Today’s Walking Classroom focuses on the Westward Expansion of American settlers from the east-coast colonies. People left the colonies because they wanted free land or religious freedom, and others were looking to start a new life or make a fortune. The expansion caused wars with other countries and cost the U.S. millions of dollars. In the end, Americans acquired new land and developed new ideas, such as a mail delivery system and a railroad system that went across the country to unite our now expanded nation.
Character Value: Goals
Click for Standards Alignment
Common Core
L–Language | SL–Speaking and Listening | RI–Reading: Informational | RL–Reading: Literature | W–Writing | RH–6-8 Literacy in History/Social Studies | RST–6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects Elementary School:RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.4
RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.6, SL.4.1, SL.4.4
RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.3, RI.5.6, SL.5.1, SL.5.4
Middle School:
RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, SL.6.1, SL.6.4
RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.3, SL.7.1, SL.7.4
RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.3, SL.8.1, SL.8.4
RH.6-8.4
Supplemental Resource Links and Downloads
Quiz: (Make sure you're already logged into your Gmail account, then click to copy this Google form to your Google Drive. Quiz keys are here.)
Westward Expansion Google Quiz
Slide Deck:
Westward Expansion Slide Deck
Travel back to the 19th century in this group project.
Travel back in time with this virtual field trip of the Oregon Trail from History Globe.
Get immersed in the retro world of the 1971 Oregon Trail computer game in this online game.
Take on the perspective of a pioneer and journal your experiences on the Oregon Trail in this activity.
Engage with Westward Expansion via a pioneer word search, vocabulary bingo, and vocabulary quiz, all in a resource guide from the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretative Center.
Simulate westward travel, rotating through stations until the end of the trail is reached. Reflect on the experience and compose a journal entry to share with the class in this Lifelab.org activity.
See More Podcasts in Subject Area: Social Studies
See More Themed Groupings that Contain this Podcast: Westward Ho