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On the Oregon Trail
Students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. Working in groups, they write a scene for the movie that is historically accurate and based on the kinds of...
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Using Details from the Text
Explore non-fiction comprehension strategies with your class. They will visualize daily activities and label a 4 circle Venn diagram with related phrases. They must identify the overlapping sections as "main ideas," then complete a...
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Wagons Ho! Hard Times! Hard Choices!
You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a activity, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper writing, science...
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Study History through Journal Keeping
Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...
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Oregon Trail Art
Learners describe events that happened on the Oregon Trail and in the daily lives of Native Americans by writing a narrative essay of a family traveling through Nebraska based on Thomas Hart Benton's paintings.
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Oregon Trail Diary
Students write a diary. In this writing and creativity lesson, students pretend they are moving west and keep a diary about their adventures. Students study real-life scenarios about families who made the trip out west before writing...
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Adventure Writing: Oregon's Landscape as a Setting
Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...
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Wagons West: Report
Have your middle schoolers choose a topic about the Oregon Trail to research for an informative report. They are given a list of report ideas and the components required when composing an informational report. Then, they choose one of...
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Westward Ho: The Difficulties of Emigrants Moving West
Students research the journey west of 19th century emigrants. In this pioneer instructional activity, students read the letters and diaries of a fictitious family traveling on the Oregon Trail. They mark their route on a US map, create a...
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Discovering the Oregon Trail
Students explore U.S. history by researching the Oregon Trail. In this American exploration activity, students read the story On the Shore of the River and define the exact path early settlers took to find the state of Oregon. Students...
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Pioneering Children on the Move
Learners inquire about life for pioneer children. In this pioneer period instructional activity, students analyze photographs of children, make information foldables, and create a covered wagon that was typical of the ones of the past....
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Webquest - Westward Ho!
Students investigate life on the trail West. In this Oregon Trail lesson, students collaborate to research the pioneer life and then role play a family's life on the trail. Students author an essay regarding their research finding and...
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Impact of Westward Expansion on Indigenous Populations
Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...
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Wagons West!
The first pioneers faced many obstacles on their journey west. Middle schoolers read different historical fiction texts (ideas are provided), make connections, and complete a detailed packet (included). Reading guides, journal ideas, and...
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Heading West
Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. instructional activity, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students...
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My Name is America
Students read My Name is America about the Donner Party journey and create a scrapbook of what they read. In this Donner Party lesson plan, students also map out the journal they read about.
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Historical Events in Utah History
Fifth graders choose a topic they are interested in related to the history of Utah. Using the internet, they research the topic making sure to cite where they gathered the information and take notes. To end the lesson plan, they write...