The students will write a blog about either The Trail of Tears, the Lewis and Clark Expedition or the role of women pioneers in the West. The students will publish their completed blog on the web.
California Academic Standard(s)
- 8.8.2 - Describe the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives associated with westward expansion, including the concept of Manifest Destiny (e.g., Lewis and Clark Expedition, accounts of the removal of Indians, the Cherokees' "Trail of Tears", settlement of the Great Plains) and the territorial acquisitions that spanned numerous decades.
- 8.8.3 - Describe the role of pioneer women and the new status that western women achieved ( e.g., Laura Ingalis Wilder, Anneie Bidwell; slave women gaining freedom in the west, Wyoming granting suffrage to women in 1869.
Class Time - (5) 50 minute classes
Total Time - Two Weeks
Goal
Students will acquire critical thinking skills while describing key events, accounts and life in America during the westward expansion.
Learning Styles
- Auditory
- Linguistic
- Logical
- Intrapersonal
Lesson Plan
Anticipatory Set (10 min)
The instructor will show the class examples of different blogs using the computer and overhead projector.
Direct Instruction (20 min)
The instructor will briefly describe the blog project to the class and provide the students a handout with directions.
Directions
Working independently, you will create a blog for one of the following:
- Lewis and Clark expedition
- Cherokees Trail of Tears
- The role pioneer women during westward expansion
There needs to be a minimum of five posts on your blog. The blog can be organized chronologically, event-based or theme-based.
- Step One: Choose one of the three blogs ideas
- Step Two: Research and take notes
- Step Three: Decide how you will organize the blog
- Step Four: Using pen and paper, write the different posts for the blog. There needs to be a minimum of five posts (more if chronological-based).
- Step Six: Design your blog using the blog software
- Step Seven: Write the blog posts on the blog website and publish
The students, working independently, will choose the blog subject, research, take notes and write the blog posts using pen and paper. The instructor will work with each student to make sure they understand the lesson and remain on task.
Independent Study (50 min)
The students will complete writing the blog and check grammer and spelling.
Checks for Understanding
The instructor will review the blogs for grammatical and spelling and provide feedback to the students.
Direct Instruction (25 min)
The instructor, using the computer and overhead projector, will go over the blog software with the students. The instructor will make sure the students know how to design and write their blog.
Guided Practice (60 min)
The students, working in the computer lab, will design and write the posts on their blog.
Checks for Understanding
The instructor will review the published blogs.
Direct Instruction (30 min)
The instructor will summarize the key points of the westward expansion and discuss the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Trail of Tears and the role of women on the frontier.