Westward Expansion of the United States – Research & Presentation Project

$3.00

This unit connects learning with technology to Social Studies. This is perfect for technology class or for use in a Social Studies classroom that wants to incorporate technology with a lesson. No download is required to use Microsoft Sway (www.sway.com – a free product), making it easy for teachers who are not able to download software on classroom computers to still give their students a choice in learning.

In this lesson, students are provided with a quick tutorial, as well as links to other resources to help them with their project. The tutorial is intended to help students get started with the program and then use the resources within the program to refine their creations. Students create an animated video presentation after researching their choice of a topic relevant to Westward Expansion of the United States from a list provided with the assignment. They use that information along with animation, themes and formatting supplied in Microsoft Sway, plus pictures and Internet resources they add, to create a finished animated presentation that explains the topic and adds their own opinions and insights to it.

The project was created for grades 7-8 but could easily be used with upper elementary or high school students. This project is a great addition to a history unit on westward expansion in the United States.

Files Included with this Lesson
• Teacher & Student Notes and Resources
• Student Project Expectations and Grading Rubric
• Getting Started Tutorial for Microsoft Sway

Total Pages: 12
Teaching Duration: 4 days

Description

This unit connects learning with technology to Social Studies. This is perfect for technology class or for use in a Social Studies classroom that wants to incorporate technology with a lesson. No download is required to use Microsoft Sway (www.sway.com – a free product), making it easy for teachers who are not able to download software on classroom computers to still give their students a choice in learning.

In this lesson, students are provided with a quick tutorial, as well as links to other resources to help them with their project. The tutorial is intended to help students get started with the program and then use the resources within the program to refine their creations. Students create an animated video presentation after researching their choice of a topic relevant to Westward Expansion of the United States from a list provided with the assignment. They use that information along with animation, themes and formatting supplied in Microsoft Sway, plus pictures and Internet resources they add, to create a finished animated presentation that explains the topic and adds their own opinions and insights to it.

The project was created for grades 7-8 but could easily be used with upper elementary or high school students. This project is a great addition to a history unit on westward expansion in the United States.

Files Included with this Lesson
• Teacher & Student Notes and Resources
• Student Project Expectations and Grading Rubric
• Getting Started Tutorial for Microsoft Sway

Total Pages: 12
Teaching Duration: 4 days

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