Railroads Link East to West

This is a collection of pictures from a variety of historical websites

6th grade level
45 min lesson
1. Theme/Title of the day’s lesson with a brief description:
Railroads Link East to West This lesson introduces the transcontinental railroad, as well as the opportunities and costs that the railroad was for all of the people of the United States.


2. Materials/resources needed:
Teacher:
1. My Name is America by William Durbin
2. US Map of the railroads
3. Markers
4. KWLS Chart
5. Vocabulary from “Railroads Link East to West” transparency
6. Student handout “Vocabulary for Railroads East to West”
7. Pictures of railroad workers in Winona
8. Slide show of railroad workers building the railroad
9. Overhead projector
10. Overhead pen

Students:
1. Folders for the Unit
2. Pencils and notebooks

3. Goal(s) for today’s lesson: Students will gain an understanding about what the Transcontinental Railroad was and what it meant to the people of the 1860s.


4. Objectives for today’s lesson:
1. The students will be able to understand the political, social, and economic changes that occurred in the United States during Westward Expansion after the Civil War.
2. The students will develop an awareness of how people adapted to and modified their environment during Westward Expansion.
3. The students will effectively discuss the need for the railroad system.
4. The students will recognize the many costs of the railroad.




5. Procedures

Introduction to the lesson (10 min)

1. Have the students pick up the maps, and vocabulary list as they enter the room
2. Remind the students that they will be adding things to the KWLS chart at the end of the period, so they might want to take a few notes.
3. Read My Name is America by William Durbin orally to the students, pages 1- 15. (5 min)
4. Discuss the main character in the book and why he did what he did. (3 min)
Journal of a 15 year old boy Sean Sullivan who went to Kansas to work on the T.C. RR with his father.
5. Discuss if they think the story was real or fake. (2 min)
This book is historical fiction, but the many things in the book are based on real events of the times.
Developmental Experiences (30 min)

1. Discuss and write on the board how long took to take a wagon across the US… (2min) Average 6 Months to travel the 2100 miles
2. Discuss and write on the board the possible reasons why it took so long… (2min)
Poor conditions, bad roads, no roads, mountains in the way, rivers in the way.
3. Discuss and write on the board how building a railroad system might help the problems mentioned. (6min)
Write the categories… Time Goods Services People Environment
4. Have the students pair up and brainstorm 3 costs of the railroad. (5min)
The costs might be time, goods, services, people, and environmental costs
5. Bring them back together and share ideas. Land, labor, materials, time, life (5min)
6. Place vocabulary words on the overhead
7. Go over the words that are associated with the transcontinental railroad
8. Students and teacher come up with a group definition of the terms. (5 min)
9. Pass around the pictures from the Winona railroad and play the slide show. (5 min)

10. Extension activity- Place map of the railroads on the overhead and have students label their maps.
Culminating experiences (closure) (5 min)
1. Ask the students what they have learned from this lesson and place responses on the KWLS board.
2. Tell the students that it is question time, and they have to ask three questions about the unit or the lesson before they can leave.
3. Place questions on the W board.
6. Assessments used during lesson: The assessment throughout this lesson was strictly informal. The teacher will be looking for active engagement and participation.

These are all pictures that can be found at the Winona Historical Society

http://www.winonahistory.org/

Great website to visit for maps of the Raiload

http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Maps/_cprr_map.html

Name_____________________
Vocabulary for Railroad Lessons

Transcontinental Railroad-

Pacific Railroad Act-


Promontory Point-

Iron Horse-

Golden Spike-

Engineer-

Chinese Immigrants-

Spike-
Tie-
Track-

Surveyor-