1. The Golden Spike Celebration

4. Learning Goals: 1. Describe how the transcontinental railroad was built. 2. Summarize how the railroads changed the nation. Journal: Write a paragraph explaining to a friend why you and your family are leaving your home in the East to become homesteaders on the frontier. Explanation: One reason that people left the East was the opportunity to own land. The letter can be from the point of view of a parent or some other family member.

5. Journal: Imagine that you are the mayor of a town in the west. Create a poster that will sell your town and make it look good for the railroad to come through. Describe two ways the railroad will benefit the town in the poster. Add in one argument from someone in the town on how the railroad would hurt the town.

6. Discussion Questions Why do you think the frontier was important to America? Think of a metaphor for the frontier. Make a list of all the items you would find in a pioneer's sod house. Make a list of all the items that might have been found in a tepee. Compare the two.

8. 1. The job of building the transcontinental railroad was an enormous task that would connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

10. 2. To complete the trans- continental railroad, the Union Pacific laid more than 1,000 miles of track, mainly across the Great Plains. A Union Pacific photographic car in 1868.

11. Think-Pair- Share In the 1800s, people moved west for many reasons including job opportunity, land, to build something new, gold, etc. Today, many people are still moving to California, Colorado, Montana and other western states. What are the reasons people moved west then and now? Think about your answer and then turn to a neighbor and share your thoughts. We will share as a group.

12. 3. Solar time was based on the calculations of the sun’s movement across the sky.

13. 4. Standard time was created because solar time caused problems for people who scheduled long-distance trains.

15. Think-Pair- Share You are the mayor of Abilene, Kansas. The town has a problem with drunks, fights, theft and gunfights. You have no jail, and the circuit judge comes through only once every 2 weeks. How would you solve this problem? Think about your answer and then turn to a neighbor and share your thoughts. We will share as a group.

16. 5. The Great Plains covered the area from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains. Cartoon, "The Senatorial Roundhouse." What ultimately destroyed Native American control of the Great Plains was the completion of the railroads.

17. 6. Native Americans mainly occupied the parts of the West known as the frontier. "The Dog Dance of the Dakotas," by Seth Eastman, 1868.

18. Think-Pair- Share You are a storekeeper in a small railroad town. Most of your business is from local residents (farmers, cattlemen and townspeople). Because you have the only store within 50 miles, you can charge any price for the goods and make money. You must support not only your own family, but your aging mother, who needs hospital care. You realize that the people in the area need your supplies to survive the long, hard winters. Do you keep the prices down to where they can afford them or keep your prices high to support your family better?

19. 7. The railroads changed the frontier by: Settlement of the frontier quickenedSettlement of the frontier quickened Raw materials were transported EastRaw materials were transported East Finished goods, supplies, and settlers traveled West.Finished goods, supplies, and settlers traveled West. Workmen building the Central Pacific Railroad.

20. The future of railroad after 1869.

21. CLOSURE ACTIVITY Three W’s Students discuss or write (3 Ws): What did we learn today?What did we learn today? So What? (relevancy, importance, usefulness)So What? (relevancy, importance, usefulness) Now What? (How does this fit into what we are learning?; Does it affect our thinking?)Now What? (How does this fit into what we are learning?; Does it affect our thinking?)