Title: Oregon Trail

Grade Level: 7th / 8th American History
Annie Miers - LMS
Riser Middle School
West Monroe, LA 71292

Peggy Wheelis - LMS
West Monroe High School
West Monroe, LA 71291

Curriculum Area: 7th / 8th American History

Curriculum Connection: Social studies

Time: 4 - 8 class periods (this lesson may be divided into two lessons)

 

Standards/Benchmarks: H-1B-M9;H-1B-M10; H-1A-M4

Information Literacy Model: all 7 steps

Objectives:

1. TLW read several general articles about the Oregon Trail and create an oral presentation.
2. TLW look for discrepancies in articles and state which articles are more reliable and why.
3. TLW work in a cooperative learning group and write a diary of a trip on the Oregon Trail.

Activities:

1. Before the class comes to the library, the library media specialist and American history teachers will plan the lesson. The LMS will search Internet, online catalog and magazine databases for information about the Oregon Trail. After this search, teachers and LMS will discuss the focus of the lesson using the materials located by the LMS. A class schedule and activity sheet will be developed and discussed when it is completed. This will be the schedule and activities the students will follow for this lesson.

2. The class will meet in the LMC and discuss the assignment sheet. The class will discuss the Task Development, Information Seeking Strategies, and Location and Access of Materials. TTW divide the class into cooperative learning groups. For part of the assignment they will function as a group and for the last assignment they will function as a family unit.

3. TLW search the online catalog, online magazine database, and bookmarked Internet sites for information about the Oregon Trail. Each group will have a specific topic - history of the time period, overview of the trip, food and cooking, maps, information about specific historical sights, other information.

4. Students will make notes of their readings and prepare an oral presentation (5 - 10 min) about their topic. On a separate sheet of paper students will record discrepancies in the research material and state which account they feel is more accurate and why.

5. The learners will stay in their groups and form a family unit. This unit will include father, mother, siblings of the parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and children. This family unit will write a diary of their trip to Oregon.

7. Each family will present one day from their diary to the class.

8. All written work, notes, and bibliography information will be turned in to the teacher.

9. Teachers and students will evaluate the finished projects.

 

Materials (In sequential order):

1. Bookmarked Internet sites. Copies of most bookmarked sites will be printed and available to students if Internet or Internet sites are not working.
2. Online magazines.
3. online catalog.
4. additional materials provided by the LMS and history teachers.
5. poster board and materials for the map

Comments: (critique of lesson by teachers, students, and LMS)

(Each student will evaluate their own work and their work as a group.)

Class Schedule Activity Sheet - The Oregon Trail

Day 1

1. Cooperative Learning Groups - the teacher will assistance the group in assigning tasks - write the name of the student assigned to each task
principal investigator -
materials manager -
information collector 1 -
information collector 2 -
bibliography recorder and time keeper -

2. Each group will be assigned a specific topic - circle your topic

history of the time period
a. who was president;
b. important legislation in Congress;
c. why did people want to go to Oregon;
d. important events in other countries.

overview of the trip
a. dates of the first trail trip;
b. types of wagons used on the trip;
c. length of the trip;
d. possible obstacles encountered on the trip;
e. amusements and entertainment on the long trip;
f. causes of death on the trail.

food and cooking
a. basic supplies;
b. price of the supplies;
c. typical meals;
d. special food treats.

create a map of the trail
a. on a large poster draw a map of the various routes of the Oregon Trail - this will be the official map for the class:
b. include rivers, mountains, landforms, forts, towns, and Indian tribes;
c. share information with the group doing research on Indian tribes, and the group doing research about sights along the trail.

Sights along the trail
a. give a description of the forts, towns, and landforms encountered along the various routes;
b. are the forts, towns, and landforms still in existence today;
c. share information with the map group.

Indian tribes, mountain men, and traders
a. Indian tribes that would be encountered along the trail - share this information with the map group
Include the following information:
family unit of the tribe - responsibilities of each family member;
hunting and food preparation;
language of the tribe;
was the tribe native of the area or were they moved there by the government?
population of the tribe.
b. description of mountain men and other traders - include a brief biography of a mountain

3. Students will collect and record information.

4. Students will record any discrepancies in their research material, make a decision as to which account is more accurate and state their reason for that decision.

 Day 2 & Day 3

1. Students will continue to work in groups and collect and record information.

 Day 4

1. Students will orally present their findings. Students may use charts, graphs, pictures they have drawn, pictures from books and magazines, or other visual aids.

Day 5

1. Students will form their family unit. The students may retain their cooperative group tasks or reassign them with teacher’s assistance. Each family will write a diary of their trip. They will be given a list of historical sights they will see along the trail. In their diary they must include the following:
a. information about the historical sights they will see along the trail;
b. a mountain man and information about him;
c. an Indian tribe they might encounter and information about that tribe;
d. biographical information about at least 2 other people they might encounter on the trip. (This information will come from several biography and diary Internet sites, books, and magazines.);
e. their plans for the future

All information in this diary will be based on facts and documented.

2. Students will collect and record information.

 

Day 6 & Day 7

1. Students will collect and record information.

 

Day 8

1. Each group will orally present one day from their diary.
2. Students will write a self evaluation and group evaluation. Teachers will evaluate themselves.