Western Expansion

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 7 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #1,433 in How-To, #15,439 overall

Lessons about the West

Travel back in time to the western frontier of the United States with us to learn about the brave men and women who traveled the hard trails to make the west their new home! Why would they move far from their families and homes, push through the unknown dangers, risk their lives, and work so hard to make a new home? Let's find out as we study the west!

Thank you to one of my favorite graphic artists, Mr. Phillip Martin for his clip art. Check out his site for many more fantastic educational clip art pieces.

This lens is dedicated to my friend Penelope for her inspiration and encouragement! :D

**Special Announcement!!** 

Please forgive me for being so bold, I've never ask for something like this before, but this is really important to me. I recently found out that one of my unit studies, the Lewis & Clark Expedition, has been nominated for the "2009 Giant Squid Awards" at Squidoo.com!!! This was a giant shock to me and I am very humbled that anyone would want to nominate a unit of mine. If you have used or enjoyed any of my units, would you please consider voting for this unit? Information on how to vote is on the above link. Thank you so much!

Western Lapbooks 

Westward Ho! Lapbook Unit
This is a fantastic lapbook from "Dynamic 2 Moms". It contains information and mini books for a lapbook about:

Time Period 1803 - 1890, Timeline, Pony Express, Flora & Fauna of the West, Fact Cards, Buffalo Bill, Daniel Boone, James Cooper Fenimore, Artists, '49's, Battle of the Alamo, Manifest Destiny, Vocabulary, Oregon Trail Supplies & Trail Book, Banners, Copywork, Pecos Bill Writing Prompt, Transportation, Transcontinental Railroad, Game & Game Cards, Pictures, and other wonderful ideas! Their materials are beautiful and exciting ~ we can't wait to dig into them!
Where the Buffaloes Begin
From Homeschool Share - "Summary - An Indian Legend of the Buffalo rising from a sacred lake is retold by the oldest man in the tribe. A Plains Indian boy shows bravery by leading the buffalo away from the enemy tribe. The story has been passed on through the Blackfeet Indians as a legend."

Thank you Lisa, Celia, and Ami! This unit includes activities for: Social Studies (geography, Native culture - housing, food, transportation, clothing, lifestyle, Lewis & Clark), Bible & Character study, Language Arts (legends, writing, vocabulary, copywork, literary elements), Art (realism, artists, Caldecott Award), Math (calendar, story problems, shapes, fractions), Science (plants, sound, animal tracks, five senses, endangered animals), Several hands on activities, Resource list of books and site links. Awesome unit! :D
Westward Ho!
Unit Connections - units on homeschool share that work well with a western study.
Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad
A literature lapbook unit from Homeschool Share. It contains all the lesson plans, lapbook pieces, and a board game!

Western United States Photos 

Pictures to decorate a lapbook, notebook, or poster in your studies.

God's Grace by Rennett Stowe

God's Grace

Yosemite in the Morning by Rennett Stowe

Yosemite in the Morn...

Amtrak Train by Rennett Stowe

Amtrak Train

Bookstore Recital transition zone, a little bit intellectual a little bit country, piano, Abraxus Books, Ballard, Seattle, Washington, USA by Wonderlane

Bookstore Recital tr...

Irrigation Pipe by Rennett Stowe

Irrigation Pipe

automatically generated by Flickr

Start researching the West 

Western Expansion
Resource list of lessons, materials, and educational sites about the western frontier for teachers and students from Mr Donn.
American West Resources
A great place to get an overview of the American West with materials for reinforcing lesson concepts ~ Timeline of Main Events, Geographical areas of North America, Manifest Destiny, Native Relationships, Gold Rush, Mountain Men, and the Cattle Industry.

Contains short but direct articles to read about the American West; printable information sheets, worksheets, and puzzles; online word searches, crossword puzzles, and quizzes.
Westward Ho!
Designed by a 5th grade class, this site contains an Online Timeline of the West, a map of the Louisiana Purchase land, the Lewis & Clark Expedition and Western Exploration, the War of 1812, Battlefield Sites, Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Andrew Jackson, Sacagawea, Native American, the Mexican War, online activities and puzzles, links, and sources. The children and teacher created a fun, colorful, easy to understand unit. :)
Western Expansion
Western Webquest
*Westward Ho!
Learn many things about the west ~ people, tall tales, law enforcement, transportation, quiz, and resources.
American Expansion Online Game
Jeopardy style fun!
Our America ~ Western Expansion
Another awesome adventure from Scholastic

Find Out More About the West 

Interactive Resources for Teachers
Scroll down near the bottom of the page and click on "Western Expansion" .

Kids will enjoy exploring through these sections in this interactive unit:
Exploration - 11 pages of info plus a "More Info" Timeline window to open at the bottom.
Games - 4 match the correct answer type of quiz-games.
Tools - printable activity list and certificate printer.
Extensions - investigation research, map project, or "Add Your Own" activities like making a list of facts, researching a topic, or interviewing someone about a topic.
Western Expansion & Reform (1829 - 1859)
Several history articles, pictures, sound and video clips from America's Library.
Westward Ho!
Article from Weekly Reader
United States Geography Game
Click and drag the state names to the proper states - beat your own score and time.
From Sea to Shining Sea: Exploring Expansion
ยท From Sea to Shining Sea: Exploring Expansion http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01547/index.htm Webquest
Western Expansion Projects
PDF files of project ideas for younger and older children, and a Western Expansion Test

Take a Ride on the Pony Express 

Pony Express
This is a very kid friendly website! ~ The Basics, Links to Explore, Go on one of the Pony Express Webquests. Lesson Vocabulary and related links.
The Pony Express
A mini unit study by Easy Fun School ~ Read an article about the pony express and answer reading comprehension questions; complete a word search; jerky and other recipes; horse lesson and crafts.
The Pony Express
Pages on history, riders, stations, maps, museums, statues, "Pony Tales", books, links, and quiz.
Pony Express Information
Lists all the most important facts about this way of mail delivery.

Ponies on the Express 

Pony Express Quiz 

Read "Pony Express Information" from the above link, then try the quiz to see what you remember ~ don't look back until after you take the quiz! :)

Read "Pony Express Information" from the above link, then try the quiz to see what you remember ~ don't look back until after you take the quiz! :)

The Covered Wagon 

Mini Van of the 1800's

Covered Wagon
A nice picture of a wagon labeled with parts and descriptions; also contains an informative article.
Covered Wagon
Small article about the wagon.
Inside a Pioneer Covered Wagon
Imagine putting all your belongings and necessities in a small wagon with your family ~ what would you pack?
Covered Wagon
Directions to make a covered wagon.
Conestoga Wagons
Nice teacher guide including language arts, math, science, art, cooking, and research.
Westward Ho!
This sure looks fun! The next wagon train leaves in 2010 - but until then, there are some interesting ideas and resources to use. All aboard!
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
Find out how to get ready for the trip and what life was like on the trail by searching for answers to several western questions.

Pictures of the West 

Horses at Sumnervale by Tim Musson

Horses at Sumnervale

Cactuses, cogs, and other things that start with C by quinn.anya

Cactuses, cogs, and...

Lebanon Christmas Parade by R.P. Piper

Lebanon Christmas Pa...

Cacti by .Bala

Cacti

The Ride by DenverDwellings

The Ride

automatically generated by Flickr

Blogs about Western Expansion 

Zionist Anti-Communist: Obvious Traitor File: Western Communists ...
I don't want to accuse anyone of being aggressive [with respect to US plans to install a missile defense system in Poland and Czech Republic]. That balance will be upset completely and one side will have a feeling of complete security and ... The process of NATO expansion has nothing to do with modernization of the alliance or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it is a serious factor provoking reduction of mutual trust. The legitimate use of force can only ...
Mrs. Hamilton's Class: Touring Asia
I plan to use the third grade social studies core to teach this lesson. I will meet the following standard. Standard 1- Students will understand how geography influences community location and development. ... With westward expansion, why do you think so many people chose to live in California? Which land form have we seen in all of these places? http://www.foreclosureconnections.com/images/San-Diego-ca.jpg, Terrain, street view. Thailand, Using the kids' culturegrams, ...
Zen & the art of chicken house maintenance. - Free Online Library
By the way, here's lesson number one: If you're working shirtless, don't grab up huge armfuls of insulation to carry away for disposal. Fiberglas makes your belly itch. For a long time. "What's that dark brown mass?" I wondered, as I looked at a .... I don't want to have to chase this roof all over Log Cabin log cabin or log house, style of home typical of the American pioneer on the Western frontier of the United States in the great westward expansion after 1765. ...
Literature Response Lesson Plans
Although this lesson is based on the book "Night", by Elie Wiesel, there are many books and topics that could fit into this literature response structure (e.g., dust bowl, slavery, Westward Expansion, or immigration). ...

Happy trails, friends! 

Give this quiz a try before you head out into the sunset!

More to come ...

More to come ...

Related Lenses 

 

Thank you for resting your feet and watering your horses here for awhile! 

submit

 

Lensmaster JoyfulPamela has been a member since May 31 2009, has rated 503 lenses, favorited 389, and has created 50 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "A Christmas Carol Unit Study". See all my lenses

by JoyfulPamela

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs! Psalm 100:1-2

Hi! My name is Pamela an... (more)

Explore related pages

Create a Lens!