Clara Smith
Educator
Oregon Trail Unit Resources
Looking back over the resources I found and the tools I was able to discover I decided to use them to make a unit on the Oregon Trail. I have not included everything that I would do on the website but I have hoped to include a general idea and to develop a clear picture. My unit will end with a project that includes students looking through primary sources and finding a picture to discuss.
Introduction Video to Oregon Trail
To start this unit I would use this YouTube video as an introduction. I would show the video and then have the students talk about one thing they learned through the video and then I would ask them to write down 3 questions they may have about the Oregon Trail. Using the YouTube video sparks their interest without having them read something boring and it helps my students who can’t read follow along and makes it so they are able to participate
Newsela Westward Expansion Article
https://newsela.com/read/lib-westward-expansion/id/29788/
After the video we would read the article that gives an overview of Westward Expansion. The article comes from one of the websites I found that supports students reading and reading comprehension. This article is something my students can all use because I can change the reading level so everyone can participate. I would do the same thing with the article that I did with the video. We would have a discussion and then write questions, thoughts and wonders down.
Map of Oregon Trail
After the introduction I would then segway into a discussion on maps and where people came from so the students got a visual of how far the settlers had to travel. The map comes from pixabay.com and so I know it is one that I can use without concerns or copyright problems. The map shows the trail that was taken and other routes. I would tie this into a lesson on the states and learning the 50 states.
Description of Covered Wagon
After the students have got a understanding of what travel life was like we would segway into learning about the wagons. I think the wagons are something they would be interested in. We would discuss the blurbs saying what they brought in their wagons and then I want to students to start thinking about what they may bring for the next project.
Interactive activity with Primary Sources
https://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/files/packwagon.pdf
I found a lesson on packing a wagon for the Oregon Trail. I liked this because it included short blurbs from people who actually traveled during the time. I would use this lesson to get students thinking about their wagon and what they should bring but I would also use it to teach primary sources for the final project. I will teach the students what a primary source is and then we will discuss why they are more important than just finding something on Google. From there I will show them resources on primary sources and ways to locate them and how to tell.
Final Project
https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/oregon-trail#sect-activities
My final project would be having students look at primary sources to tell people what the trip west was like. I think there needs to be some more teaching and discussion before they get to this step but the above activities lay the groundwork. For the final project they will look at primary documents, ranging from pictures to actual documents where they need to create a presentation explaining what it was like to be on the oregon trail and explain some of the problems that were encountered.
One problem I would run into is the difficulty of finding primary sources. I know it was not easy for me to find primary sources when I was looking and so I think that may be a challenge. To help fix the problem I would provide websites for them to use and model for them where to go and what to look for. I think one way would be to use the same primary source to start out and then go from there.
Websites for Final Project
I had originally thought the students could use the picture collage to explain what they found but now I realize there is going to be more typing and less pictures. With that said, I think they could use Prezi to create a more interesting PowerPoint to show what they found. They could also create a comic with explanations or a video somehow using some of the Web 2.0 websites.
Another problem I thought of was using the web 2.0 sources. They will be new to my students and something they haven’t seen before. They also struggle with technology and so that will take some time but I think practicing and using the source more than once will give them practice and exposure.
Lewis and Clark Interactive Website
http://mrnussbaum.com/lewis-and-clark/
The Lewis and Clark link was one I found when we looked up interactive websites. I thought this could be used to expand on Lewis and Clark, who they are and what they did. One way to use this website is to create a scavenger hunt where students have to find answers to different questions by going to the different links. They could do this in larger groups of 5 or 6 people or in pairs and it is set up kind of like a jigsaw. This would be a way for students to collaborate and to work independently on something while still having fun and being more engaged.
Anotine of Oregon- an Oregon Trail Story
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t49p3d92p;view=1up;seq=18
The last source is a book I found journaling someone's experience on the Oregon Trail. I would read this aloud to the students as we go through the unit and find ways to connect what we read to what we are working on that day. I think the students would have fun with it and they would enjoy hearing the first hand account. The book is available online but it appears to be the original one so I could use it as an example of another primary source.
Conclusion
I tried to think outside the box on this unit. I wanted to think of ways to engage the students and use something other than a textbook like teachers typically use. I think the different forms of tools and resources would make this unit more engaging and it would keep students interest because the lesson is changing each day. I would need to fill in some holes because here are some good starting points and then an end project but there are still some spots in the middle that the students would need filled in. Overall I am happy with the different types of sources