Oklahoma Social Studies 8.C.9.2.D
The Standard
- 8.C.9
- Examine the political, economic, social, and geographic changes that occurred during the period of westward movement.
- 8.C.9.2
- Analyze the territorial growth of the United States of America and the consequences of westward expansion.
Compare the motivations and experiences of individuals and groups who seized opportunities of the West, including those engaged in the California Gold Rush, the settlement of Oregon, and the Mormon migration.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · 8.C.9.2
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain why different people traveled west and what they faced along the way. They compare what gold seekers, Oregon settlers, and Mormon migrants hoped to find with what life was like after they arrived.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can distinguish the search for gold, farmland, and safety from religious persecution. They can name a challenge each group faced and explain that these moves displaced Native peoples.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume everyone went west to find gold or became successful once they arrived. They may picture western land as empty, overlooking the Native peoples already living there.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Write one reason each group went west and one challenge each faced. Then compare the experiences of two groups in one sentence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three traveler cards and a blank western map; have them mark destinations and label each traveler's goal and one hardship.
Ask: How did an Oregon farmer's reason for leaving differ from a Mormon family's? Use one detail from each traveler card.
Sort nine cards showing goals, trail problems, and arrival experiences under gold seekers, Oregon settlers, or Mormon migrants; defend two matches.
Write 'Gold in California!' beside a current out-of-state job ad; have students list each promised gain and one possible moving cost.
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Related Standards
- 8.C.13.5
Evaluate the impact of federal policies related to the on-going migration and settlement of the West.
- USH.C.1.3
Analyze the causes and effects of the continuing westward migration and territorial growth after the Civil War.
- 8.C.9.1.C
Explain how the idea of Manifest Destiny influenced migration by identifying push and pull factors impacting the settlement of western territories.
- 8.C.9.1
Examine multiple perspectives on the justification for and impact on westward expansion and analyze the influence of immigration.
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