1

Communication Out West: Pony Express and Telegraph

Michaela Quigley

Expected Duration
Social Sciences
Concepts
Vocabulary

Skills

Broad goals of the

lesson

Lesson Plan Overview and Description

1 class period (50 minutes)
History
The ways in which communication spread to the west in the 1800s
through the Pony express and Telegraph.
Pony Express
Telegraph
Morse Code
Reading
Writing
Note taking
Listening
Interpersonal communication
The students will be able to summarize how communication in the
West evolved in the 1800s.

Content Outline
1) Pony Express: 1860-1861 (18 months) Carried mail to the west
a) Worked like a relay race- each rider rode for 75 miles then passed it to a new team
b) Mail could reach California in 10 days
c) This was in 8 states: California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas,
and Missouri.
2) Telegraph: A machine that uses electricity to send messages over wires
a) Began being used in 1861
b) Morse code: Messages are sent through wires by tapping out the letters of each word on a
telegraph key. The key was in Morse code.
c) The telegraph replaced the Pony Express because it was much quicker. Messages could
be sent and received from coast to coast within minutes.
d) Key to Morse Code
PDE SAS

PDE Common Core

Standards
8.3.4.C: Explain how continuity and change in U.S. history have
influenced personal development and identity.
Belief systems and religions
Commerce and industry
Technology
Politics and government
Physical and human geography
Social organizations
English Language Arts: CC.1.2.4.K Determine or clarify the

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meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases
based on grade level reading and content.

NCSS Themes and

Subthemes

English Language Arts: CC.1.3.4.J Acquire and use accurately

grade appropriate conversational, general academic, and domainspecific words and phrases, including those that signal precise
actions, emotions, or states of being that are basic to a particular
content.

II Time, Continuity, and Change: C. Identify and describe

selected historical periods and patterns of change within and
across cultures, such as the rise of civilizations, the development
of transportation systems, the growth and breakdown of colonial
systems and others.

Lesson Objectives
1. Students will be able to write their name and a letter to a classmate using Morse code
after being given a key to interpret Morse Code correctly.
2. Given an outline on the Pony Express and the Telegraph, students will be able to
summarize why the Pony Express ended making sure to include at least two reasons.
Anticipatory Set/Introduction

Lesson Input

Teaching Procedures
When students walk into the classroom they will answer the
three questions on the board using their notes from the lesson
they were taught they day before on The Pony Express. After
seven minutes the teacher will review the answers with the class
through a think/pair/share method. (Think- students complete
questions on their own, Pair- students compare answers with a
partner, and share- the teacher will call on different students to
share their answers). The teacher will then explain to the
students that today they will be exploring why the Pony Express
ended and share the days objectives.
Questions:
1. What were the eight states that the Pony Express
travelled?
a. California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming,
Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri
2. What year did the Pony Express begin?
a. 1860
3. What year did the Pony Express close?
a. 1861
1. The students will make predictions as to why they think the
Pony Express ended. The teacher will have the students
write this down at the bottom of their paper from the
introduction activity.

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2. The teacher will provide students with a Power Point
presentation on the closing of the Pony Express and
information on the Telegraph. Skeleton notes will be
provided for students to fill in as the presentation is gone
over. This will help all learners and ensure that students are
paying attention.
PowerPoint adapted from this website (Slides 13-21 will be
used in this lessons lecture)

Guided Practice/Independent
Practice

Differentiation
Closure

3. The teacher will demonstrate how to write a small message

using Morse Code.
1. The students will write their first and last names using
Morse Code. After the students write their name, the
teacher will check to make sure they wrote it correctly.
2. The students will write a letter, using Morse Code, to a
classmate. The students will turn this letter in and the
teacher will deliver it to the students. The teacher is serving
as the wire that transmits the message.
I will determine how this lesson will be differentiated once I get
to know my students and their needs.
The teacher will ask students who have written letters to hand
them in and students will return to their seats. The teacher will
hand students an exit card where they will write why the Pony
Express came to an end, two things they learned today, and one
question they have or one thing they want to know more about.
The teacher will then collect this exit card.

Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources

Resource Title
Influence: 3+ Characteristics:
Accessibility: Overall Rating: and
or Website
Significant suggesting that the
Access for
Suggestions for
Address
Influence
source is a quality
teachers or
current, future use of
(SI) or
resource and/or has
others
resource
Minor
reliable material
Influence
(MI) in
informing
your
thinking
decisions
about the
lesson plan
The Pony
Significant Credibility: This This website
This is a great
Express 5 Day
Influence
can
be
access
resource for getting
website is
Lesson Plan
ideas on teaching the
credible as it ends by anyone.
Pony Express and the
in .gov.
Telegraph. There are
Additionally, it is

Textbook

Significant
Influence

a unit plan that

was published by
the National Pony
Express
Association. This
group is in charge
of the history of
the Pony Express,
so that makes the
information
reliable.
Coverage: The
scope is very
broad but begins
to narrow down
within each
lesson. The
information
provided is
specific and
covers more than
surface
information. It
would not be
described as
trivial.
Quality and
Control: It is
obvious that the
site has been
proofread. It is
grammatically
correct and does
not contain any
spelling errors.
Credibility: This
is a textbook that
has been
published. The
publisher is well
known. Thus
making it
credible.
Content: The
purpose of the
content is to

numerous activities,
readings, and ways to
present the
information to
students. I used some
of the questions on the
worksheets for my
opening activity.
Additionally, this
website sparked my
idea to have students
write letters in Morse
Code. Some of the
notes from my
PowerPoint came
from this source too.

Teachers or
students who
wish to
purchase it
can access this
text.

This source is great

for providing teachers
and students with
background
information on
communication in the
west. However, there
is not much detail so it
could not stand alone
as the only source to
teach from. I used

PowerPoint
adapted from
this website

Significant
Influence

convey history in
an informational
way that is
serious.
Coverage: The
scope is rather
narrow. The text
does not delve
into topics, but it
does provide a
surface level
understanding of
information. The
text alone is not
enough to provide
students with
necessary
information.
This is
Content: The
available to
content matches
the research I did the public.
about these
topics.
Coverage: The
scope is
appropriate for
this lesson as it
provides students
with sufficient
information.
Comprehension:
The content is an
appropriate level
for fourth graders.
The reading and
words and not too
difficult.

this to provide me
with background
knowledge.

This resource is
helpful for getting
inspiration to organize
the information for
this lesson. I intend to
alter the presentation
so that it better suits
my lesson, but I like
the general basis of it.

Formative and Summative Assessment of Students

Formative Assessment
The teacher will grade the first question on the exit card for
correctness. The correct answer to the question: The Pony Express
ended after 18 months due to the development of the telegraph. The
telegraph transmits messages through wires using Morse Code. It is
much faster than the Pony Express as mail can be delivered in
minutes rather than 10 days.
Summative Assessment The teacher will collect the students Morse Code writing to ensure

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that they understand the concept. The teacher will also collect the exit
card and review it to see what the students got from the lesson to
ensure that teaching was effective.
Technology

Materials

Technology/Materials/Equipment
The teacher will use a computer and a SMART Board to present the
PowerPoint presentation to the students. If the technology fails, the
teacher will instruct the student verbally while the students follow
along using their skeleton outline of the notes.
Computer/Lap Top
SMART Board
Skeleton Outline of notes (1 copy per student)
Index card (1 per student)

Reflection on Planning
Planning this lesson was slightly difficult as there were numerous directions that could have been
taken to implement instruction on this content. It took a significant amount of time to gather
resources and determine what information should be included since the textbook did not provide
a sufficient amount of information. Several difficulties I predict are teaching the students how to
use Morse code. The lower level students might have trouble developing sentences in English let
alone trying to do so in Morse code. This lesson fits into the unit on Exploring the West as it
follows a lesson on the Oregon Trail and the Pony Express. The lesson that follows this one is on
the Transcontinental Railroad, so it serves at a prerequisite to studying transportation expansion
of the West in the 1800s. Changes or revisions to this lesson will be determined after it has been
taught. I am sure there are revisions that could be made to improve it, but I will not know until I
am able to teach it in its entirety. I think this lesson provides learning opportunities that appeal
to each of the different learning styles and is a great alternative to reading the textbook and
learning from creating outlines or taking notes.