2.+Planning+and+Preparation

** Planning **

 * 1) **Knowledge gaining:** Students will gain knowledge of Early American Westward Expansion routes several different ways. First students will watch a video of pioneer life during western expansion. Second students will explore two interactive websites while learning fun and interesting facts about westward expansion and pioneer life. Third students will participate in groups discussing and sharing what they learned.
 * 2) **Knowledge organizing:** Students will organize the information they learned in groups and on their own. First students will work individually to find the starting and stopping point of one western expansion route. Then they will post the route they would want to take on a Google Doc. Second, students will work in groups to research and organize information they learned using graphic organizers. Third, students will work individually organizing the new information they learned reflecting on the activities.
 * 3) **Knowledge sharing:** Students will share their knowledge and work in several ways. First, students will share which route they researched and which route they would like to take in a Google Doc. Second, groups will share their researched information with the whole class on a wiki. Third, students will comment on a blog posting.


 * Preparation **


 * 1) Teacher will have to find and link a inforamtive and age appropriate video.
 * 2) Teacher will have to find two websities on different westward expansion routes that are informative and age appropriate.
 * 3) Teacher will have to create a Google Doc. The Google Doc will have five columns and enough rows for each student to post. Column one will have students name, column two will have the expansion route name, column three will have the route starting point, column four will have the route stopping point, and column five the student will state which route he/she would like to take.
 * 4) Teacher will create a class wiki at www.wikispaces.com.
 * 5) Teacher will create "Think, Pair, Share" questions for students to answer using clickers.
 * 6) Teacher will create a Blog for Early American Western Expansion routes knowledge sharing.