5 5 5 journey to statehood (social studies) TG

5.5.5

Journey to Statehood
SUMMARY

This work presents a collection of
stories of western territories and the process
by which they became states. It begins with a
discussion of The Louisiana Purchase, Lewis
and Clark’s expedition, and The Missouri
Compromise. The work covers the historical
context of the period and touches on important social issues affecting the statehood
process, such as the practice of slavery. It
contains a chronological chart of all the states
admitted to the United States in the 1800s.

LESSON VOCABULARY

annexed
compromise
inhabited
precedent

bill
expedition
interpreter
ratification

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR

Discuss with
students the title and author of Journey to
Statehood. Based on the title, ask students
what they think the selection will be about.
Does the cover give any clues?
BUILD BACKGROUND

Ask students if they know
the year that their state achieved statehood.
What was the most recent state of the 50
United States to achieve statehood? (Hawaii
in 1959)
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students look
through the book, encourage them to note
the headings, photographs, pictures, and captions. Do these features give them a better
sense of what the book will be about?

108

GENERALIZE
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

READ THE BOOK
SET PURPOSE

Most students will be interested
in reading this book so that they can learn
about the history of western states. Students

may focus on the history of the practice of
slavery as it affected states in the western
United States.

STRATEGY SUPPORT: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

Remind students that good readers use
graphic organizers to organize information
as they read, particularly nonfiction material.
Suggest that students create a chart, noting
details as they read, so that they can make
some generalizations later about the journey
to statehood.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

PAGE 3 How many states did the United States
have originally? (thirteen)
PAGE 4

What country did President Jefferson
make a deal with in The Louisiana Purchase?
(France)
PAGE 6 What group of people did Lewis and
Clark set out to learn more about? (Native
Americans)
PAGE 8 Which national body has to approve
admission of a new state? (Congress)
PAGE 11

When the Missouri Compromise was
reached, how many slave states and how
many free states were there? (twelve of each)

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REVISIT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE

1. Possible response: The generalization is
valid because a number of examples support it. The admissions of the Missouri,
California, Kansas, and Nebraska territories
were delayed over the issue of slavery.
2. Louisiana Purchase, 1803; Missouri
Compromise, 1820; Compromise of 1850,
1850; Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854. Captions
will vary.
3. Responses will vary but should match the
definitions given or implied in the text.
4. Responses will vary.
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

Look through the book
together with students and discuss how the
historical photographs and maps give an accurate picture of what life was like in the 1800s.

RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING

Have students write a letter from the
point of view of one of the Native American
tribal members that Lewis and Clark met on
their expedition. Have students assume they
have never seen a white man before, and
describe their encounter with Lewis and Clark.
What did their language sound like? What did
their food taste like?

SOCIAL STUDIES
CONNECTION
Have students pick one
of the western states listed on a chart in the selection and
research it on the Internet or in the library.
What is unique about the history of that state
before and after statehood? What are the
state flower and bird?

Skill Work
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY
Encourage student pairs to find the vocabulary words in the text. Have them define
the words and then work together to write
a sentence for each word.
Invite students to look at the pictures
in the book to tell in their own words what
this book is about.

TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY

GENERALIZE As this selection presents
the stories of a number of different states’
journeys to statehood, students will need to
organize these facts in order to generalize.
As they read the text, have them consider
what these states have in common. Which
of these states were originally slave states,
and which were free states?
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

Remind students
that graphic organizers are used to organize
information in a visual way. Have students
create a time sequence table like the one
on page 12. Next to the date that each
state became a state, have students note
whether that state was a slave state when it
received its statehood.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION
SEQUENCE

Remind students that sequence
means the order in which things happen.
Have students look at the time sequence
table on page 12 and answer the following questions: In what year did the most
states achieve statehood? How many states

achieved statehood between 1850 and
1875?

Journey to Statehood

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Journey to Statehood

Name

Generalize
• A generalization is a broad statement or rule that applies to many examples. A generalization is
made after thinking about a number of examples or facts and what they have in common.
• A valid generalization is adequately supported by specific facts and logic.
• A faulty generalization is not adequately supported by facts or logic.

Directions Review Journey to Statehood. Write whether each generalization below is valid or faulty.
1.

Part of the Corps of Discovery group’s mission was to learn about
Native Americans.

2.

All territories had to follow the same process to become states.

3.

In the early 1800s, all people in the South owned slaves.

4.

In the North in the early 1800s, it was against the law in all states
to own slaves.

5.

Many people moved to California during the Gold Rush.

6.

Everyone in the North was angry about the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

7.

With the building of railroads across the nation, few settlers in faroff areas were within reach of cities and towns.

8.

The western states in our Union were settled by people who
wanted a life of freedom.

9. Valid

10. Faulty

© Pearson Education 5

Directions Write one valid and one faulty generalization of your own.

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Journey to Statehood

Name

Vocabulary
Directions Fill in the blank with the word from the box that matches the definition.

Check the Words You Know
annexed

bill

compromise

expedition

inhabited

interpreter

precedent

ratification

1.

v. lived in

2.

n. approval of a proposed constitution

3.

n. journey made for a specific purpose

4.

v. added territory to an existing city, county, state, or nation

5.

n. resolution of differences in which both sides give up
something

6.

n. example used to justify later decisions

7.

n. a proposed law

8.

n. someone who helps people who speak different
languages communicate with each other

Directions Complete each analogy with a word from the box.
Example: GIRL is to BOY as MOTHER is to

FATHER

© Pearson Education 5

9. DESERTED is to CROWDED as VACANT is to

.
.

10. PROBLEM is to SOLUTION as DISAGREEMENT is to
11. SUBTRACTED is to DELETED as ADDED is to

.
.

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