Activities, Parodies, Games, Jokes, Review Sheets, 3-D Templates, Cold Reading Passages, and much more!

Transcription

1 Activities, Parodies, Games, Jokes, Review Sheets, 3-D Templates, Cold Reading Passages, and much more! Motivations / Experiences of Those Heading West Manifest Destiny Key Trails, Routes, & Landmarks Territorial Acquisitions The Gold Rush Homecourt Publishers Greenville, SC

2 Copyright 2010 by Homecourt Publishers Can I really make copies of these pages to use as handouts? Yes. That s why we made them. Please feel free to make copies of the handouts so that your students can learn and enjoy the material. Keep in mind it is unlawful to use these handouts for sale or profit. Please do not present the material in these handouts as your own original work, as they are protected by all relevant copyright laws. Every effort has been made to make these handouts as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content. Therefore, this material should be used only as a guide and not as an ultimate source of research. Homecourt Publishers shall have neither the liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused by the information contained in these handouts. Okay, now that you ve got all of the disclaimers out of the way go have fun!!! For information or comments, contact: Homecourt Publishers 2435 East North St., #245 Greenville, SC benbache@homecourtpublishers.com (864) Managing Editor - Ben Bache benbache@homecourtpublishers.com Lead Editor Alissa Torzewski Thank you to Joann Wood for contributing ideas, inspiration, and original work to this project. Additional contributions made by Nancy Rechtman and Audrey Cook. Cover illustration by Zach Franzen. Copyright 2010 by Homecourt Publishers

3 Table of Contents Section 1 Favorites 5 Westward Expansion (Original Poem) 6 Heading West (Role-Play) 8 Places to Know (Classroom Game) 12 Westward Timeline (Timeline Jumble) 14 Section 2 Information Overload 16 Gold Rush 17 Westward Expansion 18 Section 3 Pocket Activities 19 Louisiana Purchase 19 Exploring the West 20 Manifest Destiny 20 On the Move 20 Life of a Cowboy 21 Means of Travel 21 A Little Humor (Jokes) 22 Section 4 Language Arts Integration 23 Quotes: Daniel Boone, Horace Greeley 23 The Indian Removal Act 24 The March Begins Section 5 Printouts, Puzzles, & Games 26 Territories (Matching) 26 Westward Expansion (Crossword Puzzle) 28 Why West? (Tiles) 28 Section 6 3-D Templates 30 Westward Expansion (Hands-on Study Sheet) 31

4 A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron. Horace Mann ( ) The Father of American Public Education

5 Over the next few pages I will share some of my personal classroom secrets that are sure to engage and excite your students! Here s how it works: The left-hand page includes the song parody, activity, poem, game, etc. for you to share with your students. The right-hand page includes my personal commentary, including the reasons I ve had success with this exercise, any key directions, and other tid-bits that might be helpful. ***The exercises on the next few pages are great to use for this topic area, but you can easily modify them to use for other topics and even subject areas. The simple format and extra notes that are provided will really help with this! Page 5

6 Original Poem Description: A poem about the motives for Westward Expansion Instructions: Use to introduce the subject, and also for review Let s Go West Let's go west The people say What is out there anyway? Manifest Its our Destiny To go out West with all the rest. Cheap farmland We wish to own And buy it up without a loan. Animals we Seek to trap The trade will put us on the map! Telegraphs and Brand new trains Travel west past fields of grain. Settler growth Along the trail Makes new towns with goods for sale. Pioneers Trek across God s creation Striving hard to build a nation. Page 6

7 Poems are always great tools for students to integrate SS with ELA content. Students can take note of the rhyming scheme and add it to the repertoire of poem formats they are familiar with. It is a meaningful way to remember the motivations for moving West after the war. I started with some role-playing about the various motivations for traveling West, and then I had students read the poem to reinforce the concept. I used it as a choral reading and had girls and boys alternate verses. As I always love to do, I had my students come up with motions for each motivation factor. For example, my students shrugged their shoulders (as if they didn t know an answer) during the first verse when it says, What is out there anyway? I then had students illustrate the different motivations on a poster called Westward Ho! I combined the posters and displayed their work. Lastly, I had students create the next verse in the poem about the Native American perspective of Westward Expansion. I always try to incorporate points-of-view. This gives students a broader knowledge about history and makes it more real. It s important for students to see events from all sides! Page 7

8 Role-Play Description: Instructions: A role-play discussion in small groups about the motivations of moving West While teaching Westward Expansion, have students participate in a role-play to further examine all perspectives of history. Emigrant 1 (the land seeker) In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. They are to claim new land and start a new life. Your most likely destination is the Oregon Territory, which has some of the best farmland in the country. You might also be interested in the Sacramento Valley, which is known for its fruit orchards. Emigrant 2 (the fortune seeker) In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. They are simple to find a fortune. Chances are, you re headed to California to search for gold in the foothills. If you re clever, you might realize that money can be made not by finding gold, but by selling merchandise (clothes, equipment, food) to the thousands of others who are looking for gold. Emigrant 3 (a Mormon) In your discussion, you must explain your reasons for heading West. You are searching for religious freedom, which is not available to Mormons in most parts of the country (in the late 1800s, that is). Your destination is Salt Lake City, which was founded by Mormons earlier in the century and has become a safe haven for the group. Skeptic from the East In your discussion, you must convince others why they should NOT settle the West. As someone who has lived a good life in the East, you feel that this Western Fever is silly, and it will only lead to disappointment. You are trying to be the reasonable voice among a group that is blinded by false hopes in the West. Native American In your discussion, you must convince others why they should NOT settle the West. Remind them that you have already been chased out of the Eastern parts of the country, and you have been promised land in the West. Try to find a compromise that will allow the white population to expand, but will also protect the interests of Native Americans. Page 8

9 This is a great put yourself in their shoes activity. It is active learning at its best and allows the students to examine different perspectives of Westward Expansion. Of course, it also ties in persuasive language for ELA integration! After reading articles and looking at primary sources about Westward Expansion, I break the students into groups and assign them roles. They are not to tell anyone else in their group their role ahead of time. They start a discussion and each person has to become their role. The students try to persuade the others in their group that their position is right and back up their opinions with facts we have learned. After about 5 minutes, pause and talk about what was said and learned from the activity. Was it clear what role everyone was playing? You'll be amazed at the level of conversation you get! You pick the groups! You can balance the leaders and the followers as well as the high-level readers with the struggling readers. After letting them do the activity once, I revisited it a week later and told the students to take their discussions to the next level, now that they knew what I expected. It seemed to further solidify their learning. Page 9

10 Classroom Game Description: A mini-version of the Concentration Game to review the Western Expansion Instructions: Use 3x5 cards to place the following terms and illustrations, and play the classic game of Concentration. Scramble the cards, face down. Have the students turn over 2 cards at a time, trying to match up a name with an image. When they get it right, those cards are taken off the table. This can be timed, so whoever gets through all the cards first, wins. California Trail Mormon Trail Oregon Trail Jumping Off Point Gold Discovery Site Transcontinental Railroad Completion Spot Big City in the early 19th cent. Warzone in the late 1840s (against Mexico) Page 10

11 The game of Concentration is a classic, and combining images with the terms taps into a higher level of thinking. It s important that students don t just memorize the cards, but that they really grasp the connections between the terms and the maps. This game will help assess that. I usually have students divide into groups of two and give each group several note cards. One student writes the terms, the other draws the maps (take advantage of the free labor!), and then they play Concentration with the cards they ve created. I often give the students the pictures to draw, but do not tell them which term it matches with. I let them go through this thought process while they re playing the game (of course, you need to monitor the groups to make sure they are making the correct matches). To keep things simple, you can play this game as a class. Simply divide the students into two teams, and write/draw each term/image on a full sheet of paper (so everyone can see). Tape each sheet face down on the board at the front of the room, and then play using the same rules as the regular game. Page 11

12 Classroom Game Description: Instructions: A version of Bingo to review Westward Expansion Students fill out a 25-space board (at random) with terms you give them. You call out clues and they mark the appropriate term until they mark five spaces in a row or column. Students draw 25 boxes on their paper, and then write these terms randomly into the boxes. Louisiana Purchase Oregon Treaty ANSWER KEY (Call these out in random order): Zebulon Pike Santa Fe Trail Emigrants Prospectors Indian Removal Act Mormon Trail Mexican Cession Trail of Tears Rocky Mountains Lewis and Clark Oregon Trail Willamette Valley Daniel Boone California Trail Great American Desert 1) The was acquired from France for $15 million in (Louisiana Purchase) 2) In 1846, the was signed between the United Kingdom and the United States, settling a boundary dispute between present-day Canada and the state of Washington. (Oregon Treaty) 3) In 1848, Mexico handed over a region called the, which eventually became states in the West. (Mexican Cession) 4) were two men who made the first overland expedition from Eastern territories to the Pacific Ocean. (Lewis and Clark) 5), one of the first folk heroes of the United States, was the first to settle in present-day Kentucky. (Daniel Boone) 6) A famous peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado is named after, whose expedition created the first maps of the southwest United States. (Zebulon Pike) 7) President Andrew Jackson signed the in 1830, forcing Native American tribes off their lands and into the West. (Indian Removal Act) 8) The relocation pathway of Native Americans was nicknamed the because thousands suffered and died along the way. ( Trail of Tears ) 9) Settlers on foot and in wagons migrated along the to the Pacific Northwest between 1841 and (Oregon Trail) 10) The was a path used by settlers that led to gold fields beyond the Sierra Nevada Mountains. (California Trail) 11) The that connected Missouri and New Mexico was first used as a trade route but later became an invasion route during the Mexican-American War. (Santa Fe Trail) 12) Brigham Young and his followers traveled along the from Illinois to Utah for religious freedom. (Mormon Trail) 13) Spanning the western United States, the became an abundant source of mineral deposits and furs in the early 19 th century. (Rocky Mountains) 14) A popular Western destination in the 1840s was the, a fertile river bed in northwest Oregon. (Willamette Valley) 15) was the 19 th century name given to the western Great Plains, because it had very little water, shade, and timber. ( Great American Desert ) 16) Travelers who leave their homeland to travel and settle elsewhere are called. (Emigrants) 17) The of 1820 prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the latitude (Missouri Compromise) 18) The of 1854 created two new territories and declared that settlers in new areas would be allowed to vote on whether or not to allow slavery. (Kansas-Nebraska Act) 19) is a concept that gives voting authority to the people. (Popular Sovereignty) 20) The California began in 1848 when a discovery brought 300,000 fortune-seekers to the West. (Gold Rush) 21) People searching and mining for gold, oil, and other natural minerals, are called. (Prospectors) 22) Outlaws and bandits that plagued the West were restrained by local, law-enforcing vigilantes called. (Regulators) 23) Western operations that raised livestock, like cattle and sheep for meat and wool, were called. (Ranches) 24) were animal herders who gathered cattle on horseback. They became popular figures of folk legend. (Cowboys) 25) The first, built between 1863 and 1869, connected Iowa to the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco. (Transcontinental Railroad) Page 12 Missouri Compromise Kansas-Nebraska Act Popular Sovereignty Gold Rush Regulators Ranches Cowboys Transcontinental Railroad

13 Students love to play games it s as simple as that. It s always great when you can find a game that ties in with the standards! This particular game is modeled after Bingo and my students enjoyed playing it. It also allows you to cover a lot of ground in a short time. As you list specific terms, students randomly fill in their blocks on their game boards. When you call out the questions (also in random order), the students mark the correct place on their board. The object of the game is to connect five spaces in a row or column or diagonal. Make sure you check the board of the student who raises his or her hand! You can also write all of the questions on strips of paper and put them into a hat. Have students take turns drawing and reading a question. This game can be played first in class, and then students can bring home their game boards (with answers written in) to use as a study guide. It may seem like a small thing, but have plastic bags on hand for game pieces! I have tried using envelopes to save some money but they just don't work as well. Page 13

14 Timeline Jumble Description: Instructions: A Timeline Jumble where students arrange events of the Westward Expansion in chronological order Call out the events below (in random order) and have students copy them onto note cards. Students must place the events in chronological order. Timeline Jumble Call out the events (in random order) and your students write them onto note cards. They must put the events into chronological order (as shown below) Louisiana Purchase doubles size of nation Lewis & Clark Expedition Missouri Compromise divides nation over slavery First locomotives begin running First emigrants travel the Oregon Trail Mormons begin to settle in Salt Lake City, UT Gold discovered at Sutter s Mill in California Gold Rush begins Issue of slavery in West leads to Bloody Kansas North & South fight in the Civil War Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad End of the Reconstruction Era Page 14

15 This is a great activity because it is hands-on, challenging, and easy to follow. It s also important because it helps you determine if students have a grasp on the events of the Westward Expansion as a whole (i.e. no student should think that the Transcontinental Railroad was completed prior to the first travelers on the Oregon Trail). Call out the events listed on the left-hand page in random order. Your students write each event on a note card, and then must place the note cards in chronological order. You can also have your students write additional facts and notes about each event on the back of the note cards, and they can use these for study guides and review. As a class, discuss why these events were chosen as the key events of that defined Westward Expansion, and list any other events that were also important (and discuss where they would fit into the timeline). Timelines are a crucial tool in social studies, and interpreting them is an important literacy element for your students to master. This activity can be repeated at the end of each unit, and you can expand (i.e. all events in an entire century) or contract (i.e. just the events in a specific year) as you see fit. Page 15

16 The next few pages feature a wide assortment of Primary Sources from this particular time period. These resources will help engage your students and help them understand the story behind history. Feel free to make copies of these Primary Source review sheets to give to your students. What is a Primary Resource? Primary resources are documents or other materials that give a researcher a firsthand account of a historical event or time period. These sources reflect the experiences, viewpoints, and observations of individuals who actually lived through certain events. Examples of Primary Resources Letters Diaries and Journals Historic Speeches Census Data Audio / Visual Recordings Public Records Firsthand News Reports Political Cartoons Original Artwork Physical Artifacts Primary resources often give a more accurate view of history than secondary resources. Secondary resources are materials that review an event after it has taken place. An example of a secondary resource is an encyclopedia, or even your textbook. The next few pages contain a variety of primary resources. Each document has been carefully chosen to help explore a unique part of United States history. We hope you enjoy the materials--& remember Have Fun!!! Page 16

17 The California Gold Rush was a massive migration to the territory of California after word spread that gold had been discovered there. The first discovery of gold was in early 1848 at Sutter s Mill (near Sacramento). While the men who found the gold tried to keep it a secret, it soon sparked wild rumors across the nation. Over the next two years, over 40,000 people dropped everything to strike it rich in California. The area was overwhelmed initially by the rapid population increase, but the Gold Rush eventually helped the Western frontier achieve economic and industrial advancement. Bureau of Census, U.S. Dep. of Commerce When rumor spread throughout San Francisco that gold had been discovered in the nearby foothills, the city instantly turned into a ghost town. People literally quit their jobs, left their homes and families, and set off to find gold. The first newspaper to report the discovery of gold was the San Francisco based Californian. The stampede soon followed. Within a few months, most of the writers and editors of the Californian (along with thousands of others in San Francisco) had abandoned their jobs to dig for gold. The notice to the right appeared on the front page of the Californian on June 2, 1848 (the first mention of gold had been on March 15 th ). This notice was printed after the paper missed several daily editions due to its missing staff, and it warns the readers that there is no telling when the next paper will be published. Californian. 2 June 1848: p. 1. Many who made fortune during the Gold Rush did it without ever panning for gold. Great profits could be earned by selling food, clothing, and supplies to the 40,000 men who migrated to the area. To the left is an advertisement for one of many such stores that catered to the gold miners. Page 17 SACRAMENTO STORE E. PICKETT, having opened a store at Sutter s Fort, offers for sale, dry goods, ready made clothing, blankets, hats, caps, boots, shoes, wines, liquors, cordials, preserved meats and fruits, nuts, provisions, groceries, cooking and mining utensils, cutlery, tobacco, cigars, snuff, &c., &c. Will also continue his trading post under charge of F. Hampton, at the Coloma saw mill, in the mountains, where the above mentioned articles will be sent as the market below furnishes a necessary supply and want of the miners in that vicinity require. Jany. 1, Advertisement, Sacramento Store. Californian. 15 Feb. 1849: p. 3.

18 Westward Expansion refers to the massive movement of settlers from the east coast of the United States to the west coast during the 19 th century. It was fueled by the idea of Manifest Destiny, which was the belief that the United States was destined to occupy the entire stretch of land from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans. Westward expansion began to increase steadily in the early 1800s, but it exploded during the California Gold Rush in For several decades, the West was considered wild and lawless. This was largely the result of the population increasing faster than local governments could be organized. By the late 1870s, the Western Frontier was finally tamed. Traveling across the country was hard work in the early 1800s. It took several months, there was always the threat of Indian attacks, and you had to get across the mountains before winter came. It was a challenge, and you didn t want to have to face it alone. For that reason, most emigrants traveled West in large groups, sometimes with several hundred others. These emigration parties offered protection, companionship, supplies, and overall confidence. Shown above is an announcement that one such emigration party is leaving for California in May Californian. 29 August 1846: p. 1. In January 1848, settlers discovered gold in the foothills of California, sparking a Gold Rush that sent over 40,000 people in search of the precious metal. As citizens packed their bags and headed West, advertisements like the one below began appearing in newspapers across the country. This ad is from the New York Tribune in March The Tribune was distributed in every major city in the United States and was the most popular newspaper of the time period. Levi Jackman was a member of one of the first Mormon parties to head west and settle in Salt Lake City. He detailed his travels in a personal journal, which he kept from 1847 to Here are the first lines from that journal. Levi Jackman s Journal. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Vault MSS v. p. 1. ***All spelling left as it originally appeared Levi Jackman s Journal I left home in company with Liman Curtice on the 29th of march 1847 as pianears to go with the Company of pianears to finde a location for the saints some whair in the west The term Mormon is used to describe a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. This church was founded in the 1830s by those who believed that Joseph Smith, Jr., had been chosen by God as a prophet. Smith declared that God had presented him with a set of Golden Plates, and then empowered him to translate them into the Book of Mormon. While the religion gained an impressive following in the 1830s and 1840s, the Mormons were unable to find a location where they could live in peace. In 1846, Brigham Young led the Mormons on a massive migration to the Western Frontier. They ultimately settled near Salt Lake City, Utah (today, the majority of the state is Mormon). Page 18

19 These are quick activities that can be used for class-openers, ice-breakers, attention-grabbers, and so on. We ve also added a few jokes to have in your pocket when you re really trying to keep students from staring out the window! Activity - Louisiana Purchase In 1803, the French government surprisingly agreed to sell the United States an enormous piece of land that stretched from present day Louisiana to the Canadian Border, and from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. In early negotiations, Thomas Jefferson and his advisors had only been hoping to purchase a small area around the city of New Orleans. With the class, play the What If game. What if the French government had not offered to sell the United States all of the land in the Louisiana Purchase? What if the United States had not gained control of the Mississippi River and much of the land west of the original colonies (a direct result of the Louisiana Purchase)? What if Thomas Jefferson and his advisers had settled for only the land around New Orleans, as they originally intended? ***When discussing the What If scenarios, keep this in mind: If the French had not sold the land, Thomas Jefferson and the United States might very will have gone to war in order to take it. This would have positioned the young United States army against the powerful French army under Napoleon. Consider if the United States would have been successful against the French (they had defeated the British in the American Revolution only twenty years earlier). How would this have impacted the growth of the maturing nation? Bonus Activity: Have your students role play the Louisiana Purchase Negotiations. Divide the students into two groups one representing the United States, and one representing France. Those representing the United States must explain to the French representatives why it is in France s best interest to sell off the land in the Louisiana Purchase. Make sure to look at it from the view of the French in 1803 (Why would they want to keep the land? Why might they be anxious to get rid of it?) The students representing the French play the role of Hard Negotiators. They must be able to explain why keeping the Louisiana territory benefits France. They can also take the position that selling the land to the United States is a dangerous move for France. After reviewing both point of views, ask your students which side the United States or France got the best deal in the Louisiana Purchase transaction. Page 19

20 Activity - Exploring the West Create an imaginary explorer named Trek A. Long. Trek is preparing to set across the United States in the 19th century. Take an outline of the United States, and draw with a pencil the route that the explorer is going to travel (for example, across North Carolina, into Tennessee and Kentucky, and down the Mississippi River). Show the map to the students, and have them describe the encounters that Trek may have and what he might find. The students should consider key elements that are specific to the chosen route at the time. For example: Native Americans along the route terrain weather You can continue this activity by examining several different routes. After each exploration, Trek A. Long needs to decide if the areas in his travels were worthy of establishing a settlement. As a class, discuss why or why not certain areas would make suitable settlements. Consider all of the factors that Trek was faced with during his exploration. Activity - Manifest Destiny rivers or bodies of waters that need to be crossed animals that live in the areas natural resources that can be used As the patriotism, nationalism, and confidence of the American people grew, so did their desire to expand. The United States wanted to bring the ideals of democracy and freedom to everyone who was capable of it. This goal led to the concept of Manifest Destiny, the belief that it was not only the right of the United States, but also the duty of the nation to expand its territory across the continent. With your students, discuss this reasoning on the part of the American people. Of course, there were plenty of ulterior motives in the concept of Manifest Destiny. Ask your students to brainstorm what the American people had to gain by westward expansion. Factors that led to the concept of Manifest Destiny Desire to spread the ideals of freedom and democracy (this was the official reason behind Manifest Destiny). New lands added to the wealth and income of the owners Untapped resources (i.e. silver and gold) existed in the West Expanded territory created more self-sufficiency A sense of adventure surrounded the western frontier Overpopulation in the East made expansion necessary Activity - On the Move Ask your students to write a short explanation of why their family may have moved from one location to the place where they live now, or why their family might want to move in the future (i.e. job relocation, to be closer to friends & family, to find a better house, etc.). Discuss how these reasons compare with reasons that immigrants might have given in the late 1800s. Have your students draw an outline of the United States. With a blue pen, help them mark an arrow to all of the places in the nation that witnessed a boom in population during the late 1800s (i.e. large cities such as New York and Chicago, other urban areas, the western territories, etc.) Next, ask your students to use a red pen or colored-pencil to draw an arrow away from places that experienced a large outmigration (i.e. rural areas, the southern states, etc.). Page 20

21 Activity - Life of a Cowboy In the late 19 th century, a number of people took advantage of the wide-open land in the West to establish ranches (areas where livestock are raised usually cattle and sheep). Most of the time, these ranches employed cowboys, an occupation that has received legendary status in the movies and on television. A real life cowboy was an expert in tending to the animals, and was also capable of taking care of some of the other tasks around the ranch. Have each student list several of the jobs that fell under the duty of a cowboy. Here are a few: Feeding the livestock Branding cattle Treating injuries to the animals Diagnosing illnesses in the livestock Medicating livestock if necessary Rounding up livestock that got loose or ran off Chasing off / shooting unwanted animals on the ranch Fixing fences and making other repairs on the ranch Maintaining ranching equipment Breaking horses so that they can be easily ridden Breeding livestock / castrating livestock Have your students write a one-page journal entry detailing the life of a cowboy. Tell them to include several of these duties in the entry. Bonus Activity Eventually, the taming of the Western frontier put an end to golden age of ranching. However, there are still plenty of farms and ranches that raise livestock, and there are modern cowboys who tend to them. Have your students research the duties and techniques of modern cowboys and compare them to the cowboys of the western frontier. Activity - Means of Travel In 1869, a railroad was completed that connected the East and West sides of the United States. As a class, brainstorm why the completion of the transcontinental railroad was so significant. What immediate impact did it have? Here are a few ideas: 1. It transformed a trip across the country from a few months to about a week. 2. Goods could easily be shipped from the West to the East, and vice-versa. 3. News and mail traveled much faster. 4. For the first time, people were able to see the entire nation firsthand 5. It tied together the continent, securing the American empire. (How did that effect Native Americans?) Have your students consider a man who was born in the year 1860 and died at the age of 100 in Ask them to list the revolutions in transportation that this man would have seen in his lifetime. Remember that in 1860 people were still traveling around in horse-drawn carriages. Here are some of the breakthroughs: Transportation Breakthroughs from 1860 to 1960 Completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 (railroads quickly became an essential part of travel) The engineering of suspension bridges allows for the easy crossing of wide rivers (up to one mile) The invention of the gasoline powered automobile (1862) The invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers (1903) Henry Ford introduces the assembly line leading to the mass production of automobiles (1908) Thousands of miles of roads are paved in the first half of the 20 th century Charles Lindbergh makes a solo flight across the Atlantic (1927) Airplanes carrying mail and passengers becomes a major industry (1930s) Airplanes advance to the point of being able to travel faster than the speed of sound (1947) Sputnik 1, a Russian satellite, becomes the first manmade object launched into space (1957) Page 21

22 Gold Rush Q: Why was the prospector waving a piece of paper over the creek? A: He was fanning for gold. (it s not good, I know, but it can begin a discussion about the Gold Rush and panning for gold) Q: Why did the prospector not feel well when he arrived in California? A: He had Gold Fever (another bad one, but it s important to talk about how Gold Fever swept across the nation in 1849) Getting to the West A group of emigrants had been heading West on the Oregon Trail for several months. As they road along in their wagon, a young boy asked his father, What s it going to be like when we get to the Willamette Valley? The father answered, I m not really sure, son. A few minutes went by, and the boy asked, What was the name of that mountain range that we crossed over before we came to the Plains? I don t remember, said his father honestly. Unfazed, the boy asked, Why do so many people in our group want to head down to California? The father shook his head, I just don t know. Finally, the boy said, Dad, are tired of me asking all these questions? The father replied, No, son if you don t ask questions, you ll never learn anything. (sort of funny, but the best part is that you can answer all of the boy s questions as a class) Q: During the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, what was the job of the superintendent? A: To keep all of the workers on track (silly, but a good introduction to the major engineering feat of the 19 th century) Western Occupations Q: Why did the cowboy have such a big kitchen? A: Because he liked to hang out on the range. (another bad pun, but a chance to talk about cowboys, ranchers, and open land in the West) Q: In the late 1800s, a man was making a fortune mining for valuable ore in the Colorado mountains. One day, another miner came to town and started working on the same mountain. What did the first miner tell him? A: He told him to mine his own business (use this one to start a discussion on how mining was a major industry in the West) Page 22

23 The next few pages include passages that focus on this historical topic, but can also be used for practice with Reading Comprehension and other Language Arts skills. Please feel free to make copies. I can t say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. Daniel Boone (1820) American pioneer Daniel Boone wanted to set the record straight. In 1820, as the celebrated painter Chester Harding was creating the only life portrait of Boone, he asked the explorer if he had ever been lost. Boone, who was in his eighties at the time, thought back on his life and remarked, I can t say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. Growing up in the rural areas of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Daniel Boone learned to hunt and navigate through the woods while he was a teenager. With these skills, he began to explore areas around the Kentucky River during the 1760s and 1770s. As an expert in the area (after all, he never did get lost), Boone was hired in 1775 to create a road to Kentucky that could be used by the colonists for trading purposes. The building of this road led to the creation of a new settlement in the area, known as Boonseborough. The settlement managed to survive despite numerous attacks by Native Americans. In fact, Boone himself was once captured, though he escaped to come back and defend the village. Daniel Boone never claimed any land in Kentucky (his property titles were deemed invalid), instead choosing to settle in West Virginia and later Missouri. Go west, young man! Horace Greeley (1850s) Apparently, it takes just a simple phrase to motivate thousands of Americans to drop everything and head West in search of an awaiting fortune. It all started in 1848, when gold was discovered in the hills of northern California. This began one of the most massive migrations in human history. People from the east coast of the United States immediately began to pack up what little they had and take off across the country. The West was still largely unsettled, and it seemed like the land of opportunity. Horace Greeley thought so. Greeley was an American journalist who, in 1841, founded the New York Tribune. His Tribune was one of the first affordable daily newspapers in the area. In the paper, Greeley famously remarked, Go west, young man! Originally, an Indiana newspaper editor named John Soule had used the phrase, but it wasn t until Greeley said it that it caught on. The public responded to the new catchphrase by gathering in large and small groups to head West. In 1859, with the help of new railroads, Greeley s newspaper continued to stir up interest by reporting on life in California. Greeley also used his newspaper for other reasons as well. In 1860, he played a significant role in getting Abraham Lincoln nominated for the presidency. Later, he tried earning the office of president for himself, but was defeated by Ulysses S. Grant. Page 23

24 & In the early 1800s, the people of the United States felt like they were just getting settled. It had been a while since Americans first declared independence from Britain (1776), found themselves on the winning side of the Revolutionary War (1783), and even created a Constitution of their own (1787). With much of the political turmoil out of the way, the United States could look inward and grow domestically. Expansion quickly spread into the lower South, where farming (especially cotton farming) was showing great potential. While the United States had been successful in proving to Britain that it was the rightful owner of the American continent, not everyone agreed. Thousands of Native Americans had been living in the South long before the first European settlers arrived, and they weren t eager to give up their land. In the early years of the nation, there were continuous skirmishes between the settlers and the Indians. Feeling like they had few options, many of the tribes took up farming, schooled themselves with Western education, and traded with the settlers. These tribes the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw, and Seminole Indians earned the title as the Five Civilized Tribes. While the Native Americans were willing to live side by side with the white man, they had no intention of assimilating into the white man s world. They wanted to maintain a separate government and culture. As a result, the tribes were constantly in the courts defending their land titles and governing jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the settlers weren t concerned about the court decisions. They only saw that the Native American tribes were living on great farm land and not taking advantage of it. The answer? Get the Natives to move somewhere else. A variety of treaties and laws were passed to encourage the Indians to move to the western areas of the United States. The Indian tribes did not want to move the southern part of the nation had been home to their people for centuries. In 1830, newly elected President Andrew Jackson knew that this was his main issue. He argued with Congress for months about what should, and legally could, be done to solve the problem. Then a bold move was taken. On May 26, 1830, the United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This forced the Five Civilized Tribes to move to areas west of the Mississippi. Andrew Jackson and Congress felt that they were doing the Native Americans a favor. By forcing them to move, they were protecting them from overanxious settlers. They also promised each tribe a portion of land in Oklahoma that was to be theirs forever. At the time, no settler was interested in moving to Oklahoma, and most were certain that there was nothing of use there anyway (as it turned out, years later the settlers did decide to move westward, and the Indians had to leave areas in Oklahoma that they had been given). President Jackson may have felt that he was doing the Indians a favor, but they certainly didn t see it that way. The Seminole Tribe fought hard for seven years, and the local Creek Tribes became violent to the settlers. Eventually, both were forced to move westward. The Cherokee Tribe also refused to go peacefully. Finally, 7,000 troops were brought in and forced them to move at gunpoint. The trip from the southern states to Oklahoma was brutal. With few supplies and a number of women and children, the Indians walked in agony. The journey earned the infamous title, The Trail of Tears. By 1840, over 70,000 Indians had been forced to move west. Page 24

25 By the mid-1830s, the majority of citizens in the United States were aware of the Indian Removal. Most were even aware of the hardships that it created for Native Americans. Most people, however, didn t give it much thought. Due to failed treaties and a history of attacks on settlers, it was the general belief that it was impossible for the Indians or Savages to live peacefully with the whites. In 1830, all land that remained of the Choctaw Indians was signed over to the Federal Government. Most Choctaws were forced to move to Oklahoma via a march. The average American citizen didn t follow the progress of these marches. However, when the Indians had to pass through a particular city or town, it was always the news of the day. This can be seen by the notice to the right. The passage is referring to a group of Choctaws under the leadership of David Folsom. Folsom was a Choctaw who had respect from both the white and Native American populations. He helped establish one of the first Choctaw settlements in Oklahoma. THE INDIANS ARE COMING!!! We stop the press to announce the arrival last evening of Capt. CLARK and Leut. RYAN, of the U.S. Army, from Mouth of White river. They bring us interesting news, that upwards of 360 of Folsom s party of the Emigrating Choctaws arrived at the Post of Arkansas on Saturday last, on board the steamboat Reindeer, and they presume there are, by this time, over 3000 Choctaws in that place. They may be looked for here in a few days. The Indians are Coming. The Arkansas Gazette 30 Nov. 1831: p. 3. Page 25

26 1. Unscramble the terms in the first row of boxes. 2. Draw lines connecting the terms to the matching descriptions. 3. Draw lines from the descriptions to the matching areas on the map. maxenci soenisc riodafl ruceshap geonor tyater loasaniiu ceupasrh Land including New Orleans offered by France Land bought from Spain Land won in war, including Arizona and California Land gained by deal with Britain Page 26

27 Enjoy! Feel free to make copies of the puzzles to distribute to your students for review maxenci soenisc riodafl ruceshap geonor tyater loasaniiu ceupasrh MEXICAN CESSION FLORIDA PURCHASE OREGON TREATY LOUISIANA PURCHASE Land including New Orleans offered by France Land bought from Spain Land won in war, including Arizona and California Land gained by deal with Britain Page 27

28 Across 2. An economic reason to move west 5. Miners sought this resource in the West 6. Territory located in the northwest 7. Concept of the God-given right to expand and cultivate new territory 8. A farmer s reason to move west 9. Person who established 1st U.S. settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains Down 1. Territory located in central United States, previously owned by the French 3. What is now called the Great Plains was once called the Great. (2 words) 4. The pair that explored & documented land, plants, and animals (3 words) 7. Religious group that migrated west Motivations to Migrate 1. Unscramble the tiles to reveal a phrase. Some have been given to you. 2. Write the matching term from the Migration Groups list under the phrase. Migration Groups Farmers Mormons Trappers 1. T S Group: Group: R E L Group: Page 28

29 Feel free to make copies of the puzzles to distribute to your students for review. Across 2. An economic reason to move west 5. Miners sought this resource in the West 6. Territory located in the northwest 7. Concept of the God-given right to expand and cultivate new territory 8. A farmer s reason to move west 9. Person who established 1st U.S. settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains Down 1. Territory located in central United States, previously owned by the French 3. What is now called the Great Plains was once called the Great. (2 words) 4. The pair that explored & documented land, plants, and animals (3 words) 7. Religious group that migrated west Migration Groups Motivations to Migrate Farmers Mormons Trappers 1. F U R T R A D E P R O F I T S Group: Trappers 3. F R E E L A N D T O F A R M Group: Farmers 2. R E L I G I O U S F R E E D O M Group: Mormons Page 29

30 Why 3-D Templates? Our 3-D Templates give students a hands-on way to interact with information. This kinesthetic technique engages the learner while the information is being presented, and also helps in the processing and cognitive organization of it. To put it another way: Westward Expansion This template is a great way to compare the Expectations with the Experiences of those who migrated West during the 19th century. This same template can be used to make any comparisons, such as measuring the Pros and Cons of moving West, or contrasting the West and the East at the time. Once completed, the 3-D Template will make a great review sheet! Step 1: Students cut and fold the template as labeled on the printout. Step 2: Students unfold the template and use the space to compare the Expectations and the Experiences of those who travelled West during the 19th century. It would be a great adventure Lots of land and fortune was waiting in the West People were completely free in the West The West was free of all of the frustrations of the Big City Walking the trails was dangerous and hard, and even boring Competition was high for land and fortune in the West People were free, but there were also little law & order in the West The West had none of the conveniences of the Big City The template is provided on the next page. Make copies to hand out to your students. Page 30

31 Fold Fold Cut

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