English Language ArtsSocial Studies3-5
Westward Expansion Travel Brochure Project Guide
By CANDY L.
A 10-step, multi-day project guide in which 5th graders research the benefits, risks, landmarks, and routes of westward migration and then write a persuasive travel brochure. It builds research, note-organizing, and persuasive writing skills, with a step-by-step roadmap, checkboxes, and sign-off points that let students work at their own pace before moving to Canva.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as the backbone of a 15-day unit: roughly days 1-3 for brainstorming and research (Steps 1-4 using HMH Module 4 texts), days 4-6 for organizing notes into a Benefits vs. Risks graphic organizer (Step 5), days 7-10 for drafting and revising the persuasive writing, and days 11-15 for teacher sign-off and then Canva design work.
- Discussion question: Why might a family in the East find the promise of western land persuasive, and what risks would they have to weigh against it?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a pre-filled sample Benefits vs. Risks chart with one example from the text, and allow students to dictate or sketch ideas before writing full sentences.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to write a counter-brochure from the perspective of a Native American nation or a family who warned against migration, comparing how persuasive techniques shape the reader's view.
- Estimated time: About 40-50 minutes per day for research and writing, with a 30-minute block reserved for each teacher sign-off checkpoint.
English Language ArtsSocial Studies3-5
Westward Expansion Travel Brochure Project Guide
By CANDY L.
A 10-step, multi-day project guide in which 5th graders research the benefits, risks, landmarks, and routes of westward migration and then write a persuasive travel brochure. It builds research, note-organizing, and persuasive writing skills, with a step-by-step roadmap, checkboxes, and sign-off points that let students work at their own pace before moving to Canva.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as the backbone of a 15-day unit: roughly days 1-3 for brainstorming and research (Steps 1-4 using HMH Module 4 texts), days 4-6 for organizing notes into a Benefits vs. Risks graphic organizer (Step 5), days 7-10 for drafting and revising the persuasive writing, and days 11-15 for teacher sign-off and then Canva design work.
- Discussion question: Why might a family in the East find the promise of western land persuasive, and what risks would they have to weigh against it?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Provide a pre-filled sample Benefits vs. Risks chart with one example from the text, and allow students to dictate or sketch ideas before writing full sentences.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to write a counter-brochure from the perspective of a Native American nation or a family who warned against migration, comparing how persuasive techniques shape the reader's view.
- Estimated time: About 40-50 minutes per day for research and writing, with a 30-minute block reserved for each teacher sign-off checkpoint.