What was westward expansion and how did it change the lives of the people living in the United States in the 1800s?  How did the migration of white settlers change the lives of the Native Americans living in the West? Let’s start learning more about this topic today by looking at this BrainPOP video.

Click the “play” button to have the passage read aloud as you follow along.

Use this packet to learn about Ghost Towns left behind during Westward Expansion.

How many ping-pong balls fit in this box? Explore this and other math mysteries on this worksheet.

Leveled learning extension 1: Reinforce your math skills with these pages which offer more basic math problems!

Leveled learning extension 2: Tease your brain with these worksheets to target foundational math skills! 

“Manifest Destiny” was the term used to describe the idea that it was a good thing for people to migrate west across the North American continent. Read this short article to learn more, then answer the questions.  

How does this painting symbolize the idea of manifest destiny?  What types of transportation are people using to travel from the right side of the painting (the East) towards the left side of the painting (the West)? What is happening to the Native Americans and buffalo in this painting, and how do you think they felt about people moving west?  Why do you think the artist painted one part of the scene full of light and the other part in shadow?

Explore this slideshow from PBS Learning Media. If you want to play the game on the last slide, you will need to register for a free account.

Imagine you are a 10-year-old traveling west with your family in a covered wagon during the 1850s. Write some diary entries describing what you might have seen and done during this long trip.

Easy Does It with this Darebee workout.