Lesson
Infrastructure in the Era of Westward Expansion
Guiding question
How did economic factors drive westward expansion and create new opportunities and challenges?
Founding Principles
Virtues
Objectives
- Students will…
- Analyze how infrastructure projects supported economic expansion in the Early Republic.
- Identify key political and technological developments that shaped westward growth.
- Make connections between transportation innovations and patterns of trade and settlement.
- Demonstrate understanding through a 3D model that visually represents historical ideas.
Materials
Student Resources:
Teacher Resources:
- 3×5 index cards for speeches
- Legos, play-doh, paper, recyclables, cardboard, clay or other available resources for modeling
Lesson Components
ActivityWestern Expansion Interactive Timeline Notes Handout
Investigate a timeline to identify important information and make connections.
Lesson plan
Click a phase to open it
More Information
Facilitation Notes
- This lesson includes a 3D modeling assessment. Students will need time, space, and permission to get a little messy. If this type of hands-on activity is unusual at your school, consider giving advance notice to families and administrators.
- This lesson pairs nicely before or after the Geography and History: A Map-Based Inquiry Lesson