The 5 Ws of the Transcontinental Railroad

The 5 Ws are a powerful and simple way for students to get an overview of a topic and better enhance their understanding. By creating a spider map or narrative storyboard that showcases the 5Ws, students can demonstrate their knowledge using concise descriptions and visual scenes. Giving students a visual with each category helps students to better understand and remember the details and importance of the topic.

In this activity, students will create a spider map that highlights important facts about the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Students will answer the following questions using 1-3 sentence answers in the description boxes as well as appropriate and meaningful illustrations:

• What was the transcontinental railroad?
• Who was involved?
• When was it constructed?
• Where was it constructed?
• Why was it constructed?
• How did it impact the United States and North America?

Due Date:

Objective: Create a Spider Map highlighting important facts about the transcontinental railroad using the 5 Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why, and how).

Student Instructions:

1. Click “Start Assignment”.
2. For each cell, answer the question with a 1-3 sentence description.
3. Create an illustration that represents each answer using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.

Requirements: Answer 5-6 questions about the transcontinental railroad and include appropriate illustrations for each.