The Clever Teacher

Westward Expansion Unit
Westward Expansion Unit | Engaging Western Expansion Activities Grades 5–8 - Image 2
Westward Expansion Unit | Engaging Western Expansion Activities Grades 5–8 - Image 3
Westward Expansion Unit | Engaging Western Expansion Activities Grades 5–8 - Image 4

Westward Expansion Unit | Engaging Western Expansion Activities Grades 5–8

(36 customer reviews)

$24.00

Frequently Bought Together

Civil War Unit

Civil War Activities & Lesson Plans | Engaging Unit for 5th–8th Grade

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Description

This Westward Expansion unit covers the causes, events, and effects of American Westward Expansion.

I’ve made these Westward activities as easy as possible for busy teachers to implement. From thorough lesson plans to answer keys – it’s all there. This history unit will prepare you to teach about complex topics like Manifest Destiny, the Indian Removal Act, the expansion of slavery, the Mexican-American War, the California gold rush, and more.

Even better, I’ve made it fun! The 15 Westwawrd lessons are filled with engaging activities. Your students will especially love the Oregon Trail simulation and the California Gold Rush game.

Save time and money by bundling this Westward Expansion unit with other history resources you need.

U.S. History Curriculum Bundle | Save 20% on All Units (5th–8th Grade)

Here’s what’s included in the 3-week Westward Expansion unit:

Week 1

  • Manifest Destiny— define Westward Expansion & Manifest Destiny and evaluate beliefs about America’s mission in the world (PowerPoint presentation, student note worksheets, 4 corners posters)
  • Lewis and Clark Expedition—analyze journals from the Lewis and Clark Expedition (informative article, excerpts from Lewis and Clark journals, student analysis worksheets)
  • Forces Driving Westward Expansion—use primary and secondary sources to discover which forces drove Westward Expansion (artifact cards, student recording sheets)
  • U.S. Territorial Acquisitions—map and compare U.S. territorial acquisitions from 1783 to 1853 (blank map, acquisitions task cards, student reflection page)
  • Westward Expansion Trails—map and analyze Westward Expansion overland trails (blank map, trail task cards, student reflection pages)

Week 2

  • All About the Oregon Trail—explain what life was like for emigrants on the Oregon Trail and prepare for an Oregon Trail simulation (informative article, student worksheets)
  • Oregon Trail Simulation—participate in a simulation about the Oregon Trail and explain the challenges faced by emigrants on the Oregon Trail (PowerPoint presentation, student worksheets, reflection)
  • Indian Removal Part 1—sequence and analyze events relating to the forced migration of Indigenous Peoples by the U.S. government (timeline cards, reflection page)
  • Indian Removal Part 2—analyze four Indigenous people’s quotes about the Removal era and discuss what I’ve learned (informative article, quote prompts, recording sheet)
  • Texas Revolution—explain the main events of the Texas Revolution and participate in a readers theatre about the Battle of Gonzales (informative article, readers theater)

Week 3

  • Mexican-American War—describe the causes and effects of the Mexican-American War and explain various perspectives on the war (informative article, cause & effect sorting cards, student worksheets)
  • California Gold Rush—answer questions about the California Gold Rush (anticipation guide, task cards, student booklet)
  • California Gold Rush Game—play a California Gold Rush game acting as a prospector or merchant (game preparation worksheet, gameboard and game elements)
  • Westward Expansion and Slavery—explain how Westward Expansion led to the growth of slavery in the United States and explain how three compromises (The Missouri Compromise, The Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act) inflamed sectional rivalries in the United States (PowerPoint presentation, student note worksheets, reflection page)
  • Westward Expansion Effects—explain how Westward Expansion resulted in opportunities for some and losses for others (group cards, student worksheets, journal prompt)

Westward Expansion Unit: Help For The Teacher

  • Table of contents (also available in the preview)
  • Suggested pacing guide
  • 15 lesson plans
  • Answer Keys (Of course!)
  • Editable end-of-unit test and study guide
  • Easy printing file with all student worksheets and articles

Preview the Westward Expansion activities 

Download a PDF preview.

Watch a video preview:

This Westward Expansion unit also includes digital access via Google Slides.

I have created a Google Slides resource for each lesson. Each resource contains student instructions, student worksheets with editable text boxes, and articles/task cards, if applicable. Teachers can assign Google Slides via Google Classroom.

Why I created this Westward Expansion unit plan

1. I want your students to love learning about U.S. history!
 
2. Teachers deserve excellent social studies resources (Can someone please tell our school districts?)
 
3. Planning complete units is tedious and time-consuming. I want to save teachers time so they can focus on doing what they love—teaching!

Here’s what people are saying about these Westward Expansion lessons 

“I was very impressed with the content in this unit! A great deal of information was covered in a concise and engaging way. My students especially enjoyed the simulation of the Oregon Trail and the Reader’s Theater. Even the class that is normally hard to engage got in the spirit and enjoyed learning history. It was a complete win!”

—Megan B.

“She is an amazing author! Worth every penny and exactly what I was looking for. I am going on maternity leave and literally EVERYTHING you need is there. Made planning so much easier.”

—The Obsessed Montana Teacher

“I used both the digital and print versions of this resource as I teach both online and in person right now. I am never disappointed with your units. They are comprehensive, engaging, and perfect for learning about history.”

—Lisa P.

FAQs

How can this unit be for grades 5th – 8th?

The unit articles are written at a 7th-8th grade reading level. If you teach one of those grades, your students will be able to complete the activities more or less independently.

If you teach 5th or 6th grade, I recommend reading and analyzing the articles with your students. They will do great! Check out the reviews to see how teachers at your grade level have successfully used and loved this unit.

This Unit is Frequently Purchased With:

Early America Unit | Interactive Early Republic Activities (5th–8th Grade)

Civil War Activities & Lesson Plans | Engaging Unit for 5th–8th Grade

Important Customer Information

All of our products are digital and non-refundable. This is a digital file. A physical product will not be shipped. Please make sure you have a way to open: a zip file, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and a word document before purchasing. Please view the preview and read the product description carefully.
 
This product is not editable. The only part of the unit that is editable is the end-of-unit study guide and test. The other elements (like lesson plans, student worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, etc.) are not. The PDFs are password protected. This protects my work as well as the work of graphic and font artists I’ve purchased from. 
 
After purchasing, you should receive an email with the files. If you do not receive the email, please check your spam folder. You will also be able to download the file on this website by logging in to your account. Need help? Contact me at becca@thecleverteacher.com. Please allow 24 hours for a reply.
 
Sharing isn’t always caring. I have created all of these products myself. Your purchase gives you permission to copy for your classroom only. If your teaching friends love this unit and want to use it too, please direct them to my store. For more information, view my Terms of Use.

Copyright© 2024 The Clever Teacher. All rights reserved by the author.

Total Pages 174 pages
Answer Key Included
Teaching Duration 3 Weeks

36 reviews for Westward Expansion Unit | Engaging Western Expansion Activities Grades 5–8

  1. Christopher Harper (Verified Buyer) –

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  2. Kelly Mulligan (Verified Buyer) –

    I love this unit! My students are engaged and learning so much.

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  3. Anonymous (Verified Buyer) –

    Awesome material that goes with one of the SC standards.

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  4. Christine S. (Verified Buyer) –

    Great unit!

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  5. Tara F. (Verified Buyer) –

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  6. Anonymous (Verified Buyer) –

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  7. Rhonda Harris (Verified Buyer) –

    Lots of great ideas to make you unit more exciting!!

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  8. Julie C. (Verified Buyer) –

    Fantastic unit. Low prep. 5th graders loved the game. It was one of the highlights at the end if a long pandemic year. I’m absolutely going to use with inperson classes this year. A great purchase.

    (1) (0)

  9. Chnita H. (Verified Buyer) –

    Some of the content isn’t relevant for my students – 5th grade GT – but I do love the activities in their that applies to the standards that I am teaching.

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  10. Jamy (Verified Buyer) –

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  11. Casey (Verified Buyer) –

    These materials are well-organized and SO appealing to the students! I find it so easy to create meaningful content utilizing these resources.

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  12. Catherine S. (Verified Buyer) –

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  13. Jessica (Verified Buyer) –

    We are first year homeschooling, and found our curriculum a bit lacking. This unit was very well put together, and with some modifications easy to do with as discussion style class. My son (6th) was engaged, and I often found my 3rd son joining in our lessons. We’ve ordered another until and plan to start soon

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  14. Tiffanie G. (Verified Buyer) –

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  15. Jasmine L. (Verified Buyer) –

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  16. Julie C. (Verified Buyer) –

    I have not used this resource yet, but have used all of the other US History sources up to this point and have not been disappointed (13 Colonies, Declaration of Independence, American Revolution, and US Constitution, plus various extension activities). I have 7 classes to prep, and not only are these lessons hassle-free, but they are also well-written. Exploring topics from multicultural perspectives is a priority of mine, and these lessons have hit the mark every time.

    (2) (0)

  17. Nancy Sheran (Verified Buyer) –

    I loved it but I could not open it until you helped me by sending me it from your google dr. I want to buy the Civil War one but now am apprehensive. Please advise.

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  18. Kim (Verified Buyer) –

    I love all the interactive parts of this packet. I was hoping there would been more about indigenous peoples removal in the far west even though that happened later on in the 1800s. But I really like the materials you do have on removal of the five civilized tribes.

    (1) (0)

  19. Emily Smith (Verified Buyer) –

    I have purchased about 5 units from The Clever Teacher for fifth Social Studies and I love them all!!!

    (1) (0)

  20. Travis (Verified Buyer) –

    I really liked the information included in this unit. It paired well with some things we were already doing. The thing I liked most about it was the engaging activities. Kids seemed to enjoy the games. The only thing I didn’t like was that the pictures would not print for all of the activities. I spent quite a bit of time making copies and going and finding the pictures to fit the spaces that were left blank. Thanks for these great lessons.

    (1) (0)

    • Becca (store manager) –

      Thanks for your review, Travis! I’m sorry that the images weren’t printing correctly for you. That’s so frustrating!

      The first thing I would do is make sure you have the most updated version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This fixes 99% of issues.

      If you open up the PDF files in any other program (like Preview) it may not look right. It may also not look right if you view it in your browser (like Safari or Google Chrome). Try saving the file to your desktop and then opening it up in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

      I hope that helps! If you need more assistance, send me an email to becca@thecleverteacher.com.

      Becca

  21. Sarah Williams (Verified Buyer) –

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  22. Cynthia Edwards (Verified Buyer) –

    I am homeschooling a sixth grader and we are more than half way done. The lessons have been very interesting and engaging. I wish I had this before I retired! Excellent quality.

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  23. Amanda T. (Verified Buyer) –

    Thank you for helping a first year back in the classroom get her thoughts and goals organized.

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  24. Claudia (Verified Buyer) –

    Very thorough and easy to modify for younger children

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  25. kris (Verified Buyer) –

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  26. Shelley Elementary (Verified Buyer) –

    This unit is fantastic! My kids have been so engaged and after every lesson they are commenting on how fun it was. I honestly haven’t had a single problem!

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  27. andy simock (Verified Buyer) –

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  28. Nicole Talley (Verified Buyer) –

    We’ve been using these units for our homeschool co-op. We have 3 teachers that rotate teaching once a week. We love how easy these lessons are to prepare. She has fun games sometimes or links to videos etc. We’ve only done the Civil War one so far but loved it, so I’ve bought more.

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  29. Anonymous (Verified Buyer) –

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  30. Lucy (Verified Buyer) –

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  31. nicole m. (Verified Buyer) –

    This has been very helpful in our homeschooling. It provides easy to follow daily lessons and helps me to stay focused one each day’s lesson plan. I will be purchasing more lesson plans in the future.

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  32. Denise (Verified Buyer) –

    So far I am on Day 6 with my fifth graders. It’s very engaging!

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  33. Kimberly (Verified Buyer) –

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  34. cindy (Verified Buyer) –

    Great unit, lots of fun activities, details, etc. I teach middle school and so what’s intended for 5th graders is perfect for struggling readers and ELL students.

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  35. Anonymous (Verified Buyer) –

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  36. Megan C. (Verified Buyer) –

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