Curated OER
The Donner Party
Who is the Donner Party? Find out why this group of pioneers lives in infamy. A lot of information is provided in this resource, but you will have to copy and paste the text to acquire the handouts. Learners will look at primary sources,...
Statistics Education Web
Saga of Survival (Using Data about Donner Party to Illustrate Descriptive Statistics)
What did gender have to do with the survival rates of the Donner Party? Using comparative box plots, classes compare the ages of the survivors and nonsurvivors. Using the same method, individuals make conclusions about the...
Curated OER
Donner Online
Fourth graders participate in a simulation of the Donner Party in order to learn more about this episode in history. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders take on a role which dictates their group job; each role was assigned to...
Curated OER
My Name is America
Learners 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.
Curated OER
Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the DonnerParty
Students explore westward movement through eyes of doll belonging to Patty Reed, member of Donner Party. They write journal entries from points of view of characters in book, Patty Reed's Doll, participate in Pack the Wagon game, and...
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny
Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America. Manifest Destiny, Texas Independence, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican War are...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Pioneer Scramble
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Movement lesson plan, students study why Americans emigrated west in the 1840s and 1850s. Students create interactive timelines, write exploration reports, and complete...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion : Mapping
Fifth graders travel along exploring the expeditions of John F. Fremont. For this Westward expansion lesson, 5th graders gain understanding of the events that shaped the west through the use of maps. Students use mapping skills to...
Curated OER
Incorporating Literature into Social Studies Teaching and Learning
Students engage in a study of incorporating literature into the Social Studies classroom. They review a variety of literature sources and then create a bulletin board with the information. Then students practice using the Reader's...
Curated OER
Westward Ho!
Students participate in an Oregon Trail simulation in order to learn the hardships that the emigrating settlers faced. In this U.S. history lesson, students are required to work as a team and use the internet to research a final...
Curated OER
Wagons West
Fourth graders demonstrate knowledge of the size of a wagon by making several different predictions. They develop a list of items that pioneers would need while traveling on a wagon train.
Curated OER
Summarizing and Mapping for Comprehension
Students practice summarization in order to increase their comprehension of non-fiction text. They read and summarize passages by finding the main ideas in passages from a Social Studies textbook. After silently reading the passage they...
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny
In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions pertaining to Manifest Destiny. A short answer question is included as well.
Other
Oregon California Trails Association: New Light on the Donner Party
The myths, mysteries, and facts are revealed at this Donner Party site. At the beginning of November 1846, a group of California-bound immigrants was trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada. By the time the last member reached safety six...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Donner Party
This article recounts the tragic Donner Party, a wagon train bound for California in 1846 whose members resorted to cannibalism after getting stuck in the winter snow.
Digital History
Digital History: Donner Party
The gruesome story of the Donner Party is a cautionary tale of poor planning. Read about the survivors and those who did not live to see their dreams of California.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Memory: Expedition of the Donner Party
The youngest daughter of George Donner tells the harrowing tale of her family's ill-fated journey at this site from the Library of Congress. This is primary source material.
The History Cat
The History Cat: The Donner Expedition
Tells the story of the well-known Donner family who attempted to pass over the mountains to California in the winter of 1846-47, but became trapped by heavy snowfall. Many people in the party perished from starvation and cold, and there...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Perilous Journey: My Experience
Inspired by The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party students will create journal entries based on the treacherous journey of the Donner Party.
The History Cat
The History Cat: Westward Expansion
Here you can learn about the Oregon Trail, Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and life as a pioneer through text, images, video, and quotes.
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Donner Camp
Museum and monument to Donner party; trapped by weather during the winter of 1846-1847; resorted to cannibalism to survive.
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Sutter's Fort
A 19th century agricultural and trade colony, it was known for its connection to the Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and the formation of Sacramento as well as its proximity to the California Trail and Siskiyou Trails. Now a...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Mormon Trail
The Utah portion of the Old Mormon Trail remains the best-known and most famous section of the several emigrant trails used by the Mormons in their migrations during the 19th century.