Teacher Resources

• Vocabulary Cards
• Slide Deck
• Westward Expansion Task Cards
• Teacher Prep Resources 
• Trails West Game Sheets

Student Resources

• Handout A: Vocabulary Word Study 
• Handout B: Fact vs. Opinion Card Sort 
• Handout C: Task Card Answer Sheet 
• Handout D: Lesson Reading 
• Handout E: Primary Sources: Trail of Tears 
• Handout F: Expanding on an Opinion 
• Handout G: Student Self-Assessment
• Lesson Video (coming soon!)

This lesson is designed around inquiry questions. There is one essential question, and several guiding questions around which the content is based. The lesson takes place in 5 stages:  

• Anticipate- Students build background knowledge needed to be successful in the lesson. 
• Engage- Students are ‘hooked” into the lesson. 
• Explore- Students grapple with the main content of the unit (usually 2-3 parts). 
• Assess- Students demonstrate their knowledge through a performance assessment. 
• Reflect- Students reflect on their learning in the lesson. 
• The sections below provide a brief overview of the unit’s structure. It offers a snapshot of the organization and flow of the entire unit. 

The following detailed sections break down the five stages of the lesson. Each stage is discussed thoroughly with actionable steps to guide you through the teaching process effectively. 

Anticipate 

To anticipate the lesson, build background knowledge with your students by studying the virtue vocabulary for this lesson and investigating a map of native tribes of North America. 

• Glossary term(s):  term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities: 
  • Respect 
  • Equality 
  • Indigenous 

To begin, address students’ vocabulary knowledge for this lesson.  

• Provide each student with a copy of Handout A: Vocabulary Word Study pencils, coloring utensils, and dictionaries or devices for research. 
• Provide students with approximately 10-15 minutes to complete two– word studies for the words respect and equality. 
• When students have completed the organizers, review the definitions and illustrations from the Lesson Vocabulary Cards. 

 When the word study activity is complete, or if students have already addressed the vocabulary in another lesson, move on to a map investigation. You may remind students that they will use these vocabulary words throughout the lesson.  

Using a resource like native-land.ca or this map from the library of congress, investigate the lands of native tribes before European colonists arrived.  

 Investigation Questions: 

• List 3 tribes that you see on the map you have never heard of before. 
• Name 1 tribe you have heard of before. 
• Which tribe covers that largest area of land? The smallest? 
• What native tribe or indigenous people inhabited the land where my school is located? 
• Choose 1-3 major cities. What native tribe or indigenous people inhabited that area?  
  • Atlanta, Georgia 
  • Orlando, Florida 
  • Washington, D.C. 
  • New York City, New York 
  • Los Angeles, California 
  • Seattle, Washington 
  • Boston, Massachusetts 
  • Chicago, Illinois

Engage 

In this portion of the lesson, students get hands-on to practice sorting fact and opinion using primary source excerpts from newspaper articles. In this activity, students will practice essential skills for the summative assessment.  

• Glossary term(s):  term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities: 
  • Opinion 
  • Fact 
  • Primary Source 

To begin the lesson, arrange students into pairs and equip each pair with a copy of Handout B: Primary Source Card Sort including the primary source sort cards. 

Tell the students that their first job is to cut out the four primary sources on page. Ask them to work together to read each source aloud, tell students to note any words they struggle to read or understand by circling them with their pencil. 

Then, ask students to volunteer words they struggled or were unfamiliar with. Use this time to quickly fill those knowledge gaps so that students can begin to understand what each source says and means.  

Words or phrases students may struggle with:  

• Obedience 
• Mississippi  
• Tract 
• Arkansas  
• Perpetual  
• Advocates 
• Obligations 

Next, work with the students as a whole group to determine the meaning of each primary source. Alternatively, you can give students time to determine the meaning for each on their own and then share your own interpretations last. 

For example, you might say for source 1: “The creator of this text thinks that something is good for Indians, or Native Americans.” 

Answer Key:  

• Source 1 is an opinion: “The move is a good one” 
• Source 2 is an opinion: “The plan is to be distrusted” 
• Source 3 is a fact: “Congress has set apart a tract of country” 
• Source 4 is a fact: “The president of the United States has sent me” 

Teacher Note: These primary sources are excerpts of historical newspaper articles from the 1800s regarding the Indian Removal Act. Remember to assist students in referring to native groups as their specific tribe name if possible, American Indians, or Native Americans if referring to native American people as a group. 

Explore 

Students investigate Manifest Destiny, the Trail of Tears, and experiences of going west in this part of the lesson. Students learn through hands-on activities like a task card activity, investigating primary sources, and role playing through a scenario-based dice rolling game. Through strategic formative assessments, teachers can gauge student learning and build student content and literacy skills to prepare for the summative assessment.  

Explore #1: How did Manifest Destiny represent America’s desire to spread west? (30-45 minutes)

In the first part of this lesson, students watch the lesson video. Then they use the lesson reading to complete task cards in a manner of the teacher’s choice. Finally, students write fact and opinion sentences to build skills needed for the summative performance assessment.  

• Glossary term(s):  term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities: 
  • Manifest Destiny  
  • Westward Expansion 
  • Journey 

To begin, prepare students to watch the lesson video. You may choose to watch the video together as a class, stopping at strategic points to ensure understanding. Or you may choose to have students watch the video independently.  

Once students have finished watching the video, distribute the Handout D: Lesson Reading and Handout C: Task Card Answer Sheet.  

Teacher note: The Task Card set contains 14 cards that can be answered with either text, A or B. There are 2 additional blank cards provided so that you can create your own.  

There are 3 ways to use the task cards: 

• Race: Tap into your students’ competitive side: 
  • Arrange students in teams of 3 to 4 students. Instruct students to read the lesson text together or read in another method of your choosing from our Modes of Reading Teacher Resource. 
  • When students finish reading, supply each group with a stack of Westward Expansion Task Cards face down and in order from 1-14.  
  • Cue the students to begin and allow students to “race” pulling one card at a time from the stack and working together to answer the question on their answer sheet.  
  • The first group that gets through the whole stack with correct answers wins. 
• Around the Room: Get your students up and moving: 
  • Before class begins, tape the 14 Task Cards around the room on walls, chairs, or furniture. You can even hide them, turning the game into a hide-and-seek.  
  • To begin, choose a mode of reading for the class and allow students 5-7 minutes to read the text.  
  • Then set students to moving around the room to answer the task cards on their answer sheet. Students can work independently or with a partner. The cards can be answered in any order. 
• Scoot: Independent Accountability: 
  • In this variation, set up is the same as option 1: Race. 
  • Instead of working together to answer the cards on their answer sheet, students work individually. The first student draws a card, answers it, and then passes it to the next student. The final student creates a stack of completed cards.  
  • The first group to independently complete all the cards wins.  
  • This variation allows teachers to view students answers independent of their team while still having a “team” feel. 

Finish off the task card activity by discussing the Explore #1 guiding question: How did Manifest Destiny represent America’s desire to spread west? Students might discuss how Americans wanted to spread the virtues of freedom and equality across North America. Or they might reflect on the promise of opportunity in the west for new lives and farming.  

Formative Assessment: Writing a fact and an opinion

Use the teacher slide deck to lead students through a mini-lesson on how to distinguish a fact from an opinion. Then distribute Handout D: Fact and Opinion Sentences. This handout challenges students to write fact and opinion sentences based on what they have learned from Explore #1.  

Then correct student sentences quickly as needed so they know if they are on the right track before the next part of the lesson begins. 

Scaffolding note: If students need less support, they can work on the handout independently and then peer review each other’s fact and opinion sentences. If students need more support, lead them through the writing whole-group and then allow students to self-reflect on their writing using the review criteria. 

Rubric: 

Evidence of Mastery	Success Criteria	Room for Improvement
	The sentences begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation.
	The sentences are the correct type, fact or opinion.
	The sentences cover the correct topics.
	Each sentence makes it clear the student has read the lesson text.

 

Explore #2:  How does the Trail of Tears conflict with the Founding principles of the United States? (30-45 minutes)

In this part of the lesson, students investigate four primary source excerpts to understand the Trail of Tears and the injustices it caused.  

• Glossary term(s):  term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities: 
  • Trail of Tears 
  • Treaty 
  • Equality 
  • Respect 
  • Opinion 

 To begin, distribute copies of Handout E to each student. Then, read the primary source excerpts aloud with the group as you think-aloud. This topic is heavy and primary sources are tough for students of this age group. Be sure to gauge understanding and answer questions as they arise. In reading these primary sources, students are experiencing history as closely as possible, but they will need support to do so.  

Think-aloud prompts:  

• This word is tricky, I see a definition in the side column.  
• I wonder how this quote relates to the paragraph at the top?  
• Who wrote this? Why is their background important to their opinion in the source? 
• What sort of writing is this? Do I see words that help me understand the author’s purpose? 

Scaffolding note: If your students are independent readers, choose a mode of reading from the teacher support resource. If your students are younger or need more support, consider omitting two primary sources and focusing on the excerpts from Ridge and Tocqueville.   

When the read-aloud concludes, engage the students in a group discussion.  

Discussion questions:  

• How could we group these sources? In other words, which of these authors are on the same “side”?  
• Before the Treaty of New Echota, a law called the Indian Removal Act was narrowly passed in Congress by one vote. It allowed the Trail of Tears to happen. How does this, combined with the conflicting opinions in the sources, support the fact that there was lots of opposition to the removal of Native Americans from their homeland?  
• How is the Trail of Tears at odds with American virtues of equality and respect? 
• Think about what respect means: Regard for and defending the equal rights and inherent dignity of all human beings, including oneself.  
• How might things have been different if people had shown more respect for the Native Americans’ rights and dignity?  
• Can you think of some specific actions individuals could have taken back then to show respect?  
• How can we use what we learn from this history to be more respectful in our actions today? 

Formative Assessment: Supporting an opinion with facts

Use the teacher slide deck to lead students through a mini-lesson on how to support an opinion with facts. Divide students into groups of 3-4 students.  

Then distribute poster paper, markers, and other art supplies as available, and copies of the Elementary Principles and Virtues.  

Instruct the groups to choose an opinion from the board and then use the Trail of Tears primary sources and the lesson reading Handout  and/or the lesson video to support the opinion with facts. They will create a simple poster to showcase their opinion statement and supporting fact.  

Opinion Statements to support:  

• The Trail of Tears was at odds with the virtue of respect. 
• The Trail of Tears was at odds with the principle of equality. 
• Westward expansion had positive and negative effects. 

To check students’ independent understanding of supporting opinions with facts, conclude the activity with an exit ticket. Distribute a sticky note to each student and instruct them to write their name, their favorite show or movie, and add a fact to support their opinion. Then, students post their note on the classroom door on the way out.  

Explore #3: What was the journey west like for settlers and Native Americans? (30-45 minutes)

Players will take on the role of different groups moving west during the nineteenth century, experiencing the challenges and motivations behind their journeys. The goal is to make it to the end of the trail, learning about historical reasons for migration and the difficulties faced. 

• Glossary term(s): term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities: 
• Journey 
• Motivation 
• Destination 
• Expand 

Trails West Simulation Dice Game 

To play this game with your class each group will need copies of the game pages, a 6-sided die and a pencil to record their rolls and keep track of resources.   

To begin, distribute group identities. There are ten total identities included in the game printables. Use as many as you need to create manageable groups in your classroom. You might opt to have students in groups of 2-3 and use all ten cards, or you might have larger groups and use less identities. The game works well either way.  

Possible Roles: 

• Family Seeking Cheap Land – Motivated by the promise of fertile farmland in Oregon.
• Mormons Moving West – Seeking religious freedom and a place to establish a new community in Utah.
• Young Men in the Gold Rush – Hoping to strike it rich in California.
• Native Americans on the Trail of Tears – Forced relocation to territories in the west.
• Fur Trappers and Traders – Looking to profit from the fur trade.
• Missionaries – Spreading Christianity and establishing missions.
• Outlaws on the Run – Seeking refuge from the law and a fresh start.
• Adventurers and Explorers – Driven by the thrill of discovery and the unknown.
• Homesteaders – Looking to establish a self-sufficient homestead under the Homestead Act.
• Railroad Workers – Moving west for job opportunities in building the transcontinental railroad.

Next, each group begins “packing” their wagon. Players select resources they think will help them on their journey, like food, tools, weapons, clothing, and medical supplies. Each player starts with a set amount of space to fill in their wagon. They can bring multiples of a resource if they wish, but each item takes up an additional space in the wagon.  

• Option A showcases a math cross-curricular connection by adding a budget and prices to the resources. 

Then, players choose one of three main routes: 

• The Oregon Trail- Popular for families and homesteaders.
• The California Trail – Taken mostly by gold rushers and adventurers.
• The Mormon Trail – Specifically for Mormons heading to Utah.

Players choose based on their role and the difficulty of the trail. Students can choose any trail. The trail they choose will determine how many days the journey will take. This will change based on how the group rolls on the journey.  

 After they have chosen their path and have chosen their resources, they begin their journey. At each critical stop along the way, players manage their resources, roll a six-sided die to determine the outcome of their journey, and record the changes on the game handout or a piece of paper. 

Important Notes for Game Play: 

• At each stop along the journey, the group needs to have one food and one firewood. If they have tools to hunt, fish, or chop wood that can work too.  
• If the group does not have the resources needed to resolve an event, they add a day to their journey and continue. 
• Students record their resource totals and any notes about what happened to them depending on how they roll, then move to the next checkpoint.  

The game ends when players reach their respective destinations (Oregon, California, Utah). Players compare their remaining resources and recount the events of their journey to determine who fared best through group discussion. 

Group Recap Questions:  

• How many resources were you left with?  
• What tool was most useful?  
• Which resource was most useful or least useful on your journey? 
• How did your role card impact what path you chose?  
• If you played this game again, what would you do differently?  

Group Discussion Questions:  

• Based on the game and what you know from our lesson reading, what was the journey west like for settlers and Native Americans?  
• If the journey was so hard, why did people risk taking it? How were different groups motivated differently? 
• How did America’s growth west affect individuals both positively and negatively?  

 If you would like a digital option or independent work choice, there is a free online version of the Oregon Trail video game: https://oregontrail.ws/ 

Formative Assessment: Expanding on an opinion

To begin, activate students’ prior knowledge by asking them to write an opinion and support it with a fact. The opinion should have something to do with the westward journey of settlers. For example, the journey west was difficult.  

Then provide students with prompts to help them expand on their opinions.  

• What evidence from our lesson text or video could you add?  
• What evidence from primary sources could you add? 
• What has happened in your life that informs this opinion? 
• What else have you learned that informs this opinion? 
• Do you have a personal story from a trip of your own that could apply here? 

Have students share their opinion and fact with a partner and one additional detail they are considering adding.  

Then, distribute Handout F: Writing an Opinion paragraph. The handout gives students a structured organizer to craft a short opinion paragraph.  

Scaffolding note: To support younger learners, you can brainstorm opinion sentences and fact sentences before students begin writing. This modeling gives students examples to draw from during their writing so that they can focus on the paragraph structure. Alternatively, you can omit the paragraph writing and focus on students drafting their own sentences, rather than creating a paragraph to focus on the historical content.  

Teacher note: If your school or district uses a particular writing formula for opinion writing, substitute that for Handout F. This is a great opportunity to plan for cross-curricular instruction with your student’s English/ Language Arts teacher to support literacy goals.   

Assess 

In the assess portion of the lesson, students select a historical topic that relates to the lesson and then use the writing skills they have developed to write an op-ed piece.  

Op-ed Writing 

To begin, offer your students the following topics to view.  

Topic choices:  

• Manifest Destiny 
• Westward Expansion 
• Trail of Tears 

Then, explain the task. Students will be writing an op-ed piece stating their opinion on the topic they have chosen. In this form of writing, the students are sharing their thoughts, feelings, and understanding of the topic, rather than arguing or judging the historical topic.  

“Op-ed” is a term derived from “opposite the editorial page.” It refers to a section of a newspaper or magazine where opinion pieces are published. Op-eds typically express the views of the author on a particular topic, often offering analysis, commentary, or personal perspective. These pieces are distinct from news articles in that they represent the author’s subjective viewpoint rather than objective reporting of facts. Op-eds can cover a wide range of subjects, including politics, social issues, culture, and more. 

Teacher note: If your school or district uses standard writing guidelines, you will want to reference explanatory rather than argumentative writing. Students should explore their own thoughts and opinions, rather than try to convert the opinions of others. Be sure to monitor student writing to steer clear of stereotypes, tropes, or inappropriate topics. 

Once students understand the task and have chosen a topic, display the rubric for them outlining their writing expectations. The rubric is available in the teacher slide deck. The slide deck also contains slides to help you: 

• Overview planning for an op-ed piece 
• Select a topic and stance 
• Support or explain an idea 
• Creating a headline 

Allow students time to write in class or assign for homework. After students have submitted their pieces, consider submitting them to the school or local paper for publishing. Or, create your own class newspaper special edition to share with families.  

Scaffolding Note: If students need more support for writing their op-ed, Handout F can be utilized here for more structured writing support. 

Op-ed Rubric 

Evidence of Mastery	Success Criteria	Room for Growth
	The length of the op-ed is the appropriate length, 500-800 words.
	The op-ed has a clear point.
	The op-ed uses the voice of the author.
	It is simple, clear, and straightforward.
	It has a short, eye-catching headline.

Reflect 

In the final activity of the lesson, students complete a self-assessment to reflect on their growth and learning during the lesson. Then students create ABC lists together to reflect on the ideas and topics of the lesson. 

Self-Assessment 

To begin, distribute Handout G: Student Self-Assessment. The handout prompts students to reflect on their learning using guided prompts and star ratings. Emphasize with students that this self-reflection is designed to help them reflect and set goals, not judge or grade them. Students should honestly evaluate themselves and recall their learning experiences in this lesson.  

Students can complete the handout individually or with prompts from the teacher. However you choose to facilitate the student reflection, be sure that each student has their own paper and time to reflect independently so that the activity is a true self-reflection.  

 Scaffolding note: It can be helpful to model with a think-aloud the first time students are self-reflecting. To use a think-aloud in your classroom, plan ahead. Before the activity, identify places in the handout where students may struggle. Then while assigning the activity, review the handout and stop in those places. Model for students how they might support themselves. For instance, a teacher may choose to stop on an unfamiliar vocabulary word to define it. Additionally, teachers may read a complex sentence, stop, acknowledge the complexity, and re-read it for more clarity. 

ABC Reflection

Instructions: Have students create an ABC list related to the lesson content, with each letter of the alphabet representing a word or concept from the lesson. For example, “A” could stand for “adventures”, “B” for “benefits”, or “C” for “California Trail,” and so forth. Students then write a brief explanation for each entry or draw a depiction of the word or concept.  

• Students should brainstorm relevant words or concepts for each letter. Encourage students to be creative and think about various aspects of the lesson, including people, places, events, and ideas. 
• Ensure that each entry has a clear and concise explanation or an accurate drawing that conveys its meaning. 

After the students have completed their alphabet lists, they will share them with the class. Students should take turns presenting their lists, highlighting the similarities and differences between their chosen words and those of their classmates. Discuss why certain words or concepts were chosen and what they reveal about the lesson content. 

• Optionally, create a classroom display of the ABC lists. This visual representation can serve as a reference and reminder of the key concepts covered in the lesson. 

Here is an example list:  

• A: Adventurers – Individuals exploring the western territories. 
• B: Benefits – Advantages sought by settlers, like land and wealth. 
• C: California Trail – A key route for westward migration. 
• D: Destinations – Key places like Oregon, California, and Utah. 
• E: Expansion – The growth of U.S. territory and influence. 
• F: Forts – Military and trading posts aiding westward movement. 
• G: Gold Rush – The mass migration to California for gold. 
• H: Homestead Act – Law providing land to settlers. 
• I: Indigenous Peoples – Native Americans affected by expansion. 
• J: Journey – The long and arduous trips westward. 
• K: Kansas-Nebraska Act – Legislation impacting westward territories. 
• L: Land Grants – Government incentives for settling the west. 
• M: Manifest Destiny – The belief that Americans should expand across the continent. 
• N: New Opportunities – Economic and social prospects for settlers. 
• O: Oregon Trail – A major route for western migrants. 
• P: Pioneers – Early settlers of the western territories. 
• Q: Quests – The pursuit of new lives and fortunes. 
• R: Railroads – Transportation revolutionizing westward travel. 
• S: Settlements – New communities established in the west. 
• T: Trail of Tears – Forced relocation of Native Americans. 
• U: Uncharted Territories – Unknown lands explored by settlers. 
• V: Violence – Conflicts between settlers and Native Americans. 
• W: Wagon Trains – Groups traveling together westward. 
• X: Xenophobia – Fear and prejudice towards Native Americans and immigrants. 
• Y: Yearning – The desire for a better life driving westward expansion. 
• Z: Zeal – The passionate pursuit of Manifest Destiny.