McCormick

McCormick

To Move West or Not to Move West?
To integrate a social studies lesson with a writing lesson, I decided to have my students write a persuasive essay persuading their readers to either move West during the period of Westward Expansion in the United States or to stay at home. My students were given the freedom to choose either side. Below, I have attached the lesson instructions that I gave to students, some activities that we completed as a class, and their final work samples. Enjoy!

CA State Standards Addressed: English/Language Arts 2.4 Write persuasive letters or compositions: a. State a clear position in support of a proposal. b. Support a position with relevant evidence. c. Follow a simple organizational pattern. d. Address reader concerns.

Social Science 5.8 Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid-1800s, with emphasis on the role of economic incentives, effects of the physical and political geography, and transportation systems.

Here is a sample of the lesson instructions that I gave to my students.

The student works samples are representative of students working at high, medium, and low levels:

High Level Work Example:  I chose this student to be the "high" level example, because I feel as though this student clearly grasped the reasons for the migration westward. The student mentions the economic incentives that caused immigrants to leave the Eastern part of the United States. He brings up the issues of expensive land on the East Coast, the opportunity for better farming conditions, the need for specialized workers, and the opportunity to find gold. In addition to mentioning the economic incencetives, the student also mentions geographical conditions that caused students to want to move to the West. He mentions the milder climate present in the Western part of the United States, compares it to the climate on the East Coast, and mentions how it could affect farming conditions. In addition to having excellent historical content, this student did a wonderful job of following all requirements for a proficient persuasive essay, and I felt that he did a wonderful job of connecting this historical period to himself. He clearly stated an opinion that his family would be moving west and was able to prove this opinion using specific historical details.

Medium Level Work Example:    I chose this student work sample as my medium level work example, because I felt that she had a proficient knowledge of the historical content presented. While she brought up many of the same reasons as the previous student (adundant farmland and economic chances), I felt as though she did not explain her reasons in as accurate detail as the previous student. For example, when mentioning the abundant farmland, she mentions that there are already crops in unsettled areas for the use of others who might be moving West. Therefore, I felt as though she had a good understanding of the big concepts, but needs more information to fill in some of the smaller details. The content in this essay followed all requirements for a proficient persuasive essay. I also felt as though she made good conections to the historical period that we were addressing, and was able to form her own opinion about whether or not she would move West and prove it with some of the big ideas related to the historical period.

Low Level Work Example: I chose this student as my low level work sample, because I felt that the student did an adequate job of following the persuasive writing format but the historical content within the essay was not always accurate. While the student did form her own opinion about whether or not to move west and was able to prove it using three reasons, I felt that she could have elaborated a little more on the reasons. For example, one of the reasons that the student mentioned was that there is no king or queen in the west. While this was a valid reason for immigrants coming to the United States, I would have like her to elaborate a little bit more about the types of pioneers to whom this would apply. While the student was able to make some good personal connections to the text (the only people you'll need to obey are your parents), I did feel as though she has some work to do regarding her writing conventions. Even though the essay is typed, there are still some spelling and grammar mistakes.

Final Reflections: I really enjoyed the opportunity to implement this lesson in my classroom. After having had the opportunity to write this essay, I feel as though my students have a much more concrete understanding of the big picture of Westward Movement in the United States. What their work did reveal to me, however, was that my students were lacking in their knowledge of some of the smaller details. When I next teach this lesson, I would like to go into further detail about the reasons for Westward Movement and provide additional primary sources to help students build a connection to what life was really like during this particular time period. An excellent example of a primary source embedded into technology is a brainpop video about Westward Movement ( [] ). Unfortunately, I discovered this video after my instruction, but I do plan of using it next year!