Westward Expansion & the People Moving West

Help students organize and understand key events and groups connected to Westward Expansion with this easy-to-use two-column notes activity. Students learn about major events, purchases, territories, conflicts, and the diverse groups of people who moved west. In my classroom, I usually cover the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (as a refresher) and then cover Manifest Destiny together so students understand what to do! This resource is designed to be used alongside your textbook, class materials, presentations, readings, or other learning resources that cover Westward Expansion and the westward movement of people. Provided questions guide students as they find and record important information from the materials you are already using in your classroom. Topics include: Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Manifest Destiny Louisiana Purchase Florida Acquisition Texas Oregon Country War with Mexico Gadsden Purchase Explorers Californios Mountain Men Mormons Forty-Niners Chinese immigrants The two-column format gives students a clear space for the topic and a larger area for writing or typing their notes. Flexible for classroom use: This resource can be printed for handwritten notes or used digitally within a learning management system (LMS). Students can type their responses directly into the document or enter their answers electronically, making it easy to use for both in-person and digital learning. Side note: This lesson will work well and/or very well with textbooks published by TCI (Teacher’s Curriculum Institute), McGraw-Hill Education, Pearson/Savvas Learning Company, and Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt, along with other materials you may already be using in your own classrooms. Please note that I am not affiliated with, nor do I endorse, any of these textbooks. This is for informational purposes only.