss

Procedure Lesson-Development:

1 Give students five minutes to write down what general ideas come to mind when associated

with the Plain Indian wars and what leaders are associated with those wars. Have students share

their ideas while the teacher keeps a running tally of the ideas and guide the discussion on what

students think of.

2. The teacher will lead a short lecture to introduce the concept of the Indian wars and why it had

an impact on the western expansion and the new west.

3. Give students a map of the Indian tribes in the United States.

4. Point out that western expansion in the United States involved, and among other things, the

conquering of a large number of Indian tribes in all parts of the country. Beginning in the 15th

century, the Indian Wars lasted until 1890 and cost untold numbers of lives on both sides.

5. The last really significant Indian leader to go up against the U.S. Army was Geronimo. Many

stories and legends have come down to us about him, some of which were pretty much invented

in order to cast him in a negative light.

6. Give students an opportunity to explore websites relating to the Indian wars and whatever

print materials are available. When they’ve explored a bit, ask each student to select one aspect

of either the Indian Wars or the life of Geronimo, and do one of the following:

Write a short essay on the subject

Make a poster demonstrating knowledge of the subject

Write a “contemporary” news account about the subject

Write a poem on the subject

Write a letter to a member of the tribe related to the subject, outlining your reflections on

the subject

Create a PowerPoint presentation on the subject

Other?

7. When the projects are completed, select a day in which all students can share their findings

and their projects.

Check for Understanding:

1. Compare and contrast the Indians’ and settlers’ ways of life.

2. How would life change for the Plains Indians?

3. Would you personally feel angry if you were in the Indians situation?

Assessment:

Ask each student to select one aspect of either the Indian Wars or the life of Geronimo, and do

one of the following:

Write a short essay on the subject

Make a poster demonstrating knowledge of the subject

Write a “contemporary” news account about the subject

Write a poem on the subject

Write a letter to a member of the tribe related to the subject, outlining your reflections on

the subject

Create a PowerPoint presentation on the subject

Other?

When the projects are completed, select a day in which all students can share their findings and

their projects.

Resources:

Utley, Robert M. and Washburn, Wilcomb E. Indian Wars.3rd

ed. New York: Mariner Books,

2002.

Yenne, Bill. Indian Wars: The Campaign for the American West. Yardley, PA: Westholme

Publishing, 2005.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

Dances with Wolves Lesson Plan

Mr. Ekdahl

US. History

Grade:8

90 Minute Class

MI Content Standards:

8 – U4.2.3 Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West

through

the Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands,

the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, the Mexican-American War, and the idea of

Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154)

Objectives

1. Students will be able to determine how the Plains Indians viewed the settlers moving west

through watching how Indians and the character in the movie clash and have differences in

culture.

2. Students will be able to determine how America pushed out the Indian tribes as settlers moved

west.

Anticipatory Set:

To start class off, students the teacher should put up a question that taps the students prior

knowledge about westward expansion and gets them thinking about how settlers would have felt

going into an unknown land with unknown enemies. When students come in they should have a

warm up question on the board asking about how it would feel to go into unknown territory. This

warm up question will The question for the warm-up should look something like the following:

What would it be like going into a new uncharted land alone without the certainty of

having others coming to help you? What would some of the challenges be if you were alone

against the elements and enemies not seen by America in that region prior to you arriving?

Materials Needed:

Teacher

- Dances with Wolves Film

- Video or DVD player

- TV or Projector

Students

- Paper

- Pencil

Procedures- Lesson Development:

1. Let students write down for five minutes their thoughts on the warm-up and then have each

pair of students share their ideas and thoughts while writing down the basic ideas to see what the

students prior knowledge is.

2. Review what students know about the western movement and what they have learned the days

before. The teacher will then explain how the film Dances with Wolves is an example of early

western expansion and shows the struggles that the Union faced in the beginning of the western

expansion.

3. Students will watch Dances with Wolves and fill out a guided note worksheet that has blanks

throughout the worksheet.

4. Halfway through the film, the teacher will stop the video and have students come up with at

least three challenges the main character faces in the first section of the film.

5. Students will finish their guided notes and turn them in for a grade.

Assessment:

For an assessment, the teacher will go around and ask one question to each student at random

about what they think were the challenges and hardships with expanding west. The teacher will

also ask what the possible benefits of being one of the first individuals to move out west would

be. This assessment will be more of a formative assessment instead of a summative assessment.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

Dances with Wolves Reflection Lesson Plan

Mr. Ekdahl

US History

Grade:8

90 minute class

MI Standards:

8 – U4.2.3 Westward Expansion – Explain the expansion, conquest, and settlement of the West

through

the Louisiana Purchase, the removal of American Indians (Trail of Tears) from their native lands,

the growth of a system of commercial agriculture, the Mexican-American War, and the idea of

Manifest Destiny. (E2.1) (National Geography Standard 6, p. 154)

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to determine how the Plains Indians viewed the settlers moving west

through watching how Indians and the character in the movie clash and have differences in

culture.

2. Students will be able to determine how America pushed out the Indian tribes as settlers moved

west.

Anticipatory Set:

Students will come into the room and write a 5 minute reflection about the movie thus far. The

students will have to think about what Kevin Costners character in the movie was going through

throughout the movie. Students should have a few sentences about what the conditions were

back in the plains during the time period and what they would of done if the Indians were all

around them. Students would share their responses as a class and the teacher will write down the

student’s responses on the board for the students to see. The Question Prompt should be

something like the following:

What do you think it would be like to be alone like Kevin Costner? Would you desert like

he did or would you keep to your post and fight the Indians as long as you could? What would be

some of the emotional challenges being alone in enemy territory? Be ready to share and discuss

your responses.

Materials Needed:

Teacher

- Dances with Wolves Film

- Video or DVD player

- TV or Projector

Students

- Paper

- Pencil

Advanced Preperations:

The teacher will have to get the movie to the spot where the class left off at. The movie should

be ready to play before the students get to class so there will be an easy transition between the

anticipatory set and the Lesson Development.

Procedure-Lesson Development:

1. Students will respond to the warm up question while the teacher sets up the movie to the point

where the class left off at the pervious class period.

2. Discuss the results of the student’s response and talk about what Kevin Costner’s character

would be going through at that particular time in the film

3. Have students continue filling out their guided notes on the movie throughout the majority of

the class time.

4. Stop the movie with twenty minutes left in the class period, and hand out the instructions to

the five paragraph essay.

5. Have students turn in the guided notes from the movie and start working on the five paragraph

essay on the westward expansion.

Assessment:

At the end of class, give out a sheet with directions about the five paragraph essay that students

will write to reflect on Dances with Wolves and how the Indians were treated by the American

Army. The Prompt should look something like this.

Dances with Wolves shows a number of cultural and moral differences between Plain

Indians and the American settlers. In a five paragraph letter, you will be writing like you were

Kevin Costner’s character Lieutenant Dunbar to your superior officer explaining why you are

deserting. In your letter you should include at least five hardships or challenges you face living

alone in the western frontier. You should also describe how the Indians are treating you and why

their culture is so different from the culture known by many Americans at that time period. You

will have some time to work on this in class, but it will be needed to be complete at home and

turned in tomorrow.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate.

Railroad Lesson/Technology Lesson

Mr. Ekdahl

US. History

Grade: 8

90 minute block

Class: 10/25/2012

MI Content Standards:

8 – U6.1.1 America at Century’s End – Compare and contrast the United States in 1800 with the

United States in 1898 focusing on similarities and differences in

• territory, including the size of the United States and land use

(E3.2) (National Geography Standards 9 and 12, pp. 160 and 167)

• systems of transportation (canals and railroads, including the Transcontinental Railroad), and

their impact on the economy and society (E1.4, 3.2) (National Geography Standard 11, p. 164)

• the policies toward American Indians, including removal, reservations, the Dawes Act of 1887,

and the response of American Indians (National Geography Standard 13, p. 169)

• governmental policies promoting economic development (e.g., tariffs, banking, land grants and

mineral rights, the Homestead Act) (E.2.2) (National Geography Standard 16, p. 176)

Learning Objectives

1. Students will analyze two different cultures and describe the experiences that influenced these

cultures’ views about the transcontinental railroad.

2. Students will understand how the transcontinental railroad offered disadvantages as well as

benefits to a growing America.

3. Students will describe the impact that the transcontinental railroad had on the two cultures

4. Students will be able to describe three reasons why the transcontinental railroad was built after

the civil war.

Content:

In the mid-19th century the wars spread from the eastern woodlands to the plains, mountains,

and deserts of the trans-Mississippi West. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the land

acquisitions of the 1840s brought new tribes within the limits of the United States. The

discovery of gold in California (1848) also contributed to the demise of a permanent “Indian

Frontier” along the eastern edge in the Great Plains. With the passage of the Homestead Act and

the Railroad Act (1862), the discovery of new materials, and other economic opportunities, the

frontier of settlement was pushed further west, and one after another, Native American tribes

were brought under subjection, either through armed force or negotiation. This unit focuses

mainly on the conflicts regarding the land between the settlers and the Native Americans during

the 1860s through the 1880s and the impact that the transcontinental railroad had on these two

cultures.

Materials Needed:

Teacher

-ELMO device

- iPad

- Projector

- Smart Board

- Internet access

- YouTube access

Student

- Paper

-Pencil

- Notebook

Advanced Preparations:

The teacher needs to load the short video clip before class, so they will not run into any

unexpected problems. The teacher should also make sure the ELMO is plugged into the

computer and working properly and have the iPad charged before the class.

Anticipatory Set:

To start the class off, the teacher should put up a question that taps the student’s prior knowledge

and gets the students thinking about the struggles of building a railroad over tough terrain. The

question should say something about the Indians resistance to the railroad and make students

think about the possible challenges with building a railroad across America. The question should

say this:

When America started building the Transcontinental Railroad what do you think were some of

the problems the railroad faced? What were some of the struggles as they went farther west?

Explain your answers and be ready to share.

Procedures- Lesson Development:

1. Let students write down what they thought about the Transcontinental Railroad and let

students share what they thought were the hardships of building the Transcontinental Railroad.

2. Have a short PowerPoint led lecture with a guided question and answer session throughout

the short lecture. The teacher should talk about the reasons for why the Transcontinental

Railroad was built. The lecture will also cover how the railroad got started with funding and the

big 4.

3. Students will be given a sheet of paper with the United States on it and will be told to draw

the two separate railroad routes in different colors and be asked to label them. This will help

them remember the routes better and understand what the different railroad companies built

overtime. Students will be given ten to fifteen minutes to draw and label the routes as well as the

states that the railroads go through.

4. Students will watch a brief video clip about the United States and Indians. After the clip is

over the teacher should ask students what they think about how America treated the Indians and

what side had valid points. The Indians bring up a few good points but so does the government.

Lead a short class discussion on the topic and then continue on with the PowerPoint.

5. The teacher will then go through the standoff between Indians and settlers and show the

difference between the two cultures and why they clashed so much. This will cover each groups

opinion on the railroad as well as some history of the issue.

Check for Understanding

1. What was the Plains Indians way of life like before the coming of the railroad?

2. Was the Transcontinental railroad a sign of progress?

3. How would life change for the Plains Indians?

4. How would life change for the settlers?

5. Compare and contrast the Indians’ and settlers’ ways of life.

Assessment:

Have students break into two groups and have them discuss some reasons their group either

would like or dislike the railroad. One group will be the settlers and the other will be the Indians.

Once they have came up with three reasons for liking or disliking the railroad based on their

group, have them write an explanation about the benefits or disadvantages and why the railroad

was built in the first place. Once students are done with all of questions and explained their

answers, they will turn it into the front of the classroom. The questions should looking something

like this:

Split up into two groups and in your groups, tell me three reasons why you either like or

dislike the railroad. Each group member should turn in their own copy of their group’s

ideas.

When you are finished coming up with the three reasons for what you like or dislike,

write an explanation about the benefits or disadvantages and why the railroad was built in

the first place. Turn in when finished.

Meeting the Needs of All Students:

Language: Draw or write on the board as we have discussion about the day’s topic

Ability: Frequently ask if any students need assistance or if there are any questions.

Gender- Have single sex groups in class to encourage all students to participate

Name________________________________

Westward Expansion Post-Test

A. Multiple Choice

1. What was the name of the two major companies building the transcontinental railroad>

a. North and South Union

b. West and East Union

c. Altanitic Union and Pacific Union

d. Pacific Union and Central Union

2. What was the main funding behind the Transcontinental railroad?

a. Irish Workers

b. Asian Workers

c. Freed Slaves

d. The Government and Business Owners

3. What was one of the main largest geographic challenge on the Oregon trail?

a. Plains

b. Oregon Coast

c. Rocky Mountains

d. Canadian Tundra

4. The Trip to Oregon was _____ miles long

a. 2,000

b. 15,000

c. 7,500

d 10,000

5. Where were the American slaves taken from?

a. China

b. Africa

c. Canada

d. Russia

B. Identifying- Identify two out of the four terms.

Manifest Destiny Pacific Union

Western Expansion Atlantic Slave Trade

6.___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

7.___________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Short Answer:

8. Explain what the goal was between the two railroad companies building the Transcontinental

Railroad?

9. What group of people did the American settlers run into and battled with when moving west?

10. How were American Slaves treated differently than slaves in British Colonies or Brazil?

11. How were the Slaves in Brazil being put to work?

12. What are three Advantages of expanding into the west?

13. How were African slaves collected in their homeland?

14. What is a disadvantage of Expanding west?

15. Explain what the Homestead Act is and why it was important?

16. How did the Indians look at settlers?

Essay:

17. What were the main reasons to build a railroad across America? What were the advantages? What

were the disadvantages? What were some of the challenges settlers and railroad workers ran into along

the way? Use examples to explain your answer.

18. What would be some of the challenges going across the Oregon trail? What geographic hardships

would settlers have to cross when traveling the Oregon trail and why were they so challenging? What

other unknown challenges may they have faced along the way?

19. How were slaves treated based on their location in the western hemisphere? What happened to the

slaves in Brazil? What were some of the challenges slaves faced in the British colonies? Why were the

American slaves treated so much better? What were the advantages of slave owners treating their

slaves better and keeping them healthy?

20. What were the most interesting parts of this unit? What did you enjoy in this unit? What would you

change about this unit if you could?