Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______

Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________

Understanding by Design

Unit Cover Page

Unit Title: Settlement of the West Grade Levels: __7_

Topic/Subject Areas: US History after 1865_

Key Words: Homestead Act, Battle of Little Big Horn, Railroads, Dry farming

Designed By: Nicholas Kowalski Time Frame: Two Weeks__

School District: Virginia Beach City Public Schools

School: Old Donation School

Brief Summary of Unit:

This Unit will help students to understand the phenomenon of western
expansion and settlement that took place in America throughout the 19th century. It
will focus on the arid and dry geography of the Great Plains and the reasons that
people decided to settle these lands in the first place. Namely, due to a sense of
adventure, freedom, new land, gold, and misleading information sent out by railroad
companies. It will further show how settlers used inventions and adaptations to
overcome the obstacles of the land. Finally it will cover how western expansion of
American settlers impacted Native Americans through events such as the Battle of
Little Bighorn, Wounded Knee, and buffalo hunting.

Unit design status: Completed template pages – stages 1, 2, 3

X
Completed blueprint for each performance task X Completed rubrics

Directions to students and teacher Materials and resources listed

x Suggested accommodations x Suggested extensions

Status: Initial draft (date: ___________) Revised draft (date: ____________)

Peer Reviewed Content Reviewed Field Tested Validated Anchored

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 1

STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS
Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______
Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________

Unit Title: _Settlement of the West____________

Established Goals:

The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision
making, and responsible citizenship by analyzing and interpreting artifacts and primary and secondary
sources to understand events in United States history, as well as analyzing and interpreting geographic
information to determine patterns and trends; interpreting charts, graphs, and pictures to determine
characteristics of people, places, or events in United States history; using evidence to draw
conclusions and make generalizations; The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking,
geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible citizenship by investigating and
researching to develop products orally and in writing. The student will also use maps, globes,
photographs, pictures, or tables for explaining how physical features and climate influenced the
movement of people westward; explaining relationships among natural resources, transportation, and
industrial development after 1865, and locating the 50 states and the cities most significant to the
development of the United States and explaining what makes those cities significant. The student will
then apply social science skills to understand how life changed after the Civil War by examining the
reasons for westward expansion, including its impact on American Indians (SOL USII 1abcdj, USII
2abc, USII 4a).

Understandings: Essential Questions:

 New opportunities and technological
advances led to westward migration
following the Civil War.
 During the nineteenth century, people’s
perceptions and use of the Great Plains
changed.
 Technological advances allowed people to
live in more challenging environments
 Westward expansion had an impact on the
lifestyle of American Indians.
 How did the way people view the Great
plain change over time?
 Why did people of various backgrounds
decide to go west?
 How were people able to adapt to the
challenging environment of the west?
 How did western expansion impact
Native Americans?

Students will know: Students will be able to:•

 The geographic layout of the west;
including the weather and natural
landforms.
 That people headed west to find freedom,
land opportunities, gold, and from
coercion from railroad companies.
 People that came west faced a very
challenging life and many died.
 Settlers were able to adapt to this
landscape through methods such as dry
farming, and wheat farming; as well as
using inventions such as the steel plow,
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Analyze primary and secondary source
documents.
 Make inferences based on maps, pictures,
and graphs about the way of life and
geographic features of the west.
 Weigh costs and benefits to determine
whether of not a decision was wise or not.
 Put themselves into the perspectives of
those settlers and native Americans of this
time.
2
Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______
Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________
windmills, railroads and barbed wire.
 That Native Americans were met with
aggression against their culture and
presence through actions such as buffalo
hunting and in conflicts like Wounded
Knee.

STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Performance Tasks:
 Students will complete a journal following
the life and decisions of an American
settler by detailing reasons why the settler
headed west, what difficulties they faced,
what inventions or adaptations they used
and conflicts that they ran into with
Native Americans. They will end this
journal with a cost-benefits analysis by
their character of their initial decision to
head west.
Other Evidence:
 Students will have a brief group research
project in which they will investigate one
of a few certain conflicts between Native
Americans and settlers as well as Native
American leaders.
 Students will have a 20 question
vocabulary quiz that assesses their
knowledge of vital terms.
 Students will have a 30 question
summative test assessing their knowledge
of the content of this unit.

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection

 Students will reflect how the perspective of the Great plains changed over time and why.
 Students will fill out a chart reflecting on the importance of certain inventions and adaptations,
including trying to reason which is the most important of these.
 Students write an exit ticket on how the geography of Virginia Beach has effected their lives.

STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN

Summary of Learning Activities:

1. Analysis of the Geography of the Great Plains –Students will use maps and pictures in a guided discussion on
the geography and weather of the Great Plains.
2. Long Letter/”Home on the Range” Compare/Contrast- Students will remark on the difference in perspectives of
the two documents and guess as to the causality of it.
3. Personal Geography Reflection – Students will reflect on how the Geography of Virginia Beach has affected their
lives.
4. Why did Americans head west? Two Column notes – Students will work in groups to analyze various
secondary and primary sources and answer corresponded guided reading questions in order to answer the
question of “Why did American head west?”
5. Introduction of Settler Journal – Students will have the end of every class to work on a performance task in
which they will complete a journal following the life and decisions of an American settler by detailing reasons why
the settler headed west, what difficulties they faced, what inventions or adaptations they used and conflicts that
they ran into with Native Americans. They will end this journal with a cost-benefits analysis by their character of
their initial decision to head west.
6. Inventions and Adaptations Photo Matching- Students will be given a collection of photos that they will have to
analyze and identify which (if any) inventions or adaptations are being shown in the photos. They will be able to
figure this out with the help of a word bank and the ability to research on their chrome books.
7. Inventions and Adaptations Research and Discussion – Students will research the purpose of the listed
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 3
Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______
Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________
inventions and adaptation and what their impact on the west would be. After they have worked on their own there
will be a class-wide discussion and the instructor will provide supplemental information.
8. Inventions and Adaptations Reflections discussion- Students will make a claim about which invention they
believe was the most influential and reasons to support it. This will be done individually and class-wide.
9. Vocabulary Quiz – Students will have a 20-question vocabulary quiz covering important terms from the unit.
10. Impacts of Native Americans Group Research – Students will be split into groups and they will have to research
one of 6 topics, answering a small list of “big idea” and cause/effect questions on this topic. Students will then
present their information and students will take notes. Teacher will supply supplemental information after each
presentation.
11. Dawes Act and Native American Citizenship Discussion- The teacher will discuss the Dawes Act and how
Native American reservations became more individualized. Will act as a bookend to the lesson.
12. Summative Multiple-Choice Test – Students will have a 30 question multiple choice test covering the content and
skills learned during this unit.
13. “Heartland” Video Notes – Students will watch this video and take notes.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 4

Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______
Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________

Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Consider the WHERETO elements. You must include enough instruction for 20 lessons.

October 2018
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Geography (A) Geography (B)
 Long  Long
letter/”Hom letter/”Hom
e on the e on the
range” range”
 Change of  Change of
perspective perspective
on on
geography geography
over time. over time.
 Personal  Personal
Geography Geography
Reflection Reflection
 HW: Study  HW: Study
Vocab Vocab
8. 9. 10 11. 12.
Virtual Learning Reasons to go west Reasons to go West Inventions (A) Inventions (B)
Day (No School) (A) (B)  Inventions  Inventions
 “Why did  “Why did and and
Americans Americans Adaptations Adaptations
head west?” head west?” photo photo
Two column Two column matching matching
notes notes  Inventions  Inventions
 Introduction  Introduction research research
of of discussion discussion
Performance performance  Inventions  Inventions
task task reflection reflection
 HW: Study  HW: Study  HW: Study  HW: Study
Vocab Vocab Vocab Vocab

15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Impacts on Native Impacts on Native Test Test
Americans (A) Americans (B) “Heartland” Video “Heartland” Video
 Vocabulary  Vocabulary notes notes
Quiz Quiz Settlers Journal Due Settlers Journal
 Impacts  Impacts Due
Group Group
Research Research
 Native  Native
American American
Citizenship Citizenship
Discussion Discussion
 HW: Study  HW Study
for Test for Test
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 5
Design Topic Settlement of the West____ Subject(s) US History after 1865__ Grade(s) 7_______
Designer(s) _Nicholas Kowalski________
22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 6