Gold Rush of 1849 & The Donner Party - American West

American West Bundle Part 1

**Early settlement of the American West c.1835-c.1862** This bundle is the first part in a series of lessons I have created for Edexcel GCSE 9-1, The American West, c.1835-c1895 Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of the early settlement of the American West from the customs, beliefs, traditions and lives of the Plains Indians through to the lawlessness of the towns. They will focus on the settlement of the Great Plains with the coming of the early settlers and the problems they faced farming the land. They will learn about the conflicts and conquest of the Great Plains such as the Gold Rush of 1849 and the use of the Oregon Trail by the Donner Party for example. Questions will target consequence such as the US government policy towards the Plains Indians and the treaties which followed such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Appropriations Act and the Fort Laramie Treaty. Furthermore students will be empowered to master the significance of key events such as the Mormon migration west and write analytical narratives such as the perils of the Oregon Trail. I have dispensed with individual learning objectives for each lesson to focus throughout on a specific enquiry based question which addresses the knowledge and skills required for the GCSE questions and shows progression in learning required during this course. Moreover, it allows the students to critically think for themselves to decide who was benefiting from this rapid change to America as well as how and why. For assessment purposes each lesson, with the exception of the first two, is accompanied by one of the three key exam questions with help and exam tips if needed. These can be completed in the lesson or for homework tasks if required. The lessons are all differentiated and are tailored to enable the students to achieve the highest grades. The lessons come in PowerPoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. The lessons are as follows: L1 Introduction to the Plains Indians (free resource) L2 Plains Indian society L3 The Great Plains and the Buffalo L4 The Spirit World (free resource) L5 Conflict over land L6 The Oregon Trail L7 The Gold Rush and the Donner Party L8 The Mormon Migration L9 Early Settlement on the Plains L10 The Fort Laramie Treaty L11 Problems of lawlessness