Go West Young Men (and Women), Go West!

General Task:  You will be working with a partner or in a group creating a 5 – 10 slide (not counting title slide and end slide) PowerPoint presentation and handout on one of the topics listed below.  You will then be presenting this material to the rest of the class in a 10 minute presentation.  You will be graded on the content of their presentation, handout and your oral presentation.  (See Grading Rubric HERE).  This project will be worth 100 points.

 Specific Details:

Groups:  You may work in a group of your choice, however there will be no group changes except to cover for absences. There will be 2 or 3 people in each group.   

 Length: You must have a minimum of three slides for EACH person in the group not counting the titles or end slides.  In other words, if you have two people your slide show must be at least 8 (6+2) slides long, if you have 3 it must be 11 (9+2) slides long.

Handout:  Each group must also create a 1 – 2 page handout that will be given to the class during the presentations.  This handout must be typed and should include all the important information from your presentation.  In order for Mrs. Earnst to copy these, they are due December 14^th (No Homework Passes!).

Presentation:  You will be given 10 minutes to present your information in class.  While minor differences in time are acceptable, presentations that are too short or too long may result in a reduction of grade.  Due to time constraints, presentations that run too long may be cut off.

Time Frame:  You will spend four class days working on your projects.

December 12 - 14th you will be working in the computer lab researching our topics.  You must finish researching on your own over the weekend. Mrs. Earnst will check your research for a grade on Monday.  (No homework passes on this assignment)

Friday December 15th  you will work in the computer lab again creating your PowerPoint presentations.  If you need additional time, see Mrs. Earnst for a pass to the Lab.  Handouts are due by the end of class on the 15^th so Mrs. Earnst can make copies.

Monday - Wed (18 - 20) Presentations will be given in class.

All presenters must be prepared to go on the first day!  If you know you will be absent, you may request to go on a different day, otherwise it will be decided by a random selection.  If you cannot go when called upon, it is an automatic 10 points off your assignment per day!(this is a drop of 1 letter grade!).  The only exception for this is if a member of your group is absent on the day of your presentation.  (Note – No homework passes for the presentations and no music lessons on presentation days!)

PowerPoint:  Keep these tips in mind when creating your slideshow.  (If you don’t know how to do something in PowerPoint, check out the help page HERE).

1.      Slides should be presented in a logical order.

2.      You must have a title slide and an end slide in addition to the required slides (see length above)

3.      Each slide must look professional.  You must include graphics on every slide.

4.      The presentation must have at least one sound.

5.      You must animate at least one graphic/text in the presentation however you may do more.  Just be careful that it doesn’t become distracting. 

6.      The same is true for sound don’t overdo it.  A little flashy stuff goes a long way.

7.      You should have transitions going from slide to slide.

8.      All text on the slide should be readable, which means you can’t put too much on each slide.  Boil each concept down to a few important terms/words and have the rest in notes for you to discuss as you present.

9.      There should be no spelling/typos on the slides.  Proofread them!

 TOPICS

The topics below cover specific events and issues about the west in the 19^th century.  Keep in mind, some of these topics occur PRIOR to the Civil War.  Be sure to include specific dates in your presentations where appropriate.

 Good Luck, and Have fun.

Settling the Plains

1)      Mexican Relations – Texas, The Alamo, Mexican American War and its impact

2)      Transcontinental Railroad: Its creation & impact on Native Americans & Farmers

3) Stereotypes of the West:

Cowboys & Cattle Trails: What was the typical cowboy and what was their life like – does it match the image we have of them?

Gunslingers and Outlaws:  The infamous of the west, why was this a time period associated with this type of activity, why is it romanticized today?

4)      Women in the West: Famous women of the west, & how the average women lived.

5)  Innovations of the Plains:

Farm Inventions: The steel plow, windmills, etc and how made settling the plains possible and profitable

Communication in the Old West:  Pony Express & The Telegraph and how they impacted society.

6)  Life Down on the Farm:

Daily Life for Farmers: Homestead Act, Morill Land Grant & early life on the Plains – what were these laws, and how did people live day to day on the plains.

Politics:  The Grange & The Populist Party – the history of these organizations and how they helped the farmers

Native American Issues

7) Indian Lifestyles before the move West

The Plains Indians

The Pacific Coast Indians Indians in the Southwest

8) The Indian Wars: Events in the fights over land be sure to include important people on both sides, and important battles/massacres, also address the importance of the “Ghost Dance” and what it was. Listed below are two events you MUST include.

Battle of Little Big Horn: People and events be sure to include eventual outcomes.

The Nez Perce: Lifestyle, Chief Joseph and their attempt to flee the country

9) The Reservations: What was the Dawes Act, how did it work, and what was life on the Reservations like?  What is A Century of Dishonor?

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