Westward Expansion PBL
Welcome to your first Project Based Learning Activity. You and your guildmates are getting ready to start out on an exciting trip! Between 1800 and 1850 the United States went through a dramatic period of changes to become a nation more like we know it today. When you return from you travels in the 19th century you and your guild will document your adventures and produce a digital newspaper that will inform everyone of your travels, what you have seen, and how you feel about what you have seen, as well as any other information you deem as important or interesting information to have.
Introduction
You will be traveling back in time with your handy dandy time machine to the 19th century. Depending on your role you will be mapping out territory and documenting new discoveries, searching for gold in California, riding in a Conestoga wagon to Oregon, being kicked out of your homeland and traveling west, or a slave that has escaped from a plantation in South Carolina and moved to New York.
|
Steps
Each member of your guild will have one or two interactive roles that you will take on in this quest. Each role has a driving question that you re required to answer in your research oriented goal. Each one of you are working for a brand new newspaper company in the Early 19th century and you will chronicle the major events in the Market Economy and Westward Expansion.
After you complete your individual role research, you will then come together and build your very first newspaper edition by following the template that is provided. EVERY PART of the newspaper must be filled in. You will have add pictures, advertisements, articles, editorials, etc. There is also a rubric provided to show you how this PBL will be graded. I am excited to see the creativity of the newspapers that you create! |
ROle 1 - 49er Searching for gold
Include an advertising poster for your Gold Panning Company. Discuss your journey to California in terms of meeting people heading to the same place as you as well as people who are returning from the gold rush. Also mention how you made out in California. Did you get rich? Who did you meet? Would you recommend this lifestyle?
DRIVING QUESTION: How did the discovery of gold impact the economy and population of California? |
RESEARCH LINKS
California Gold Rush - This is a website from the official website of California. It is a brief history of the Gold Rush, but at the bottom it includes links to other sites that have much more information regarding the historical aspect of the Gold Rush.
Gold Rush: This website is dedicated to the California Gold Rush. There are many helpful links at this site, but the most interesting part is the pictures that are available for viewing.
San Francisco Gold Rush: This is the site for the Virtual Museum of San Francisco. There is an entire section dedicated to the California Gold Rush of 1849 and it provides many links to access other sites with helpful information.
California Gold Rush - This is a website from the official website of California. It is a brief history of the Gold Rush, but at the bottom it includes links to other sites that have much more information regarding the historical aspect of the Gold Rush.
Gold Rush: This website is dedicated to the California Gold Rush. There are many helpful links at this site, but the most interesting part is the pictures that are available for viewing.
San Francisco Gold Rush: This is the site for the Virtual Museum of San Francisco. There is an entire section dedicated to the California Gold Rush of 1849 and it provides many links to access other sites with helpful information.
ROLE 2 - Pioneer Travelling west by wagon
Include a map of the trail you followed to the Oregon country. Discuss the actual journey and any problems that may have been faced on the trail. Did everyone you traveled with make it to Oregon? What were you planning on finding in Oregon? Did you find it?
DRIVING QUESTION: What were the major struggles on the trail and how would you go about conquering them? |
Oregon Trail History: This website details the history of Oregon beginning in 1800. There are many links to go to pages about the Oregon territory before Americans followed the trail there. There are also links about the Oregon Trail as well as Oregon after the mass movement there.
Oregon Trail Map: This website provides a map of the Oregon Trail, but does much more than that. There are links provided that gives details to the main places were travelers would stop along the trail. It could be very helpful for this assignment.
PBS Oregon Trail: This website was developed by Idaho State University and based on the documentary that was done by PBS. This site includes many helpful links to sources about the Oregon Trail, but also includes links to pages about Lewis and Clark and the California Gold Rush.
Oregon Trail Map: This website provides a map of the Oregon Trail, but does much more than that. There are links provided that gives details to the main places were travelers would stop along the trail. It could be very helpful for this assignment.
PBS Oregon Trail: This website was developed by Idaho State University and based on the documentary that was done by PBS. This site includes many helpful links to sources about the Oregon Trail, but also includes links to pages about Lewis and Clark and the California Gold Rush.
Role 3 - Member of Cherokee nation forced to oklahoma
Include a map of the trail you and your people traveled on when you were moved from Georgia to Oklahoma. What was your trip like? Did everyone make it? How do you feel about being forced out of your homeland? What would you like to say to the Americans who have forced you to move West?
DRIVING QUESTION: How did the Trail of Tears have an impact on the long term existence of Native Americans in the United States? |
Trail of Tears: This link takes you to a page which features accounts of the years surrounding the time of the Trail of Tears. These accounts were released in 1992 by the Department of the Interior.
Cherokee Nation: This webpage is on a site about North Georgia. While the page itself does not provide much more than basic information regarding the Trail of Tears, it does provide links to other sites. This webpage is recommended by the Cherokee Nation History website.
Trail of Tears Accounts: This website gives a history of the Trail of Tears and provides several helpful links. These links include historical accounts of Native Americans who were forcibly removed and had to travel on the Trail.
Cherokee Nation: This webpage is on a site about North Georgia. While the page itself does not provide much more than basic information regarding the Trail of Tears, it does provide links to other sites. This webpage is recommended by the Cherokee Nation History website.
Trail of Tears Accounts: This website gives a history of the Trail of Tears and provides several helpful links. These links include historical accounts of Native Americans who were forcibly removed and had to travel on the Trail.
Role 4 - Slave Escaping South Carolina to NEw York
Include a Fugitive Slave Wanted Poster
How did you escape? Why did you go to New York? What are you going to do now that you have your freedom? Discuss your journey to New York. Mention those you have encountered or any help you have had. DRIVING QUESTION: What was the main reason why slaves began to escape to the North during the 19th Century? |
Slavery in the United States: This website provides a timeline with links to go into detail about some of the major events regarding slavery in the United States in the 19th century.
National Geographic Underground Railroad: This website is by National Geographic on the Underground Railroad. I would highly recommend it as there are endless amounts of information on this page.
National Geographic Underground Railroad: This website is by National Geographic on the Underground Railroad. I would highly recommend it as there are endless amounts of information on this page.
Comprehensive Activity
When you all return from your adventures out west, each person will write up their own article relating to their journey addressing the comments and questions posed in the description of the roles. The articles for the newspaper can include standard articles, letters to the editor, etc. Be creative! Discuss what format you are going to use as a group before writing to make sure that the newspaper you create does not end up having 5 letters to the editor and no other type of articles.
You must follow the template that is given to you in the downloads section below. EVERY part of the template must be filled in with your articles, advertisements, pictures, and anything you choose to add. Creativity is a part of the grade and the more work that is done the better your grade will be. |
FORMS AND DOWNLOADS
Newspaper Template |
|
Group evaluation rubric |
|
Grading Rubric |
|