Description

Westward Expansion & Indigenous People Unit

This Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit is a hands-on unit that combines history and language arts skills! Everything you need for teaching about the motivations for westward expansion and the impact of American westward expansion on Indigenous people. Save time planning, and your students will love completing the hands-on activities found in this unit.

For a closer look at the activities in this unit, see the product preview images at the top of the page!

What topics are covered in this Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit?

This Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit includes 5 detailed lesson plans. All lessons are hands-on and incorporate literacy skills. Students will investigate–

• Physical characteristics and climate of the West
• The motivations for American westward expansion
• Technology and innovations that helped Americans adapt to the physical characteristics and climate of the West (barbed wire, windmills, and steel plows)
• The effect that the growth of the United States had on Indigenous people, including the Indian Removal Act, Trail of Tears, Dawes Act, Seminole Wars, Apache Resistance, Nez Perce War, and the Battle of Little Bighorn

What types of resources are included in the unit?

A variety of no-prep activities are included in these unit plans.

• worksheets
• passages with comprehension questions
• hands-on activities
• map activities
• quiz
• test
• word wall cards
• timeline of suggested activities: Provides a timeline for using the activities included within this unit and provides links to websites featuring videos about concepts being taught.
• answer keys included throughout

Students will become fully immersed in learning about westward expansion as they complete hands-on activities and research past events!

Are digital resources included?

All of the passages and comprehension questions, most worksheets, the quiz, and the test within this Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit are also included in an interactive Google Slides format and can be shared with students using your Google Drive.

Video tutorials are included to help you share interactive Google Slides with your students.

What standards are covered?

This Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit is specifically aligned with the 2023 Virginia U.S. History SOL USII.1, although it closely matches most U.S. History standards related to teaching the motivations for westward expansion and the impact of American westward expansion on Indigenous people.

Don’t Miss Out!

You don’t need to spend hours creating your Westward Expansion & Indigenous People Unit! These lessons require minimal prep work and are easy to implement whether teaching in-person or virtually. Students will also enjoy learning about westward expansion as they complete hands-on activities and read passages.

 

Want to Save Money?

This Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Unit is included in my U.S. History 1865 to Present Bundle for a discounted price!

 

You may also be interested in:

• Westward Expansion and Indigenous People Task Cards
• U.S. History 1865 to Present Task Cards Bundle

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Other Information:

©Meghan Vestal, Vestal’s 21st Century Classroom LLC. All rights reserved. This product is to be used by the original downloader only. Copying for teachers, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view. Teachers may NOT upload the product to school/district servers, or to any website, or share digital or print copies. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). All sales are final.