LESSON 8.15 Manifest Destiny
Learning targets
(clear, understandable versions of standards in
student friendly language)

Learn why Americans thought they had
the right, or Manifest Destiny, to spread
their country and culture west.

Learn the ways in which the United
States acquired land from 1803-1853.

Learn how other groups of people,
besides Americans, were affected by
Manifest Destiny.

Learn why many Americans wanted to
move west into newly acquired
American territories.

Learn why Oregon was a popular
destination for settlers during Manifest
Destiny.

Learn how and why the US acquired
Alaska and Hawaii.
Language objectives
(identified cognitive functions correlated to the
learning targets, such as sequence,
compare/contrast, cause/effect, infer, and argue,
as well as the signal words to be deliberately
taught/used in discussion and writing; sentence
frames in support section)
POST ON WALL
Orally and in writing, use sequencing terms
to describe the timeline of US land
acquisition during the period of Manifest
Destiny.
History Alive! Preview activity
(builds background; links to student experience)
Look at United States flag and ask students
how many stars are on flag and what they
represent. Then ask them how many the
flag started with. Finally, tell them that in
this chapter they will learn how the US
gained all those new stars on its flag.
Pre-assessment activities/documents
(serves as self-assessment for students; informs
instruction for teachers; charts or documents
may be used as a place to gather
concepts/information throughout lesson through
debriefing; may include visuals, lesson
SUMMARY OVERVIEW
History Alive! lesson plan
This chapter focuses on Manifest Destiny
and westward expansion of the United
States and how and why this expansion
occurred. In the chapter there are four main
areas of study and understanding:
Recommended changes to HA! lesson
plan
The following are time-saving activity
suggestions:
 Include Young People’s History reading
for only first half of Ch. 8
 Use United Streaming to highlight
Learning Targets
 Use Graphic Organizer map activity in
ISN that identifies specific land
acquisitions during Manifest Destiny.
Divide class into sections to complete
and present.
Flexible grouping pattern of the lesson
 Teacher guided reading and musical
and visual analysis
 Think-Pair-Share
 Whole class discussion
 Group work and presentation
 Some independent work in ISN
15.1- Introduction
 Read aloud 15.1 and discuss
Transparency 15 (p.197)
 Introduce Placard 15
 Show Schoolhouse Rock video “Elbow
Room” (3:00)
 Cornell Notes
 Key vocabulary: Manifest Destiny
15.2-The Louisiana Purchase
 Use Graphic Organizer
 Read text with special focus on theme of
“common man” and “people’s President”
 Complete ISN Reading Notes Situation
1
 Cornell Notes
 Key vocabulary: Louisiana Purchase
15.3-Florida
 Read text with “Turn & Talk” protocol
and note role Andrew Jackson played in
questions, lesson vocabulary, language
objectives, and/or learning targets)
SWYAK- Show What You Already Know
Lesson questions
(drive instruction; may create links to previous
learning; may be included in pre-assessment)
 What were the reasons that the US
thought it was their right to expand into
western N. America?

What are the main ways the US
acquired land during the period of
Manifest Destiny?

How and from whom did the US acquire
the Louisiana Territory?

How were other cultural groups affected
negatively by the United States
westward expansion?

Why was Oregon a popular destination
for settlers moving west?

How did the acquisitions of Alaska and
Hawaii help the United States
economically?
Additional background building
(streaming video segments, DVD, map review,
read aloud of a related piece of fiction, etc.)
Young People’s History Chapter 8 pp.
115- 128
Schoolhouse Rock: ”Elbow Room” access
via internet
United Streaming video segment: “Native
America: Expansion” (14:31)
United Streaming video: Gone West:
The Growth of a Nation (26:25)
United Streaming video: How the USA
grew from 13 Colonies to 50 States.
(22:00)
Key content vocabulary (italicized words
are assessed)
FL
 Complete ISN Reading Notes Situation
2
 Cornell Notes
 Key vocabulary: diplomacy
15.4-Texas
 Read text both Read Aloud and
independently
 Complete ISN Reading Notes Situation
3
 Key vocabulary: The Alamo, annexation
15.5-Oregon Country
 Read text independently then complete
a Think, Pair, Share. Emphasize why
settlers wanted to move to the Oregon
Territory
 Show United Streaming video Gone
West: The Growth of a Nation (26:25)
 Cornell Notes
 Complete ISN Reading Notes Situation
4
 Key vocabulary: Lewis & Clark, Oregon
Trail, missionaries,
15.6-War with Mexico
 Use Young People’s History Ch. 8 pp.
115-128 as a primary text source
 Read HA! Text p. 208 on Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo
 Complete ISN Reading Notes Situation
5
 Key vocabulary: Mexican War, treaty,
cession
**Reference p. 400-401 for Alaska &
Hawaii**
28.2-America Stretches its Wings
 Read aloud 28.2
 Connect the idea of imperialism with
Alaska (minerals and later oil) and
Hawaii (naval bases and sugar
plantations)
 Write argumentative letter to editor
about why/why not US should annex
Hawaii
 Cornell Notes
 Key vocabulary: imperialism
15.7-Chapter Summary & Review
 United Steaming video: How the USA
Manifest Destiny
Louisiana Purchase
Lewis & Clark
Westward migration
Diplomacy
Treaty
Annexation
Oregon Trail
Missionaries
Cession




Grew from 13 Colonies to 50 States
(22:00)
Read aloud 14.8 Chapter summary
Use Graphic Organizer to make cut-out
of US land acquisitions and complete
puzzle paste activity
Again analyze Transparency 15 and the
complete ISN Processing 15
End unit with another viewing of
Schoolhouse Rock’s “Elbow Room.”
READING SUPPORTS
Lesson-specific instructional supports http://groups.teachtci.com/
* see Enrichment Plan for Compacting/Extensions
Suggested strategies for
Focus pages/paragraphs
Thinking/Processintroduction Interactive Readfor guided reading group
Related Words (for
Aloud
example Bloom’s
etc.)
Read Aloud by Teacher
Key paragraphs from the
Compare
Turn & Talk
chapter:
Contrast
Think, Pair, Share
p. 197 ¶ 2 & 7
Identify
Independent reading
p. 199 ¶ 4 & 5
Argument
p. 200 ¶ 7
Refute/rebut
p. 201 ¶ 1
p. 203 ¶ 9 & 10
p. 204 ¶ 4
p. 205 ¶ 1, 2, 3
p. 208 ¶ 2
p. 400 ¶ 6
WRITING SUPPORT
Lesson-specific instructional supports http://groups.teachtci.com/
* see Enrichment Plan for Compacting/Extensions
Sentence frames for parts
of the lesson
DISCUSSION SUPPORT
Lesson-specific instructional supports http://groups.teachtci.com/
*see Enrichment Plan for Compacting Extensions
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS (for student and teacher use)
“Check for understanding”
Checkpoints in Student
Questions for
points during activities
Interactive Notebook
exit and entrance
slips


Check for understanding of
Manifest Destiny after 15.1.
Check for understanding after
15.6 of the four ways of land
acquisition, purchase, treaty,
annexation, war
Check Processing 15 in the
ISN. Students should have
an understanding of why
Manifest Destiny gave the
US a reason to expand
westward.
Use lesson questions
to guide entrance and
exit slips


Check for understanding after
28.2 on why the US acquired
Alaska and Hawaii
Check for understanding at the
end of the unit to also
emphasize that numerous
cultural groups were negatively
impacted by Manifest Destiny.
Processing Assignment
REVIEW
Games
(also serves as a formative
assessment)
Use territorial acquisition
cut-outs (see Placard 15) to
have groups timed to finish
putting land puzzle together
quickest.
RECCOMMEND LESSON ASSESSMENT AND KEY
Assessment
Key
Other