What caused Westward Expansion?

Most kids know about the discovery of America in 1492 and the early settlers in Colonial America, but the story of our country drops off after we gained our independence in 1776.  It’s a shame because we had just become a nation and many exciting things were happening as we formed our new nation and discovered the American West!

This worksheet integrates Social Studies and Reading concepts. This two-page resource consists of the following pieces of learning material.

1. Students will read a short passage about Westward Expansion and the many reasons why American pioneers traveled the great distance to the frontier. 
2. Students will then complete a ten-question reading comprehension assessment covering the material.

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to download the PDF version of this resource. 

To save paper, we suggest printing this 2-page worksheet double-sided. 

Additionally, project the worksheet onto a screen and work through it as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time:  

teaching resource Reading Comprehension Worksheets-King Midas and the Golden Touch Google Interactive and Printable Resources Review and practice multiple reading skills using the text “King Midas and the Golden Touch” with these digital and print resources. teaching resource Reading and Writing Nonfiction Text: Earth Day Close Read Worksheets Enhance your students' comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills with this nonfiction Earth Day passage and accompanying activities. teaching resource Fun With Nonfiction Task Cards Solidify your nonfiction reading response lessons with this set of 12 comprehension task cards.