Students in the middle grades this year are exploring how the United States went from mainly states on the east coast to spreading across the continent.  We started off this unit with a look at maps. We discussed the 13 Colonies victory against England and what that meant for the young nation. We then started looking at the way the US was growing, who was already there and how the people found out about new land that was purchased.  We followed Lewis and Clark across the Louisiana Purchase Territory, read about York and Sacajawea and acted out how you might communicate with a person if you didn’t speak their language and wanted to let them know you came in peace. As we continue this unit, we are figuring out what it’s like to live and travel in a covered wagon.