Download DOP Lesson Plan. Standard 4.6A Mexican Cession and

8th Grade
Standard 4. 6A
Content Standard 4. The student will examine the political, economic, social, and
geographic transformation of the United States during the early to mid-1800’s.
6. Examine the concept of Manifest Destiny as a motivation and justification for
westward expansion, including the
A. Territorial growth resulting from the annexation of Texas, the Mexican
Cession, and the Gadsden Purchase,
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 8
Concept: The United States expanded because of the Mexican Cession, and the
Gadsden Purchase.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:

Identify the provinces of California and New Mexico as ceded in the
Mexican Cession.
Identify the strip of land along the southern edge of present-day states of
Arizona and New Mexico purchased in the Gadsden Purchase.
Materials:
White board, interactive white board
Internet device
Pencils, pens, and paper
Laptops, computers, tablets
Applying the Skill:
Performing Searches:
McGraw-Hill networks:
Choose: Resources, Helpful Links, Library of Congress
Procedures: The Library of Congress provides open access through the Internet
to primary sources documents: Go to:
Library of Congress Research and Reference Service
Access: http://www.loc.gov/rr
Researchers: Search: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Formats to choose from: Web pages, books, manuscripts, primary
documents
Scroll through the website and view the following:
Focus: President Polk, the Mexican Cession and the Gadsden Purchase and
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Read: Choose from any of the articles listed on the website.
Direct Instruction: Writing a Diary Entry
With teacher direction, students should read the information from the website listed
above. They may take notes or follow the links to research Mexican Cession and
Gadsden Purchase.
Practice:



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Students are to imagine they are a person of Mexican heritage living on
lands acquired in the Mexican Cession. Write a diary entry in which they
imagine what their feelings might be upon learning the terms of the
Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Students are to imagine that they are living on lands acquired in the
Mexican Cession. Write a diary entry recording how they might feel about
the geographic boundaries.
Students are to imagine that they are living on lands acquired in the
Gadsden Purchase. Write a diary entry explaining how they might feel
about the geographic boundaries of the purchase.
Students may prepare a multi-media project to share with the class.
Assessment:


Students may read a diary entry aloud to the class or they may share with
individual students within a small group.
Students may combine each diary entry into one booklet or multi-media
presentation.
Closure:
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
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Ask student to list the general terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Ask students to list how the map of the United States changed after the
Mexican Cession.
Ask student to list how the map of the United States changed after the
Gadsden Purchase.