Grade 5 Social Studies Standards addressed:
Students trace the colonization, immigration, and settlement patterns of the American people from 1789 to the mid-1800s, with and emphasis on the role of economic incentives, effects of the physical and political geography, and transportation systems.
Discuss the experiences of settlers on the overland trails to the West. (e.g., Location of the routes, purpose of each journey; the influence of the terrain, rivers, vegetation, and climate; life in the territories at the end of these trails).
Describe the continued migration of Mexican settlers into Mexican territories of the West and Southwest.
Relate how and when California, Texas, and Oregon, and other western lands became part of the United States, including the significance of the Texas War for Independence and the Mexican-American War.
Grade 5 Language Arts Standards Addressed:
Standard 2: Reading/Comprehension - The student reads, comprehends, interprets and evaluates a wide range of materials appropriate to the grade level.
Standard 5: Writing/Communication - The student writes effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Standard 6: Writing/Conventions - The student uses appropriate conventions of written language, which include grammar, spelling, punctuation, language usage, capitalization, legibility, sentence structure, and paragraphing.
Standard 7: Speaking and Listening - The student understands, evaluates and speaks effectively in formal and informal situations, using appropriate conventions of the language to communicate.