Mission Possible: Opening the West-Hagedorn Library Learning Center

	Mission Possible: Opening the West 4th Grade WebQuest
	Created by Lynn Knox, Lauren Patterson, Denise Powers, Patricia A. Russac Buckley Country Day School - April 2003

Introduction

April 28, 1801

Dear Buckley 4th Grader:
You have been recommended to me as an especially fit and smart student who enjoys exploring new places, and excels at gathering information without attracting attention. I have a very unique problem and need your help. I want to make you a special agent for the U.S. government (A SPY!), and send you on a secret mission. Your job is to investigate unusual activity west of the Mississippi River, and report back to me.
I am confident you will complete this mission to the best of your ability as a responsible citizen of the United States.

Respectfully,
Thomas Jefferson
President of the United States

Mission

Mission: Read and complete each assigned task. At the end of each task will be an assigned product, which you will create as part of your report for me. It is extremely important that you do your best and keep this mission a secret. President Thomas Jefferson

Process

1.	You will be given a project folder.
2.	The information you find will be recorded on research journals and templates. Look for templates marked with numbers that match each task.
3.	The Web resources for your journey are linked to each task.
4.	All word-processed documents should be written in Microsoft Word and should be saved in your individual file AND the Group Shared 4^th Grade folder. Selected documents will later be used to create a special newspaper about the Westward Movement.

Task #1

Wagon wheel

Are you ready to roll? I sure am! This country is feeling too small. I am very interested in expanding the land holdings of the United States. But my advisors say the opportunities for expansion in North America are “closed” at this time. Do you have any idea what they mean? I’d like you to take a quick look at North America in the early 1800’s and check out the land west of the Mississippi River. Find out who claims the territories there and come up with a good idea for acquiring more land for the U.S.

President Thomas Jefferson

Steps

1.	Click here to find and print a map worksheet of the United States as it exists today, and the Western Expansion in the United States, 1804 -1807. Print map worksheet to a color printer.
2.	Click here to find and print Template 1: Land Claims in America in the Early 1800's
3.	Use your map printouts to answer the questions on Template 1.

Product

1.	Write a short report to President Jefferson summarizing the land situation in 1800.
2.	Make a recommendation about how to expand the land holdings of the United States.
3.	Support your recommendation with 2 good reasons. Recommendations should be hand written on U.S. government stationery.
4.	Click here to find and print your official presidential stationery.

Task #2

Wagon wheel

Good News! I have just heard from my advisors that the French are interested in selling all their land claims in America to the United States. I would like you to go to France and help my men Robert Livingston and James Monroe write the treaty. Please hurry before Emperor Napoleon changes his mind. The size of the United States could double with this single land purchase!

I want to see something in writing as soon as possible. Send me a short version of the treaty. Make sure to include names, dates, locations, price, etc., on this shortened document.

President Thomas Jefferson

Steps

1.	Click here to find and print Template 2: Louisiana Purchase Treaty Draft
2.	Use the following link to find the information to record your information on Template 2. Louisiana Purchase: Building the United States Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase Louisiana Purchase
3.	Color your treaty draft to make it look like an authentic document signed between two countries.

Product

1.	Evaluate the sale
2.	Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Was the Louisiana Purchase a good deal for the U.S. and why? How do you think the Emperor of France felt about the deal? How do you think the United States citizens will react to the purchase? Write your comments on U.S. government stationery.
3.	Click here to print your official presidential stationery.

Task #3

Wagon wheel

I am so pleased! We finally acquired land in the west and have forever removed the threat of foreign control from the Mississippi River. The U.S. has doubled its size with the stroke of a pen! However, we must find out more about the land we bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

I have created a secret brigade called the "Corps of Discovery" led by my personal secretary and his commanding officer in the army. They will explore this region and look for a water route across the west. I want you to go with them. Prepare yourself for a long journey. Learn as much as you can about the expedition.

President Thomas Jefferson

Steps

1.	Click here to find and print the article "Mr. Jefferson's Expedition" article from the November 2002 issue of Appleseeds magazine.
2.	READ the entire article by yourself.
3.	Ask for a highlighter when you are done reading. HIGHLIGHT important phrases and keywords in the article.
4.	Click here to find and print Template 3
5.	Complete Template 3 using the information from the article.

Product

1.	Find the Lewis and Clark route on your Westward Expansion map from Task #1.
2.	Put one star where they began the expedition and 2 stars on Fort Clatsop (the fort they built) at the end of their westward trek.

Task #4

Wagon wheel

The time has come for the expedition to begin! As planned, the Corps is leaving this month, and so are you. I want you to watch its every move, track all activity, and send secret reports back to me. Stay alert and good luck! President Jefferson

Steps

1.	Click each link to read about the Corps of Discovery: Journaling in 1805 Packed for Success The Expedition of the Corps of Discovery
2.	READ the entire page before going on to Step 3.
3.	Click here to find and print Template 4: On the Trail With Lewis and Clark
4.	Return to the link in Step 1 to find the information you need to complete Template 4.
3.	LIST the information for each category. You do not have to write in full sentences.
4.	Make sure to write neatly and use correct spelling.

Product: "Black and Write Sketches"
Pick 1 - 2 topics and write a report on each for President Jefferson. Reports should be at least 4 - 5 sentences long and written on U.S. government stationery. Click here to find and print the official stationery for this task. Then draw a pencil sketch to illustrate your findings on a separate piece of drawing paper.

Task #5

Wagon wheel

News flash! The White House science lab has informed me of a TOP SECRET new way to post messages. It was invented by our government scientist named "Hi Tech." It is called expedition "Think.com" or "Think" for short. I don't know much about it, so I want you to test it out. I need to go to my assistant's page on Think.com. Her name is Mrs. Patterson. Hi Tech said you would understand. President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Top Secret Think.com Address
2.	Post a message to let me know how you are doing on your journey, or any interesting facts you have found.

Task #6

Wagon wheel

Lewis and Clark did it! They made it to the Pacific coast and opened the West. Now I just need to find a way to get people out there to settle it. What I need are some real tough frontiersmen to comb the countryside, explore the woods and pave the way for settlers. This is not an easy job. It takes real strength, and a fierce will to survive. I want you to apply for a job as a trapper and learn more about the mountain men who are blazing trails through the wilderness while providing this country with valuable furs. President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Click here to find and print the article "Mountain Men. (trappers and frontiersmen" from the November 2002 issue of Cobblestone magazine.
2.	READ the entire article by yourself.
3.	Ask for a highlighter when you are done reading. HIGHLIGHT important phrases and keywords in the article.
4.	Click here to find and print Template 6: Mountain Men
5.	Complete Template 6 using the information in the article. Your can also use the following link for information: The Mountain Men: Pathfinders to the West 1810-1860
6.	Use the following link to view an actual photograph taken of a mountain man in the 19th century. The Stuff of Legends: The Ways of the Mountain Men

Product: Write a poem about the life of a mountain man. Your poem may be any type of verse. Click here to find and print Template 6A: Mountain Man Poem Draft. Just choose one moment in a mountain man's day and try to paint it with words in your poem. When you are ready for your final draft, click here to find and print Template 6B to a color printer: Mountain Man Poem.

Task #7

The latest trend for beaver hats is the real reason that mountain men are needed out west. And what a business fur has become! Fur companies are springing up everywhere. Men like John Jacob Astor and John Colter are building fortunes through the backbreaking work of trappers. What? You don't believe me? Take a look at the these want ads. President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Click here to find and print Template 7A: Mountain Men Ads
2.	Use the following link to find the information you need to complete Template 7. Want Ads for Mountain Men
3.	Click here to find and print Template 7B: Want Ad

Product: Create a "Want Ad" for a fur company. Make sure to include the following information in your ad:

Who:	Name of your company
What	Job Description Job Qualifications Job Salary Payment Schedule
When:	Departure date
Where:	Job Location
How:	How will they contact you

Task #8

I have learned some very important lessons as President of the United States. In order to talk with any group of people, you must speak "their language." This means you must learn and use the words unique to that group. Mountain men are no different. And oh, what a language they have! Read to see what I mean.
President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Click on the following link and read through the unique language used by mountain men during the 19th century: Mountain Men Expressions and Words
2.	Click here to find and print Template 8: Mountain Men Cartoon

Product: Use the "Mountain Men Expressions and Words" link to create 2 sentences for your cartoon characters.

Task #9

Wagon wheel

I hope you realize how much of a French connection there is between our two countries. Emperor Napoleon was a big help in arranging for the Louisiana Purchase, and we owe a lot to the French language. Even the mountain men use French words. Take a moment to learn a little more about our French friends.
President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Click on the following link and read the entire page on your computer screen. Do not print this page. Napoleon Bonaparte
2.	Click here to find and print Template 9: Napoleon Bonaparte
3.	Return to the link in Step 1 to find the information you need to complete Template 9:
4.	To complete Template 9 return to the "Mountain Men Expressions and Words" link in Task 8 to count how many words came from the French language.
5.	Put your completed work in your folder.

Task #10

Wagon wheel

My term as President is over. The new administration wants you to stay as a "government agent." I will be coordinating your journey for the new President. Keep me up to date by e-mail on developments out west. By documenting your journey, future generations will be able to share stories about people who played important roles, endured amazing challenges, and contributed to the exploration of this land!
President Jefferson
Steps

1.	You will be assigned to read an article from Cobblestone magazine by your classroom teacher.
2.	READ the entire article carefully by yourself. After you finish reading, HIGHLIGHT important phrases and keywords in the article to help you focus.
3.	Click the following link to find and print a copy of the questions to your article you are reading. "Bright Eyes And a Wish" by Aylesa Forsee "York, a Little-Known Black Hero" by Ann Keefe "Father of the Santa Fe Trail" by Marjorie Loester "Adventures of John Colter" by Linda Roberts "Land of Enchantment" by Ginger Wadsworth
4.	DRAFT your responses on your question worksheet.
5.	After you complete your worksheet, find your partner(s) in the class that read the same article as you, and discuss your responses.

Product: Prepare a lesson to present to your classmates using the information you gathered from your article.

Task #11

Wagon wheel

June 1838

This year’s rendezvous was a bust! Beavers have been trapped out, silk hats are in fashion, and no one is hiring a trapper for next year. Many mountain men are now looking for work as trail guides. This is good because families are finally moving west and settling there. I want you to go west, find out who’s who in the world of trail guides, and report back to me.
Former President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Find a partner and choose a guide from "the hat."
2.	Use the following links to find and READ about your guide: Kit Carson Joseph Layafette Meek Jim Baker Jim Bridger Jim Bridger's Rifle Jedediah Smith Benjamin Bonneville John Colter Tom Fitzpatrick Sacagawea Portraits of Mountain Men, Fur Traders, & Trappers Mountain Men Links - alphabetical list of names Mountain Men, Fur Trappers
3.	You must READ the information on your web link(s) about your guide before going to Step 4.
4.	Click here to find and print Template 11: Trail Guide Profile

Product: Work with your partner and create a promotional ad for your guide. Use the information you gathered on your template. Click here to find and print Template 11A: Guide Rough Draft. Write the ad in the first person (use "I") as if you are your guide. Make sure your ad includes the following:

1.	Headline
2.	Guide's Name
3.	3-5 reasons why you should hire this guide
4.	Where and how to contact the guide
5.	Draw and color an illustration of your guide

Task #12

Wagon wheel

June 1845

Westward expansion has really taken off! In the last few years, thousands of pioneer families have traveled west. I have heard a lot about the different trails west, but only one, the Oregon Trail, really interests me, People tell me that it is harsh, dangerous, and absolutely beautiful. Your next job is to travel on this trail and investigate its landmarks and natural wonders.
Former President Jefferson
Steps

1.	Pick one of the links below to research.
2.	Read the information on that web site.
3.	Imagine you are a pioneer on the Oregon Trail.
4.	Click here to find and print your postcard to mail to a relative back home in New York. Put postcard together using a glue stick before you start writing.
5.	Use the information you read on the web site to describe life on the trail.
6.	Include 2 facts from the web site to support the information in your letter.

Oregon Trail: Landmarks, Supply Stops, Obstacles
Hardships On the Oregon Trail
Fantastic Facts About the Oregon Trail
Power: Horse? Mule? Oxen?
"Prairie Schooners" - Covered Wagon Diagram
Provisions for the Trail - Things you need
Pioneer and Indian Recipes

Task #13

Wagon wheel

I have received word that thousands of families have successfully settled in the west and communities are prospering. This is truly good news! I want you to go west and find out what life is like on the frontier and report back to me. Former President Jefferson

Steps

1.	Use the following link to find and print your information on life in the Old West: Pioneer Life on the Frontier
2.	READ the entire packet of information.
3.	Click here to find and print Template 14: Activity Choices