Life in the West Recruitment Fair - Manifest Destiny PBL

Have you ever attended a recruitment fair - such as a college or career fair? The recruiters use so many different skills to encourage you to join their team. In this PBL activity, students develop those same skills to recruit visitors at the fair to join their group in the West.

Students are divided into groups representing eight of the groups that traveled to the West in the 1800s. They use various resources, such as websites, videos, and textbooks, to research their assigned group. They then plan for and create a booth that will be featured in the fair.

Materials are provided for eight different groups that you can choose from:

- Mountain Men

- Pioneer Women

- Mormons

- Missionaries

- Forty-Niners

- Explorers

- Chinese Immigrants

- Californios

On fair day, you can invite administrators, specialists, teachers, students, and possibly even parents to visit the different booths. Students will use what they have learned about their group and their persuasive skills to convince the travelers to join their group.

This activity is highly engaging and motivating and is definitely one of their favorite activities every year. No matter what curriculum I am teaching, I always incorporate this strategy. Kids get to practice a variety of skills and use their persuasive skills on an authentic audience. We are creating 21st century learners!

Included in this product are:

- PowerPoint presentation to introduce the project to your students

- Teacher guide

- Research worksheets for each role and websites that can be used for research

- Rubric

Additional American history products:

Source Analysis:

Primary and Secondary Sources: Introduction, Sort, and Game

Native Americans:

Native American Regions - Recruitment Fair PBL

Exploration and Colonization:

13 Colonies Cereal Box: Breakfast in the Colonies PBL

13 Colonies Recruitment Fair: A Colonial America PBL

Colonial America Hyperdoc: Life in the Colonies Webquest

13 Colonies Project Based Learning: Colonial America Regions PBL

GooseChase: Life in Colonial America Digital Scavenger Hunt

Colonial Regions PBL: New England, Middle, and Southern Newspaper Project

New England Colonies Hyperdoc: Colonial America Webquest

New England Colonies Choice Board: Colonial America Tic Tac Toe Menu

Middle Colonies Hyperdoc: Colonial America Webquest

Middle Colonies Choice Board: Colonial America Tic Tac Toe Menu

Southern Colonies Hyperdoc: Colonial America Webquest

Southern Colonies Choice Board: Colonial America Tic Tac Toe Menu

Colonial America Shark Tank: Inventions of the Colonies PBL

Road to Independence:

Revolutionary War GooseChase - Causes of the American Revolution Scavenger Hunt

Hyperdoc: Declaration of Independence Webquest

Confederation to Constitution:

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention: Superlatives Awards Fair

Breakfast of Delegates at the Constitutional Convention: Cereal Box PBL

Constitutional Convention Choice Board Learning Menus (set of 3)

Early Republic:

George Washington Hyperdoc: A Precedent President Webquest

George Washington GooseChase: Digital Scavenger Hunt

Presidency of George Washington - Differentiated Choice Board Menus (Set of 3)

Federalists vs. Democratic-Republicans Recruitment Fair PBL

Thomas Jefferson GooseChase: Engaging Scavenger Hunt Challenges

Andrew Jackson:

Andrew Jackson GooseChase: Digital Scavenger Hunt

Andrew Jackson Webquest - The $20 Bill Argument

Andrew Jackson Jigsaw Debate

Andrew Jackson DBQ

Manifest Destiny:

Manifest Destiny - American Progress Analysis

Manifest Destiny: Justification for Westward Expansion Hyperdoc

Sweet Betsy from Pike - Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

Civil War and Reconstruction:

Causes of the Civil War PBL: Worlds of the North and South Newspaper Project

Civil War GooseChase Digital Scavenger Hunt

Hyperdoc: Life of a Civil War Soldier Webquest

Civil War Hyperdoc: North vs. South Strengths and Weaknesses Webquest

PBL: A “Star-Spangled Banner” from Fort Sumter Civil War Webquest

‘Twas at the Siege of Vicksburg - Civil War Primary Source Analysis

Industrialization:

Shark Tank: Industrial Revolution Inventions PBL