FRAME THE LESSON
Railroads, Miners, and Ranchers
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline
7A: describe a variety of regions in the United States such as political, population, and economic regions that result from patterns of human activity
8C: analyze the reasons for the location of cities in the United States, including capital cities, and explain their distribution, past and present
9A: describe how and why people have adapted to and modified their environment in the United States, past and present, such as the use of human resources to meet basic needs
13B: identify and explain how geographic factors have influenced the location of economic activities in the United States
13C: analyze the effects of immigration, migration, and limited resources on the economic development and growth of the United States
23B: identify how scientific discoveries, technological innovations, and the rapid growth of technology industries have advanced the economic development of the United States, including the transcontinental railroad and the space program
Objective/Key Understanding:
Verb=Italicize
TEACHER: CLASS: 5 th Grade DATE: January 18-19 M T W TH F
Resources/Materials
Pearson’s 5 th
Grade
Building Our Nation

Identify and explain how geographic factors, government policies, and belief in Manifest Destiny encouraged expansion and new economic activities in the West.

Identify how the creation of the transcontinental railroad system modified the environment, used human resources, and advanced the economic development of the United States.

Describe how and why miners modified their environment.

Describe how geographic factors affected the location of ranching and farming activities.

Understand the impact of the railroad system on businesses and on westward expansion.
Rigor & Relevance: (Real World Connection) Vocabulary
TE
(p. 422-427)
Closing Product/
Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Got it Questions
1-9 (p. 422-427)
Pioneer Manifest Destiny Transcontinental railroad gold rush cattle drive.

Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
The Movement From East to West (p. 422-423)

What were three reasons that people from eastern cities moved west?

What resources provided economic opportunities for people in the West?

Why do you think that travel west by stagecoach and wagon was dangerous?
 How does the map’s legend help you understand why travel to the West was difficult?

Why did the government encourage people to move west?

What is a pioneer and who were among the first pioneers to go west?

What was Manifest Destiny?

What do you think will happen once a railroad connects the East to the West?
A National Railroad System (p. 424)

What is a transcontinental railroad?

What role did Congress play in the development of the first transcontinental railroad?

Why did the two companies agree to build the transcontinental railroad for the U.S. Congress?



Why did the two companies race?
How did Chinese immigrants contribute to the building of the transcontinental railroad?
How long did it take to build the transcontinental railroad and what year was it completed?

In which direction did the workers on the Central Pacific Railroad lay track?

Look at the photograph on page 424. What fuel did trains use as they traveled the transcontinental railroad?
Mining in the West (p. 424)

What is a gold rush?

What effect did the California gold rush have on people?

How did miners mine gold?

As miners modified the environment, what problems did they create?

Why do you think many farmers objected to mining?

Why did the miners use the poisonous metal mercury?
Cowboys and Ranchers (p. 425-426)

Why do you think that millions of cattle grazed freely across Texas following the Civil War?

Besides using railroads, how might western ranchers get their cattle to eastern markets?

How did ranching change because of the expansion westward?
The Impact of the railroads (p. 426)

How did the growing railroad system change the American economy?

How did the shipment of goods to the East change after the new railroads were built?

What is a cattle drive?

What did railroads bring west?

How did the new railroads affect farmers?

How do you think the railroad helped the lumber and mining industries?


What agricultural products did Texas have?
What mineral products did Texas have?

Which part of the nation had gold and silver?

What effect do you think the railroads will have on American Indians who lived in the West?

What did ranchers, miners, and settlers have in common as the nation expanded westward?

Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p. 422)
 Read to the class the Key Idea: “I will know how the expansion of the railroads changed American life.” Tell students in this lesson they will be learning about this quote and what it means to American History.

Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 422).

Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson.
Remind students that they will know how the expansion of the railroads changed American life. Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.

The Movement From East to West (p. 422-423)

A National Railroad System (p. 424)

Mining in the West (p. 424)

Cowboys and Ranchers (p. 425-426)

The Impact of the railroads (p. 426)
Remind students that they will know how the expansion of the railroads changed American life.
The Movement From East to West (p. 422-423)

While the eastern cities were crowded, the western United States offered people plenty of space to live and work. The West also had many resources. There was fertile farmland for growing wheat and other crops. The thick forests provided lumber, while the flat plains offered large grassy areas for grazing cattle.
Miners could search for rich deposits of minerals, such as gold and silver.
A National Railroad System (p. 424)

Many people supported building a transcontinental railroad, one that stretched across the country. Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, which gave the job of building the railroad to two companies. The Union Pacific Railroad Company would build a railroad west from Omaha, Nebraska. The Central
Pacific Railroad Company would build a railroad east from Sacramento, California. The government paid the companies with money and land as they went.
As a result, each one raced to finish first.
Mining in the West (p. 424)

The 1849 gold rush attracted people to California who wanted to find gold and become rich. Then years later, more gold was discovered throughout the West.
Miners also discovered silver, zinc, copper, and lead.
Cowboys and Ranchers (p. 425-426)

Cattle raised in the West provided beef for people living in the growing eastern cities. At the end of the Civil War, millions of cattle grazed freely across the open Texas plains. The land was better suited for ranching than for farming. But there was one problem. How could ranchers get their cattle to market?
The Impact of the railroads (p. 426)

The growing railroad system changed the economy across America. Raw materials from the West now shipped more quickly to factories and parts in the East.
Cowboys no longer guided cattle to market along dusty trails. Now these cattle drives ended at railroad towns, where the cattle were carried by train to
Chicago and to the coasts. At the same time, railroads carried products made in eastern factories to cities and towns in the West.
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here. (Please see this from above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions: (below is a sampling of the questions a teacher can use to evaluate student mastery).
1.
Identify and circle the following locations on the map: a.
The river that would take someone the farthest west b.
The geographic region that would be most difficult to cross by land c.
A major western city that people want to reach
2.
Fill in the boxes below to describe the economic resources in the West and the resources in the East.
3.
Identify and label the modern states that the transcontinental railroad crossed from Omaha to Sacramento.
4.
Explain how this water wheel helped improve the work of gold miners.
5.
Nat Love was a famous African American cowboy. Identify and circle three things in this picture (p.426) that give clues about what he did for a living.
6.
By 1920, westward expansion had given American access to many resources.
In the legend, (p.427) identify and circle five resources made accessible to the
East by the railroads.
7.
Identify ways in which the rapid growth of technological developments, such as the transcontinental rail affected the economy of the United States.
8.
You are on a train heading west during the 1890’s. Identify and explain the geographic features you will look for to find the best economic opportunities.
9.
Analyze the effects of migration and resources on economic growth and development during the 19 th century.

TEACHER: CLASS: 5 th Grade DATE:
January 20 M T W TH F
FRAME THE LESSON
Comparing Line and Bar Graphs
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline Verb=Italicize
24C: organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps
Objective/Key Understanding:

Use graphs to analyze complex information.

Understand that line graphs show how something has
Stop & Check for Understanding—High Level Questions
Preview the Sill (p. 428)

Name a subject that interests you.

Create line and bar graphs that show information about the subject.

 changed over time.
Understand that bar graphs compare different sizes or amounts of something.
Compare a line graph and a bar graph.
Closing Product/ Question/ Informal
Practice the Skill (p. 428)

What is the change in the amount of railroad track in the United States between 1860-1910?
Apply the Skill (p. 429)
Use the circle graph to interpret the information and answer the questions.
Resources/Materials:
Pearson’s 5
Building Our Nation
TE th
(p. 428-429)
Grade

Between 1860 and 1880, about how many miles of railroad track were built in the United States?


Between 1880 and 1900, about how many miles of railroad track were built in the United
Vocabulary:
States?
Suppose that you wanted to travel by rail in the United States. Could you travel to more places in
Assessment:
Apply the Skill (p. 429)
1890 or 1860? Explain.

Study the line graph. What is one generalization you can make about the data in this graph?

Now look at the bar graph. o What part of the country had the highest number of railroad miles in 1870? o What part of the country had the lowest number of railroad miles in 1870?

Suppose you made a graph recording the amount of rainfall in your community each day for one
Rigor & Relevance: (Real World
Connection) week. Which type of graph would help you more easily find the day with the most rain? Explain your answer.

How could you use a line and bar graph to compare what your day is like?

Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Preview the Skill (p. 428)
Before students read page 428, encourage students to practice using and comparing line and bar graphs.

Ask them to name a subject that interests them and create line and bar graphs that show information about that subject.

Help guide students toward appropriate Web sites that will provide them the information they need for the graphs.
Comparing Line and Bar Graphs (p.428)
Build background knowledge on comparing line and bar graphs. Use the following ideas to differentiate instruction for students when discussing how to give an effective presentation
Special Needs:

Display various examples of line and bar graphs. Ask what types of information each graph shows.
Extra Support:

Explain that line graphs show change over time, while bar graphs compare different sizes or amounts of something. Write a list of topics on the board that can be shown in line or bar graph form, such as the number of students in each grade at the school, or the total number of students at the school over the last five years. Ask student which graph is best to use for each topic. Walk students through setting up a line and a bar group for two of the topics.
On-Level:

Provide half the students with data to create line graphs, and the other half with data to create bar graphs. Allow students to work in pairs. Assign the data based on readiness level so you provide an appropriately challenging task to pairs.
Challenge/Gifted :

Have pairs of students select a topic for a line or a bar graph. Tell them to gather data and use that data to create the graph. Have students write an explanation of why the type of graph they chose was the best way to display their data.
Practice the Skill (p. 428).
Ask students to read the information on page 428 to learn how to compare line and bar graphs. Graphs show information in a visual way.
They help you to better understand facts in what you read, including in your social studies book. Reading a graph helps you to analyze complex information quickly.

Line graphs show how something has changed over time. The line graph to the right (p.428) shows the total number of miles of railroad tracks in the United
States. It presents this information over a period of time, from1860 to 1910. It helps you see how railroads changed in the United States during this period.
Each section of the line shows a change between years.

Bar graphs help you compare the different sizes or amounts of something by analyzing the size of each bar. Look at the bar graph to the right. It shows the miles of railroad track in different parts of the United States in one year, 1870. The numbers on the left side of the graphs show the number of miles of track.
The labels on the bottom of the graph show different regions of the country. Each bar represents a different region.
After students learn about comparing line and bar graphs, use the ELPS support note on page 422b to help the English Language Learners.
Create a limited bank of abstract and content-based words for students to use in speaking assignments, such as bar, bar graph, graph, line, line graph, total, title bar, track, and visual.
Beginning

Review the definitions of the words in the bank. Ten ask students to read the first paragraph on page 428. Have them use words from the bank to speak a short, simple sentenced about why people use graphs.
Intermediate

Continuing the strategy, ask students to read the second paragraph on page 428. Ask them to use the word bank to explain how line graphs are used. Then ask them to read the title bar of the line graph and explain what the graph shows.
Advanced

Pair students of similar abilities. Ask students to take turns making up complete sentences that use words from the bank to describe the line graph and its parts.
Advanced High

Pair students of similar abilities. Have them read the final paragraph on page 428. Ask them to take turns making up complete sentences about comparing line and bar graphs, and describing and comparing the two graphs on the page. Be sure they use words from the bank.
Have students work in groups to complete the Apply Activity. Alternatively, this activity can be assigned as homework.
Apply the Skill (p. 429)

Between 1860 and 1880, about how many miles of railroad track were built in the United States?

Between 1880 and 1900, about how many miles of railroad track were built in the United States?

Suppose that you wanted to travel by rail in the United States. Could you travel to more places in 1890 or 1860? Explain.

Study the line graph. What is one generalization you can make about the data in this graph?

Now look at the bar graph.
What part of the country had the highest number of railroad miles in 1870?
What part of the country had the lowest number of railroad miles in 1870?

Suppose you made a graph recording the amount of rainfall in your community each day for one week. Which type of graph would help you more easily find the day with the most rain? Explain your answer.

FRAME THE LESSON
Sodbusters and Homesteaders
TEACHER: CLASS: 5 th Grade DATE: January 21-22 M T W TH F
Student Expectations Bundled in Lesson
Noun=Underline Verb=Italicize
7A: describe a variety of regions in the United States such as political, population, and economic regions that result from
Resources/Materials
Pearson’s 5 th
Grade
Building Our Nation
TE patterns of human activity
9A: describe how and why people have adapted to and modified their environment in the United States, past and present, such as the use of human resources to meet basic needs
American Progress
21A: identify significant examples of art, music, and literature from various periods in U.S. history such as the painting
, "Yankee Doodle," and "Paul Revere's Ride";
23A: identify the accomplishments of notable individuals in the fields of science and technology, including Benjamin Franklin,
Eli Whitney, John Deere, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, the Wright Brothers, and Neil
(p. 430-435)
Armstrong
Objective/Key Understanding:

Summarize the work that settlers had to perform in order to build homes and farms, and irrigate the Great Plains.

Describe how and why people adapted to and modified the environment of the Great Plains.

Identify the accomplishments of John Deere, Joseph Glidden, Cyrus McCormick, and James Oliver.

Understand the creation of new states in the West led to the disappearance of the United States frontier.
Closing Product/
Question/ Informal
Assessment:
Got it Questions
1-8 (p. 430-435)
Rigor & Relevance: (Real World Connection) Vocabulary
Homestead Act
Dry farming homesteader drought sodbuster irrigation

Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions
160 Acres (p. 430-431)

What are the Great Plains?

What was the Homestead Act?

What is a homesteader?

What did settlers have to do to own the land they claimed under the Homestead Act

How did the Homestead Act affect immigrants?

What is a drought?

Of all the problems homesteaders faced, which do you consider to be the most serious?
 If you lived in a crowded eastern city in the 1860’s and 1870’s would you go west for 160 acres of land? Explain.
Adapting to the Environment (p. 432-433)

How did settlers adapt to the dry prairie land?

What is irrigation?

What system of irrigation did some settlers on the Great Plains use?

What is dry farming? What does it mean to conserve something?

Why were settlers on the prairie called sodbusters?
 Why didn’t settlers on the prairies usually build log cabins or wooden houses?

Why is there a farm animal standing on the roof of the house?

What materials were used to build sod houses? (p.433)

What do you think it was like living in a sod house? (p.433)

What might you ask homesteaders who ended up moving away?
Farming on the Great Plains (p. 433)

Why was there a need to invent a new kind of plow for the prairie?

What did John Deere do?
 Why did James Oliver’s new kind of iron plow become popular?

Why did farmers use barbed wire instead of building fences?

Which two farm machines were invented between 1830 and 1840?
“From Sea to Shining Sea” (p. 434)

How much land did homesteaders claim by 1900?

Between 1861 and 1907, which states were formed out of western territories?

How were the Oklahoma land rushes similar to the Homestead Act?

What is a frontier?

According to the map on page 434, which state in the west already had some settled areas in 1850?

According to the map on page 434, which places in the eastern half of the United States, were still unsettled in 1890?

Was Manifest Destiny a success? Why?

In the painting on page 435, why do you think that American Indians, buffalos, and bears all appear on the left, as if they were about to exit the painting?

What was it like for the sodbusters and homesteaders who went west and claimed 160 acres of land?

Engage
Explore
Explain
Elaborate
Evaluate
Introduce the Key Idea & Vocabulary (p. 430)

Read to the class the Key Idea:
“
I will know what it was like to be a homesteader in the nineteenth-century West.” Tell students in this lesson they will be learning about this quote and what it means to American History.

Go online to access the Lesson Introduction and discuss the Big Question and lesson objective (p. 430).

Students are to complete the Using the Words to Know Worksheet before reading the lesson.
Remind students that they will know what it was like to be a homesteader in the nineteenth-century West.” Each group is to read a section and be prepared to discuss and share findings with the class. Students are to read assigned sections and be prepared to share findings with class.

160 Acres (p. 430-431)

Adapting to the Environment (p. 432-433)

Farming on the Great Plains (p. 433)
 “From Sea to Shining Sea” (p. 434)
Remind students that they will know the people, battles, and events that led to the end of the Civil War
160 Acres (p. 430-431)

To encourage settlers to move west to the Great Plains and to areas beyond, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act of 1862. Under this law, new settlers received 160 acres of land for a small fee -$18.00. Homesteaders also had to build a home on their land within six months. After living there for five years, the land would be theirs.
Adapting to the Environment (p. 432-433)

Settlers learned to adapt, or change, so that they could live in their new homes. For example, farther west, the land became much dryer, and many kinds of wheat did not grow well there. But immigrants from Russia brought a new kind of winter wheat that could grew better in dry land.
Farming on the Great Plains (p. 433)

Sometimes farmers adapted to their new life by using natural resources. Other times, they used new technology. Inventors built new kinds of machines to help settlers farm their land and keep their crops safe.
“From Sea to Shining Sea” (p. 434)

Wave after wave of homesteaders pushed across the land toward the Pacific Ocean. By 1900 they had filed claims to own 80 million acres of land. The population of the western United States grew by almost 30 percent. Between 1861 and 1907, seven western territories became states: Kansas (1861), Nebraska
(1867), Colorado (1876), North Dakota (1889), South Dakota (1889), Montana (1889), and Oklahoma (1907).
Questions from the Stop and Check for Understanding- High Level Questions are to be used here. (Please see this from above).
Students will demonstrate mastery by completing the Got It Questions: (below is a sampling of the questions a teacher can use to evaluate student mastery).

Based on the photograph on page 430. What can you hypothesize about homesteaders?
 Complete the Venn diagram to compare life in your community today with homesteading on the plains in the 1860’s.

Draw a line to connect each invention to the year when it was invented. Write a title for the timeline.

Describe how settlers modified the environment of the United States between 1850 and 1890.

Explain how this painting reflects the times during which it was created.

Analyze the role of immigrants and pioneers in the growth of the United States.

On a Great Plains homestead you pass on your train, a farmer is harvesting a huge field of wheat, far more than a family could eat. Describe the role of the
Great Plains in the United States economy.

Identify the accomplishments of John Deere and explain how his invention mechanizing agriculture changed American life.