How did the Homesteaders overcome the problems they faced on the Great Plains?

This great lesson is designed to help students understand how the Homesteaders overcame the problems they faced on the Great Plains such as water supply, natural hazards, extreme weather, protecting crops, bankruptcy, insects and Native Americans.

This lesson includes a 26 slide PowerPoint with six core activities including starter, review summary tasks on the problems, thinking skills review activities, card sort and an exam question. I have also included fourteen illustrated information slides to be used either before or after the card sort activity explaining both the problems facing the Homesteaders and the solutions that they came up with. In addition, the PowerPoint contains aims, objectives, differentiated outcomes, information slides, pictures, diagrams and templates for summarizing learning.

The two page word document contains 14 problems with the solutions that the Homesteaders came up with mixed up. Students cut out the cards and match the problems and solutions under the two headings. Once they have peer reviewed or checked them during a class feedback session, students can then stick them into their books. Alternatively, you could create a class set that are kept in envelops and quickly matched and then put back as a quick starter or plenary.

For more information please see the sample preview. The aims and objectives for this activity are:

Theme: How successful were the Homesteaders at settling on the Great Plains?
Know: What problems did they have to overcome?
Understand: How did the Homesteaders survive and build successful farms on the Great Plains?
Evaluate: What impact did these solutions have on the Homesteaders, the environment and the Native Americans?
Skills: Cause, Consequence, Change, Continuity and Source Evaluation.

WILF – What Am I Looking For?
Identify and describe: What problems did the Homesteaders have to overcome in order to survive?
Explain: Did they try and solve these problems?
Analyze: begin to make an overall judgment on how successful the Homesteaders were at settling on the Great Plains and at what cost?

This is a great lesson which, which your students will enjoy. Please check out some of my other resources on the American West or follow the History Academy on You Tube, Facebook or Twitter.

Kind Regards

Roy