Expedition’s Benefit and Cost

This debate and writing worksheet supports students in Grades 5 and 6 as they practice critical thinking, argumentative writing, historical analysis, cause-and-effect reasoning, and evaluation of multiple perspectives. By examining both the benefits and costs of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, students engage in balanced analysis, evidence gathering, and structured paragraph writing while deepening their understanding of U.S. expansion and its impact.

Instructional Objectives

• Historical Analysis (Grades 5-6) – Examine positive outcomes for the United States alongside costs to Native peoples and the environment.
• Argumentative Writing Skills – Develop a clear claim supported by evidence drawn from a structured T-chart.
• Critical Thinking – Evaluate differing viewpoints and consider trade-offs within historical decisions.
• Cause and Consequence – Analyze how exploration decisions led to both short-term and long-term effects.

Instructional Support

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with upper elementary social studies and ELA standards.
• Structured Graphic Organizer – Includes a T-chart to help students organize benefits and costs before writing.
• Flexible Use – Works well for debates, writing assignments, assessments, or small-group discussion.
• Supports Diverse Learners – Clear prompts scaffold reasoning and encourage evidence-based responses.

This printable worksheet helps students strengthen argumentative writing, historical reasoning, and critical evaluation skills while exploring complex outcomes of westward exploration. By weighing benefits against costs, learners build deeper understanding of multiple perspectives, persuasive composition, and cause-and-effect relationships. It’s a thoughtful, no-prep resource ideal for both classroom instruction and homeschool learning.

This worksheet is part of our Lewis and Clark Expedition collection.