Our Digital Curriculum Library
Learn in All 7 Learning Styles
Welcome to the Westward Expansion Adventure Box
Wild West Expansion
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Ultimate Guide to Westward Expansion
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Extra Crafts
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Heroes and Villains Series
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Louisiana Purchase and Expeditions
Video Lesson
Lessons and Living Books are Coming...
LIving Books
Week #1: Setting the Stage for Westward Expansion
Topics: Louisiana Purchase, Pioneer Life, Missouri Compromise, John Quincy Adams
For K–5th Grade:
• “The Louisiana Purchase” by Dennis B. Fradin – An illustrated introduction to the land deal that doubled the U.S.
• “Going West” by Jean Van Leeuwen – A beautifully illustrated story of a pioneer family’s journey.
For 6th–8th Grade:
• “Abe Lincoln Grows Up” by Carl Sandburg – While not strictly about expansion, it offers insight into frontier life and values.
• “Westward Expansion: An Interactive History Adventure” by Allison Lassieur – Choose-your-own-adventure style learning.
For 9th–12th Grade:
• “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen Ambrose – A riveting biography of Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery.
• “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” by Brian Kilmeade – Includes a powerful context on Jefferson and early expansionism.
President Andrew Jackson and
the Indian Removal Act
Video Lesson
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LIving Books
Week #2: Second Phase of Manifest Destiny
Topics: Indian Removal Act, Texas Independence, Oregon Trail, Manifest Destiny
For K–5th Grade:
• “The Trail of Tears” by Joseph Bruchac – Told from the Cherokee perspective; accessible and moving.
• “A Picture Book of Davy Crockett” by David A. Adler – A look into the legendary frontiersman.
For 6th–8th Grade:
• “Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears” by Cornelia Cornelissen – An emotional and accessible novel.
• “Bound for Oregon” by Jean Van Leeuwen – A historical fiction novel based on a real family’s westward journey.
For 9th–12th Grade:
• “A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory” by Randy Roberts – A deeper look at the symbolism and reality of the Alamo.
• “The Legacy of Conquest” by Patricia Nelson Limerick – Reframes the myth of the West in modern scholarship.
The Mexican-American War
Video Lesson
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LIving Books
Week #3: The Paths Westward
Topics: Mexican-American War, Gold Rush, Religious Pioneers
For K–5th Grade:
• “The Josefina Story Quilt” by Eleanor Coerr – A young girl travels west with her beloved pet.
• “The Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself” by Rachel Dickinson – Hands-on projects inspired by pioneer history.
For 6th–8th Grade:
• “The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung” by Laurence Yep – A Chinese-American perspective during the Gold Rush.
• “Patty Reed’s Doll” by Rachel Laurgaard – An account of the Donner Party through a child’s eyes.
For 9th–12th Grade:
• “So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl” (Dear America Series) – Not directly Westward, but excellent for exploring 19th-century movement and opportunity.
• “Between Here and Zion: The 1861 Mormon Trail Diary of Asenath Wilcox. by Marie Woodward – Real accounts of the Mormon Pioneers traveling to Utah through a young woman’s journal.
The Edge of the Frontier
Video Lesson
Lessons and Living Books are Coming...
LIving Books
Week #4: The Aftermath and Other Important Events
Topics: Settling the Frontier, Deep West Cities, Homestead Act, Native American Conflicts
For K–5th Grade:
• “Prairie School” by Avi – A simple chapter book showing early education on the frontier.
• “Wagon Wheels” by Barbara Brenner – Based on a true story of a family heading west.
• “Who Was Sitting Bull?” by Stephanie Spinner – A child-friendly biography of a major Native American figure.
For 6th–8th Grade:
• “Sing Down the Moon” by Scott O'Dell – A powerful story of Navajo resistance and resilience.
• “The Homestead Act of 1862” by Jason Porterfield – A student-friendly breakdown of the law that changed America’s land ownership.
• “Caddie Woodlawn” by Carol Ryrie Brink – Based on real-life events of a frontier girl with spirit.
For 9th–12th Grade:
• “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown – A powerful and important account from the Native perspective.
• “The Earth Shall Weep” by James Wilson – A sweeping history of Native Americans post-contact.
• “Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad” by Stephen Ambrose – Ties into the transformation of the West after expansion.