Synopsis
Follow the exciting adventures of Delivery Girl as she races across the country desperately trying to deliver packages to Americans who keep "movin' West." She'll meet Daniel Boone, James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson, Sacajawea, 49ers, and even prairie children working the land. Delivering packages is a rough job, but someone's got to do it!
Preview the script and songs!Key Concepts
The Incredible Westward Movement mentions and reinforces the following curriculum:
- Why folks went west
- Daniel Boone
- The Louisiana Purchase
- Sacajawea with Lewis and Clark
- The Trail of Tears
- The Oregon Trail
- California Gold Rush
- Farmers on the prairie
- Transcontinental Railroad
The Incredible Westward Movement is a great complement to your curriculum resources in elementary and middle school history. And, like all of our plays, this show can be used to improve reading, vocabulary, reading comprehension, performance and music skills, class camaraderie and teamwork, and numerous social skills (read about it!) -- all while enabling students to be part of a truly fun and creative experience they will never forget!
Aligned with national standards! View the standards and vocabulary.Publication Info
Author: Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics)
ISBN:
978-1-886588-17-2
© 2000
Bad Wolf Press, LLC
Mrs. Kirby (verified owner) –
This is a fantastic resource! I have read the teacher's manual front to back several times and feel 100% equipped to direct this play in a successful fashion. My students are really enjoying the songs and it lines up so well with the westward expansion unit in our History curriculum. Thank you so much for putting the time and effort into creating this amazing work, it is so appreciated by this 4th grade, and very novice theatre, teacher!
Leah Clark (verified owner) –
We presented the play "Incredible Westward Movement" with our 3/4 grade class, as they are studying Idaho History. The students loved the play, and the sense of humor was right on for this grade level. The songs were easy to learn, and the historical content was there.
I always struggle with the white-washing and retelling of Manifest Destiny, without a conversation of the cost to First Nations. I appreciated the addition of the Trail of Tears, however I was unsure how to cast a group of non-native students in those roles. Sacagawea was similarly challenging.
Overall, the play was a hit. Students and parents reacted positively to the performance and it was really fun for them to demonstrate their learning with singing and dancing, rather than writing an essay or taking a test.
Mary Carriker, 3rd Grade Teacher (verified owner) –
My Third Grade class is preparing to perform the musical, "Incredible Westward Movement." The kids LOVE the songs! We recently had a field trip and they sang all the songs during our bus ride! The lyrics reinforce what we've been learning in our Westward Expansion Unit in Social Studies, and truly make the characters come alive. The students are especially excited to learn about the specific character they are playing in the musical. Thanks for helping to make learning so much fun!
garnet (verified owner) –
This is a great history lesson set to music. The children ages 6-11 have really been enjoying rehearsals, and are looking forward to our show.
SLcms (verified owner) –
Overall, this is a fun and easy to use script. The music is a little tricky, down beats and complicated counts, but practicing with the music including lyrics helped the students. Great opportunities for social studies lessons throughout! Older students think the jokes are lame, but younger elementary love it.