Technology Integration Lesson: Manifest Destiny Interactive Map

The end of the school year is a great time to use technology to get restless students actively engaged in the classroom. Check out this exemplar lesson by SFA teacher Mary Desern for an idea on how to use PowerPoint to create interactive maps with your students. (Congrats to Mary who won 2 iPads for her classroom for this excellent lesson submission!)


Lesson Description/Overview:
Students will create an interactive map of the territorial growth of the United States to help them understand the concept of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. The map will be created in PowerPoint and will include the title and date of each U.S. acquisition, links to sites with more information, and a video.

Student Objectives:
The student understands westward expansion and its effects on the political, economic, and social development of the nation. The student is expected to identify areas that were acquired to form the United States, including the Louisiana Purchase.

Materials:
A computer for each student, access to PowerPoint or other type of presentation software, and headphones (optional).

Preparation:
Create a detailed project description with a rubric and make it accessible to students (a printout, post on Edmodo, or Google Doc). Also share a digital copy of the blank map you want students to use.

Here is a link to the activity description and rubric Mary created: http://bit.ly/K4pZ1h

Procedures:
1. Show students how to insert the map into Powerpoint and how to add a text box, website link, and video link to the map.
2. Show students how to add action buttons into the map so that the descriptions/histories of the land acquisitions that they type on other slides are linked into the interactive map.
3. Allow class time for students to work on their map.
4. Once the map is created, have students create an activity sheet that corresponds with their map. The sheet should ask questions that other students could answer using the information found on their map.