Changes in farming, the cattle industry and settlement, 1876-95

IMPORTANT: Many of these activities refer to the textbook “Edexcel GCSE (9-1) History, The American West, c1835-c1895” (editor Leonard A. and published by Pearson) ISBN 9781292127309 and will not be usable without a copy of this text.

This Edexcel 9-1 GCSE unit covers 4+ lessons depending upon your class and their overall ability/work rate.

Aims and Objectives:

Specification area: Changes in farming, the cattle industry and settlement, 1876-95.

• To understand the changes in farming: the impact of new technology and new farming methods.
• To understand the changes in the cattle industry, including the impact of the winter of 1886-7. The significance of changes in the nature of ranching: the end of the open range.
• To understand the continued growth of settlement: the Exoduster movement and Kansas (1879), the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893.

The Power Point leads students through all activities with accompanying resources. It also provides feedback and answers at intervals. Activities include card sorts, group presentations/sales pitches on new methods of farming, an 8 mark explanation exam question on consequences of the winter of 1886-7, analysing/categorising information into positives and negatives, a letter from an Exoduster, narrative recall of the land rush and event ordering.