Intent

In this continued introduction to the unit, students consider the why and how of movements of people in more recent times.

Mathematics

No specific mathematics concepts are addressed in this introductory writing activity to the historic context of the unit.

Progression

After some reflective writing time, students share ideas with classmates.

Approximate Time

5 minutes for introduction

15 minutes for activity (at home or in class)

10 minutes for discussion

Classroom Organization

Individuals, followed by small-group sharing of responses

Doing the Activity

To introduce this writing activity, draw upon the discussion of Crossing the Frontier to suggest that there are ways in which groups of people today have experiences similar to those of European settlers traveling along the Overland Trail during the mid-1800s.

Discussing and Debriefing the Activity

Have students work in their groups to share the comparisons they made of two movements. You may also want to ask for a few volunteers to share their ideas with the class.

Point out that while the events the class will be studying happened about 150 years ago, many of the issues that were important then are still important today.

Key Question

How did the movement you wrote about compare to the Overland Trail movement?