Problem: Lots of land needed to be settled in the west and that land needed to be organized into homestead plots and boundaries needed to be given and approved.

INTRODUCTION:

The Homestead Act of 1862 provided cheap farmland, better lives, and hope to American Citizens. The Act gave 160 acres of land to the head of each family, as long as they agreed to farm the land for 5 years or pay $1.25 per acre. The Transcontinental Railroad made it easier for settlers to move west across the continent and the Gold Rush, cheap farmland, and a better life gave those settlers reasons for the move. These changes in transportation and new legislation led to the growth in the cattle industry and farming as a business on the plains.

TASK:

You will have three tasks within this webquest.

1. You are a ten-year old homesteader moving west with your family from Virginia to Oklahoma. Using the websites below and physical resources available to you, create a travel journal documenting your travels across each terrain, the length of time, your daily activities, and how you felt about the journey. You will be graded with the rubric below.

2. You are now eleven years old and have been living in Oklahoma for 6 months. Using the information you have already gathered and the Microsoft Publisher program, create a postcard to your family back in Virginia. The postcard should describe your new home and life in Oklahoma. You will be graded with the rubric below.

3. Finally, using the information you have collected and the Microsoft Publisher program, create a flyer that will advertise the Homestead Act and encourage other people to move and settle on the Great Plains. Your flyer should include pictures and a slogan to help convince people to change their entire life to move west. You will be graded on the rubric below.

PROCESS:

You will begin by reviewing the different land acquisitions of the United States that we studied in Unit 2. Then research the reasons settlers would have moved west, the industries that were developing, and the physical attributes of the land. You will follow the American History Public Policy Analyst (AHPPA) process to help you complete this task. Use the resources listed below to complete the AHPPA worksheets included in each step of the process. When all four of the worksheets are completed, you will write your complete your three tasks.

Step 1: Identify the Problem: First, you will identify the problem that the American government had that led to the creation of the Homestead Act. Complete worksheet #1.

Step 2: Gather the Evidence: Your next step is to choose a minimum of at least three sources that provide evidence of the problem Congress faced with the open lands that were unsettled. Complete worksheet #2.

Step 3: Determining the Causes: What major factors led to the middle of the country being open and unsettled? List a minimum of three factors leading that ultimately led to Congress implementing the Homestead Act. Complete worksheet #3.

Step 4: Evaluate the Policy: Your last step is to evaluate the Homestead Act, the policy adopted by Congress to deal with their problems with open land in the Great Plains. You will identify the advantages and the disadvantages of the Homestead Act. Could they have taken a better course of action? Why or why not? Complete worksheet #4.

RESOURCES:

Use the following resources to collect information about the Homestead Act, pioneers, and other Westward Expansion topics.

Just Curious: Westward Expansion

The Library of Congress

At Home on the Fringes of the Prairie 1800 - 1850

EVALUATION:

Travel Journal Rubric
	3 – Smooth Sailing	2 – Uneven Paths	1 – Rocky Roads
Information Provided	You gave me more than enough information to understand what travel was like during pioneer times.	You gave me SOME information, but I am still having trouble understanding what pioneer travel looked like.	You did not provide me with enough information to understand what pioneer travel was like.
Neatness and Organization	You were very neat and tidy. Everything is organized and in its place.	You could have been a little neater AND/OR you could have organized better.	Your journal was very messy AND/OR it was not organized in a way that was easy to read.
Creativity	Very creative! You have pictures or special materials that reflect the time-period.	Somewhat creative. Great attempt! However, you could have added some more creative details.	Too Plain. You did not show creative details that reflect the time.
Postcard Rubric
	3 – Postal Pro	2 – Mailing Medium	1 – Lost in Transit
Information Provided	You gave me more than enough information to understand what the west was like during pioneer times.	You gave me SOME information, but I am still having trouble understanding what living in the west was like.	You did not provide me with enough information to understand what living in the west was like.
Neatness and Organization	You were very neat and tidy. Everything is organized and in its place.	You could have been a little neater AND/OR you could have organized better.	Your postcard was very messy AND/OR it was not organized in a way that was easy to read.
Creativity	Very creative! You have pictures or special materials that reflect the time-period.	Somewhat creative. Great attempt! However, you could have added some more creative details.	Too Plain. You did not show creative details that reflect the time.

Flyer Rubric
	3 – Awesome Ad	2 – More-to-do Medium	1 – Not Buying It
Slogan and Information.	Your slogan is very convincing and the information reflects the time period of westward expansion.	Your slogan was somewhat convincing, but I’m not completely sold. Some more information is needed.	You did not provide me with enough information and/or your slogan does not fit what you are selling.
Neatness and Organization	You were very neat and tidy. Everything is organized and in its place.	You could have been a little neater AND/OR you could have organized better.	Your flyer was very messy AND/OR it was not organized in a way that was easy to read.
Creativity	Very creative! You have pictures or special materials that reflect the time-period.	Somewhat creative. Great attempt! However, you could have added some more creative details.	Too Plain. You did not show creative details that reflect the time.

CONCLUSION:

Congratulations! You have finished your webquest. You now have more than enough resources to help you understand the life and times of pioneers on the Great Plains.

STANDARDS:

Social Studies Standards

Standard 1 - History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2 - World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 5 - Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts

Standard 1 - Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding; they will collect data, facts, and ideas and use electronically produced texts.

Standard 2 - Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3 - Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.