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The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.
Here are the teacher pack items for Developing the Western Frontier:
Overview In this experience, students ask questions about an animated map of population density over the nineteenth century. Then they examine the impact of the Homestead Act on the western frontier. Next they analyze the effect of geographic factors on the Klondike Gold Rush. Finally they read about the closing of the American frontier and write an opinion about whether this development represented a turning point in U.S. history. Objectives:
From the days of the early Republic, the United States had been growing westward. The frontier represented the opportunity for people to own land. By the end of the nineteenth century, the U.S. population stretched from sea to shining sea. In this experience, you will learn about the final development and closing of the western frontier.
Objectives:
A Pioneer Family (ca. 1886)
Watch the animated map, Following the Frontier Line, 1790 to 1890. The map is based on census data over the nineteenth century.
Ask a question based on what you saw on the map.
Review student questions with the class. Sample questions: The Student Pack includes three population density maps for comparison: 1870, 1890, and 2020. Point out to students how much the scale changed in the latest map: each dot represents 7,500 people. In the 1890 map, the darkest color represented only 90 people per square mile, and dots represented cities over 8,000 inhabitants.
