Unit One: Washington Exploring the Pacific Northwest Prior to Statehood
Themes:
1. Time, Continuity, and Change 2. Individual, Groups, and Institutions 3. People, Places, and Environment
Essential Questions:
1. What can history teach us about the world today? 2. What are the key events in Washington State history?
GLEs:
1. History
4.1.1 Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras.
4.2.1 Understand and analyzes how individuals causes change in Washington State history.
2. Economics
2.1.1 Understands and analyzes the costs and benefits of people's decision to move and relocate to meet their needs and wants.
3. Social Studies Skills
5.4.1 Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation.
5.4.2 Prepare a list of resource, including the title, author, and type of source, date published, and publisher for each source.
3. Geography
3.1.1 Constructs and uses maps to explain the movement of people.
3.2.3 Understand that the geographic features of the Pacific Northwest have influenced the movement of people.
Lesson One: States and Regions
Click here to preview this "5 Regions of the United States" unit plan from teachers pay teachers.
Click here to preview the "West Region" unit plan from the Teachers Pay Teachers website.
GLEConnection:
Geography: 3.1.1 Constructs and uses maps to explain the movement of people.
Geography: 3.2.3 Understand that the geographic features of the Pacific Northwest have influenced the movement of people.
Learning Target: I can identify and name the five regions and the states in each region.
SuccessCriteria: Students will name and describe the five regions through readings, worksheets, and creating an informational booklet for each region.
What: Students will learn about the five regions and the states that are in each region. They will read informational, nonfiction articles and create an informational booklet about the five regions to expand their knowledge of the United States. Prior to the next four lessons below, students will read about and complete worksheets for each regions, as well as, research and create informational booklets for each one. As a class, we will place more emphasis on the western region (Pacific Northwest) to set us up for the following activities. The Informational booklets the students create about the west region will be a helpful resource for the following lessons. Why: Students are citizens of the United States and some will potentially move to different states/regions. Therefore, students should learn about the different regions and why people decide to live where they do; especially the one they currently live in. The western region has a lot of history and culture behind it, which is important for our students to acknowledge.
Modifications:
More Support: Students needing more support may benefit from being placed into groups of two or three. This way they can read the articles and work through the activities together. This will help create conversation about the different regions and learn from each other.
More Challenge: Students needing more challenge will create a brochure or pamphlet about the five different regions. They could also include what region they would want to live in and why using the information they have learned.
Formative Assessment: 3-2-1 exit slip of 3 things they learned, 2 things they found interesting, and 1 question they still have for the region they learned about that day.
Lesson Two: Lewis and Clark: Into the Unknown
Click here to access the Lewis and Clark computer activity through PBS.
GLE Connection:
History:4.1.1Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras.
History:4.2.1 Understand and analyzes how individuals causes change in Washington State history.
Economics: 2.1.1 Understands and analyzes the costs and benefits of people's decision to move and relocate to meet their needs and wants.
Learning Target:I can complete my own expectation to the western region while observing and identifying historical sites and items.
Success Criteria: Students will use critical thinking to complete their own expectation to the western region on a computer game while observing historical sites and items along the way.
What: Students will learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the interactive computer game on the PBS website linked above. Students will read about the journey and events that happened during this historical expedition. They will then become the 'leaders of the expedition'. The computer game gives students a passage to read of where they are locationed in their expedition, as well as, the weather conditions, people they meet, food, plants, animals, shelter, etc. Students then have to decide where they should go next based on the problem they are faced with. For example, "Continue up the river? or Stop and wait out the storm?" For each decision they make throughout their expedition, students will write down:
The problem they were faced with?
What they decide to do?
Why they decided to do it?
What happened because of their choice?
I also would have them write down what they 'saw' on their expedition (plants, foods, animals, people, landforms, etc.).
Why: This activity is an interactive way to get students to learn the basics of the Lewis and Clark expedition before doing more in depth. This game allows students to understand the different paths Lewis and Clark could have taken and the different circumstances they encountered. This will also help students think about how maps were originally created, before GPS.
Modifications:
More Support: Because the reading may be more difficult for some students, working in a group of two may help. One student can read the first passage while the other student writes down notes. They would switch off reading and note-taking and would callaborte their ideas onto a shared paper.
More Challenge: Students needing more challenge can re-play the game, but this time they choose a different path then they did before. Have students compare and contrast their current expedition to their previous one.
Formative Assessment: I would have the notes they took about their expedition be used as an exit ticket. They will eventually be given back for students to use as guides for the following lessons.
Lesson Three: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Click here to access the articles for students to research and learn about the Lewis and Clark expedition through the Kids Discover website. There are also unit guides and lesson plans for teachers to access.
GLE Connection:
History:4.1.1 Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras.
History:4.2.1 Understand and analyzes how individuals causes change in Washington State history.
Social Studies Skills: 5.4.1 Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation.
Social Studies Skills: 5.4.2 Prepare a list of resource, including the title, author, and type of source, date published, and publisher for each source.
Learning Target: I can research and cite factual information about the journey and the historical events of The Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Success Criteria: Students will receive a topic to research and create a summary about the historical events of Lewis and Clark's expedition to the western region.
What: Students will be assigned a topic about the Lewis and Clark Expectation and the historical events (shown above). They will then research and read the articles they find about their specific topic. Using the information they found, they will create a list of the important information, as well as, cite the information they found/used on a reference page. Students will then create a page summary of all the information they found. They also will include pictures, quotes, dates, etc. As a class we will then use our summaries to create a large timeline of the Lewis and Clark expedition. This will help students understand the path Lewis and Clark used, why they choose to go where they did, and the historical events that happened (using the timeline). Students will use this timeline to compare and contrast with the Oregon Trail in the next lesson. The facts researched and the timeline created by the students will be used as a guide for the following lessons. Why: The Lewis and Clark expectation is one of the many reasons why we are able to live in the western region. Because of Lewis and Clark, maps of the western region of United States were created. It also gave Americans knowledge about the landforms, plants, animals, food, climate, etc. to determine if people could live there. This gave the pioneers the opportunity to move to the Pacific Northwest for a better life. Because of this expectations, we are able to live where we do today (The Pacific Northwest).
Modifications:
More Support: Students needing more support will be given a specific topic and website/article to research and read. This will help students feel less stressed about finding good articles. Instead they can focus on the materials and the overall assignment.
More Challenge: Students needing more of a challenge will create a pamphlet or brochure of their paper. Taking the websites/articles they researched, they will create a pamphlet or brochure along with their summaries.
Formative Assessment: Before turning in their completed summary, students will turn in a detailed outline, completed draft of their summary, and their resource page for review before getting the okay to place on the timeline.
Lesson 4: The Oregon Trail and The Pioneers
Click here to access The Oregon Trail website. This website has articles and facts for students to research and cite.
Click here to access the articles for students to research and learn about the Pioneers and the Oregon trail through the Kids Discover website. There are also unit guides and lesson plans for teachers to access.
GLE Connection:
History:4.1.1 Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras.
History:4.2.1 Understand and analyzes how individuals causes change in Washington State history.
Social Studies Skills: 5.4.1 Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation.
Social Studies Skills: 5.4.2 Prepare a list of resource, including the title, author, and type of source, date published, and publisher for each source.
Learning Target: I can research and cite factual information about the historical events of the pioneers and the Oregon Trail.
Success Criteria: Students will receive a topic to research and create a summary about the pioneers and the Oregon Trail.
What: Students will be assigned a topic about the Oregon Trail from this website. They will then research and read the articles they find about their specific topic (shown above). Using the information they found, they will create a list of the important information, as well as, cite the information they found/used on a reference page. Students will then create a page summary of all the information they found. They also will include pictures, quotes, dates, etc. As a class we will then use our summaries to create a large timeline on an outlined map of the Oregon Trail. This will help students understand the path the pioneers used and the historical events that happened (using a timeline). Students will then compare and contrast the map/timeline the class created with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The facts researched and the timeline created by the students will be used as a guide for the following activities. Why: The pioneers are one of the many reasons why people live in the Pacific Northwest. It is important for students to learn about the journey they had to take and why they took it because it is the reason why we live where we do today.
Modifications:
More Support: Students needing more support will be given a specific topic and website/article to research and read. This will help students feel less stressed about finding good articles. Instead they can focus on the materials and the overall assignment.
More Challenge: Students needing more of a challenge will create a pamphlet or brochure of their paper. Taking the websites/articles they researched, they will create a pamphlet or brochure along with their summaries.
Formative Assessment:Before turning in their completed summary, students will turn in a detailed outline, completed draft of their summary, and their resource page for review before getting the okay to place on the timeline.
Lesson 5: Historical Sites
Click here to view this activity from Literacy Loves Company website.
Click here for The Oregon Trail website for students to research and learn about the historical sites on the Oregon trail.
GLE Connection:
History: 4.1.1 Understands and creates timelines to show how historical events are organized into time periods and eras.
Economics: 2.1.1 Understands and analyzes the costs and benefits of people's decision to move and relocate to meet their needs and wants.
SocialStudiesSkills: 5.4.1 Draws clear, well-reasoned conclusions and provides explanations that are supported by artifacts and/or primary sources in a paper or presentation.
Social Studies Skills: 5.4.2 Prepare a list of resource, including the title, author, and type of source, date published, and publisher for each source.
Geography: 3.1.1 Constructs and uses maps to explain the movement of people.
Geography: 3.2.3 Understand that the geographic features of the Pacific Northwest have influenced the movement of people.
Learning Target: I can research and explore different historical sites on the Oregon Trail.
Success Criteria:Students can identify the different historical sites and the historical events that took place on the Oregon Trail.
What: Students are grouped into wagons. Each group will select a team leader (wagon master) to buy supplies they will need to lead the group through their journey on the Oregon Trail. Each wagon group will be assigned a historical site on the Oregon Trail to research and create a short summary of what they have learned about that site. Items that must be included in the summary are: the locals (natives), the landforms and climate conditions (dangers), the animals, the food, and supplies (may include cost). Each wagons' summary will be pinned to the large map of the Oregon Trail. Each wagon will earn points to help them move along the trail (following the historical Oregon Trail in which they learned about the previous lessons). As they move across the Oregon Trail map, they will learn about the landforms, native people, and the dangers pioneers faced throughout their journey to the Pacific Northwest.
Why: The pioneers are a huge part of United States History, specifically in the Pacific Northwest, where we live. It is important for students to understand why they live where they do. It is also important for students to understand why the pioneers took this long journey to Oregon and the challenges they were faced with. Had it not been for the pioneers and other historical people and events, then we would not be living where we do today.
Modifications: Students will be grouped in a mixture of academic abilities to support each other.
More Support: For the students who have a hard time with their writing skills, they will be aloud to use the computer to create digital journals. These students will also be placed in teams with the students who need more of a challenge as their leaders to help guide them along this activity.
More Challenge:These students will become the Wagon Masters in their groups. They will then need to research the prices of supplies during this time period and will the prices for the class. They can be in charge of trading and buying supplies for their wagon teams.
Formative Assessment: Students will have learned and created maps of the Oregon Trail. I will then have students write (or draw out on a map) each of the historical sites including 3 facts/things they learned, 2 things they found interesting, and 1 question they still have. This can be used as an exit ticket.
Summative Assessment: Pioneer Journals
Click here to view this activity from Literacy Loves Company website.
How to Does it work? Students will be learning about pioneer and "The Oregon Trail", so a great way to get students to extend their thinking is by telling their stories of this adventure as if they were actually there. When learning about the Oregon Trail, students will learn about the trail on the map and what the pioneers had to do. While students are learning about what the pioneers did, they would write down (create stories) in their journals about what they think they would be doing if they were there. Why? Pioneer Journals are a great way to extend your students' thinking when learning about "The Oregon Trail". By creating their own journals, students will create stories and make connections as if they were there. Writing about their travels, trade, the landforms, native people, and the dangers they face everyday; students are able to learn about the importance of the Oregon Trails and the pioneers.
Create a journal that you will write in as if you were a pioneer traveling to the pacific northwest. These journals will include:
Historical sites on the Oregon trail (learned about in lesson 5)
Hand drawn pictures of the regions on your current location (lesson 1)
Cited quotes and facts in your daily journal entries from trusted sources (lesson 3 and 4)
Any personal information about your journey (Lesson 3 and 4). For example:
Cost of food, clothes, water, etc.
The people you meet along the way
Animals and plants you see along the way
The landforms, weather, and climate conditions you encounter