Westward Expansion
Grade 5
By:
Amy Adams
Elizabeth Meyer
Neil Manning
Westward Expansion
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The Fifth grade focuses on the
Revolutionary war era.
Westward Expansion is an
integral part of this era.
Westward Expansion is a key
theme to learn to understand
how the United States formed.
Many of the events during
Westward Expansion help to
explain our society and
geography of today.
Objectives
American Heritage

The students will:
Identify significant
individuals form the
region’s past…
 Use time lines to explore
causes and effects
relationships…
 Investigate the influence of
geography on the history of
the region.

American Heritage
Web Sources
 www.ushistory.org Site containing all of American history
contacts.
 www.tntech.edu/www/acad/hist/history.html This site has
many options to categorize and research historical events.
 www.mpm.edu/collect/hresearch.html This site is the
Milwaukee Museum site, which contains many references
pertaining to westward expansion and the people involved.
 www.edsoasis.org/TGUILD/Lessons/born.html This site
has great lesson ideas for history.
 www.saber.net/~paloeser/ This site has many links to
history pages and ideas.
American Heritage
Activities
 Students will create a biography board for a key person
who lived during Westward Expansion.
 Students will act out a play involving many of the famous
people from this time period.
 In the library the students will research a famous person
and write a report on the person’s accomplishments.
 The students will create a timeline of events during the
westward expansion.
 In journals the students will write about how life has
changed into what it is today.
Objectives
People in Societies

The students will:
Use appropriate maps to
locate sources of major
migrations…
 Describe how customs and
traditions of immigrant
groups have affected the
American society
 Read stories about
individuals who represent
various cultural groups…

People in Societies
Web Sources
 www.si.edu/organize/meseums/amerind/pub/pubdance.ht
m This site has many Native American traditions and
dances.
 www.photius.com/wfb/wfb1999/united_states/united_state
s_geography.html This site has geographic information of
all of the countries.
 www.bn.com This is the site of Barnes and Nobles a well
known site for book references.
 www.religion-online.org This site holds vast arrays of
religious documents.
 www.corvinia.org/history/hi-mode.html Has many
resources for historical dates and events.
People in Societies
Activities
 The students will fill in maps defining where major
populations came from.
 Students will study Native American’s beliefs.
 Students will read books from many cultural areas
pertaining to the different populations.
 An in-class activity where the students are given a small
amount of money and many unexplainable taxes for their
learning.
 Study various religions and their differences.
World Interactions
During Westward Expansion
 The
learner will identify significant
individuals from the region’s past and
explain the impact they had on the cultural
heritage of the United States.
 The
learner will utilize a variety of
resources to find different informative
perspectives about North America.
Web Sites

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http://score.rims.kiz.ca.us/
grade5/index.html
http://www.americanwestc
enter.org/pages/Eventsmai
nback.html
http://www.americaslibrar
y.gov/pages/jb_0814_oreg
on_1.html
http://www.lessonplanspa
ge.com/SS45.htm
http://www.pbs.org/weta/t
hewest/
Activities

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Write a 1-2 page report on a person who had a great impact
on America between 1789 and 1850.
Go on a field trip to the Heritage Festival to learn about
life during the Westward Expansion.
Play through the Oregon Trail on CD-ROM and write
down your thoughts of how life would be back then.
Create a problem that a pioneer may have faced, and
brainstorm the possible decisions to be made and (+/-)
consequences that would arise from each choice.
Read a fictional/nonfictional book with a setting in
America between 1789 and 1850.
Decision Making & Resources
During Westward Expansion
 The
learners will compare the reasons
different cultures had for coming to
America, and describe the influence their
customs had on the American way of life.
 The
learners will read stories about
individuals who represented various cultural
groups and compare the problems the
groups encountered.
Web Sites

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http://members.aol.com/ca
lebj/dir.html
http://www.pbs.org/weta/t
hewest/wpages/wpgs400/
http://www.lessonplanspa
ge.com/SS45.htm
http://x.ed.uiuc.edu/YLP/9
7-98/97-98_units/9798miniunit/JAugustine_13Coloni
es/13colonies.html
http://www.pbs.org/weta/t
hewest/
Activities

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Write a 1-2 page paper about why Europeans sailed to
America on the Mayflower
Hold a Show-n-Tell of different traditions and customs
brought to America from Europe.
Read a book about an individual who represented a
particular cultural group between 1789 and 1850.
Create your own country that your classmates would
migrate to in order to be free, and write 1 page about the
expansion of the country, the people their and their
traditions.
Lead a discussion about why people would want to leave
everything to come to America and then expand westward.
Democratic Processes

The learner will examine
and interpret examples of
political activity as
applications of the
characteristics of
American democracy.
Web Sites

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http://www.nps.gov/jeff/musour.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Athe
ns/Academy/6617/west.html
http://www.connectingstudents
.com/themes/west.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic
.com/features/97/west/
http://tess.uis.edu/www/448sp9
9/westward.html
Activities

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Play on-line game, “Go West Across America with Lewis and
Clark”
Research the Homestead Act, write a paper explaining why only 160
acres of land was offered to those settling the west.
Watch The American Experience miniseries “TR, The Story of
Theodore Roosevelt”
Research and present one of the U.S.’s current policies and compare
and contrast to policies during western expansion
Research the goals of a third political party in U.S. history. Create a
chart of the similarities and differences between that party and the
contemporary mainstream parties.
Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities
The learner will
differentiate between facts
and opinions and between
relevant and irrelevant
information when
examining national issues.
 The learner will reflect
dispositions that will
enhance the learner’s
effectiveness in
influencing group action.

Web Sites
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http://www.pbs.org/lewisandcl
ark/into/intro.html
http://americanhistory.about.co
m/homework/americanhistory/
msub20.htm
http://www.highpoint.net/dept/library/expansio
nwest.htm
http://www.rochesterschools.co
m/rms/wexp.htm
http://americanwest.com/pages
/westwrd2.htm
Activities
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Students will explore, online, and respond to the Museum of
Westward Expansion
The students will compile a list of rules and regulations the party
will follow on the trail
Play an on-line game called Lewis and Clark
Participate in a western expansion Web Quest
Participate in an online discussion with a historian
Conclusion
The westward expansion of our country had, and continues to have, a
profound affect on our lives, as citizens of the United States. There
is a lot we can learn from the history of America, that can help us
understand and appreciate the changes our country has gone through.
Just as exploration expanded our nation it also expands our minds.
EXPLORE and EXPAND the possibilities!!!
REALLY!!