Westward
Expansion Project
Our class is conducting an investigation of Westward Expansion. Students are working on individual research projects
exploring a specific topic within this area of study.
What is
involved in this study?
Students need to research their topic using a minimum of
three electronic sources and one non-electronic source.
Students will be giving class presentations to teach classmates about the
topic. As a part of the
presentation, each student will be reading her/his article, and in addition to
the article, need a poster or display board depicting the topic. Also, a creative product (i.e. a model, diagram, diorama,
PowerPoint, etc.) will be needed. Students
may choose to write additional note cards to use during the presentations.
Special Note: Using the
internet, in class, students will locate and download music that was popular
during the time of their area of study. The song lyrics need to be printed
out and displayed during the presentation. Students will interpret the
lyrics to gain a better understanding of what was happening and the feeling of
various people at the time.
To
find music on specific themes, students may google Westward Expansion Music or
the specific theme, (ex. Gold Rush Music) or click on the following sites:
Country
and Western Midi Music
The
Story of Westward Expansion Through Music
Popular Songs in American
History
Cowboy
Songs
The Great Plains
Songbook
Pioneers
This site has history and music links. It is sponsored by ThinkQuest.
....If you find a great site, let us know!
Students will also develop an assessment piece for this
project to be used to determine their classmates' understanding of the
presentation topic.
*Rubrics will be used to evaluate student research, writing, and
presentations.
Goals:
«
To learn through investigation when and why westward expansion occurred and to
understand what effects this movement west had on the country and the people
throughout the past and into the present.
«
To learn about westward expansion by accessing and reviewing sources of
information, using what is most beneficial to your study.
«
To present your learning to your audience in a meaningful and effective manner.
« To assess what the audience has learned from your presentation.
To the People
and Projects
Comments? Email Mrs. Gurwicz
Last Updated: 04/14/07