Week of: September 1-5, 2014
Teacher: Kindred
Team: U.S.History
Weekly Learning Targets
I can analyze how the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Homestead Act, etc. were
causes of western expansion and led to the settlement of the Great Plains.
I can analyze how people adapted to life on in the west, and how one result of this westward
expansion was the closing of the frontier by the 1890s.
I can define and describe key characteristics of industrialization, entrepreneurship, free enterprise,
trust, monopoly, and urbanization and I summarize how these terms relate to the growth of big
business in the Gilded Age.
I can analyze the pros and cons of big business and tell why the terms “robber barons” and/or
“captains of industry” were used to describe the important industrialists of the period.
Activities:
Monday
LABOR DAY
Materials:
Follow Up/HW: Gilded Age Quiz on FRIDAY 9/5
Tuesday
Activities:
1. Complete Westward Expansion Activity- Students will finish their rotations with Farmers,
Miners, Ranchers and Native Americans. They will then complete a cause/effect chart for
westward expansion.
2. Gilded Age Document Analysis- Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to
understand characteristics of westward expansion.
Materials: Articles, documents
Follow Up/HW: Gilded Age Quiz on FRIDAY 9/5
Wed/Thur
Activities:
1. Industrialization Vocabulary- Students will define and create visual symbols for six
vocabulary terms associated with Gilded Age industrialization.
2. Gilded Age Industrialists Group Activity- In groups, students will be assigned one Gilded
Age entrepreneur. They will create a poster highlighting information about their individual
and how they contributed to the American economy. Groups will also determine if their
individual was a robber baron or a captain of industry, providing evidence to support their
decision. Students will complete a gallery walk where they will collect information on all
Gilded Age entrepreneurs. *DAILY GRADE*
Materials: Articles, poster paper
Follow Up/HW: Gilded Age Quiz on FRIDAY 9/5
Friday
Activities:
1. Gilded Age Industrialization: Document Analysis- Students will analyze primary and
secondary sources to understand the pros and cons of big business and the impact of
industrialization.
2. Gilded Age Quiz- Students will complete a 15 multiple-choice question quiz that assesses
knowledge of westward expansion and industrialization during the Gilded Age. *DAILY
GRADE*
Materials: Documents, quiz
Follow Up/HW: