Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources

How the West was Settled

How the West was Settled
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.88

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    bearing, prosperous, trapper, pelts, settled, easily, religious, luckily, barrier, beaver, obstacle, freedom, eastern, story, western, government
     content words:    New England, Napoleon Bonaparte, North America, President Thomas Jefferson, Dakota Territory, South Dakota, Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark

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How the West was Settled
By Mike J Popp 		  
1     We all know the story about the Separatists who left England in 1620 in search of religious freedom to settle on the East coast, later creating the New England states. But did you know how the west was settled?
 
2     Napoleon Bonaparte, ruler of France, owned most of the land in North America. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson bought the last piece of land for $15 million. Part of this land was the Dakota Territory, which is present day North and South Dakota and Wyoming. This purchase is known as The Louisiana Purchase.
 
3     President Jefferson was curious about his new purchase and sent out a team of explorers, which included Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and John Colter. John Colter, a fur trapper, was excited about all the fur bearing animals in the territory because people on the East coast loved fashion made from fur.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
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