Lesson Plan

Westward Expansion: Image and Reality

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This Westward Expansion: Image and Reality lesson plan also includes:

As your young historians study Westward Expansion, practice in-depth primary source analysis with the documents and guidelines presented in this resource. They will examine a lithograph and excerpts from two letters written by a Nebraska pioneer, and work together to determine where the lithograph was published based on evidence they find in the texts.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Classroom Considerations
  • The lithograph can be found on the Library of Congress website or in this resource's additional materials
  • While the resource was originally designed for teachers, all activities and instructions can be applied to traditional classroom settings
Pros
  • Includes questions to guide discussion on all primary sources
  • Excellent talking points provided for teacher to describe the lithograph
  • Provides brief historical background describing Westward Expansion
Cons
  • If you would like to have students take notes as they complete the activities, you will need to design worksheets by copying and pasting the text provided in the resource