Subject Areas |
History and Social Studies
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U.S. History - Immigration/Migration |
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U.S. History - The West |
Literature and Language Arts
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Biography |
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Time Required |
| One to two class periods
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Skills |
| information gathering and research
primary document analysis
critical thinking
historical analysis
creative writing
collaboration
public speaking and presentation
Internet skills
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Date Posted |
| 5/21/2002 |
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On the Oregon Trail
Introduction
In
this lesson, students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to
recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail.
Learning Objectives
(1) To learn about the pioneer experience on the Oregon
Trail. (2) To evaluate a historical re-enactment in light of documentary evidence.
(3) To synthesize historical data through creative writing.
Guiding Question: What
was it like to travel West on the Oregon Trail?
1 Begin
by asking students to imagine that they are producing a movie on the Oregon Trail.
Working in groups, they will write a scene for the movie that is historically
accurate and based on the kinds of experiences emigrants actually encountered
on their way West. For background on these experiences, have students read a selection
of the following memoirs, available through EDSITEment Websites:
2 As a follow up to their reading, give each group a set of
pictures showing a reenactment of the trek West on the Oregon Trail. The pictures
below are available through EDSITEment at
The Digital Classroom website. (Click picture for larger image.)
3 Ask
students to examine the pictures in light of their reading. For additional insight,
have students visit
The Oregon Trail website on EDSITEment, focusing on the pages listed
below. (You can also provide print-outs of these pages in classrooms with limited
Internet access.) - Jumping
Off: describes preparations for the 2,000 mile journey.
- Power:
explains why emigrants chose mules or oxen to pull their wagons.
- Hardships:
describes the physical risks of the journey -- fatigue, accidents, storms, disease,
and dangerous river crossings.
- Camping:
documents the daily routine of trail life.
4 Invite students to comment on this reenactment in their
role as imaginary filmmakers. How does it compare to the scene they have in mind?
Have each group suggest additional details that would accurately represent the
emigrants' historical experience. Students might note, for example:
- The emigrants traveled in large caravans
that stretched for miles over the plains.
- Most
emigrants walked alongside their wagons, which were so packed with provisions
that there was little room left inside.
- Unlike
the 49er's, who were mainly men, the pioneers of the Oregon Trail traveled in
family groups, including many women and children.
- Though
many emigrants used mules like those shown in the pictures, records suggest that
many more relied on oxen to pull their wagons across the plains.
- Emigrants
typically took along herds of cattle to stock the farms they dreamed of starting
in the Oregon Territory.
- Descriptions of the
pioneers suggest that their wagons were practically bulging with provisions for
the journey and furnishings for their Oregon homes.
- Descriptions
of the great immigration also suggest that the trail itself was littered with
broken equipment, discarded items, and all the other junk that thousands of travelers
would typically leave in their wake.
5
Encourage students to make imaginative use of this research
as they work together in their groups to script a scene depicting an incident
that could have occurred on the Oregon Trail. To provide them with a framework
for their collaboration, create a worksheet based on the outline headings below.
(For more technical filmscripting guidelines, visit the Cinema
exhibit at the Learner.Org
website on EDSITEment.) - Location:
Describe where your scene takes place. (Students can view modern-day pictures
of "Historic
Sites along the Trail" at
The Oregon Trail website. For a more historical view, The
Digital Classroom provides access to photographs taken by William Henry Jackson
in 1870: Heading west from the
North Platte River in Wyoming ; approaching
Independence Rock; and traveling the plains
along the Sweetwater River.)
- Casting:
Describe the characters who appear in your scene and the roles they play -- mother,
father, children, warrior, caravan leader, etc. -- including "extras" who help
provide a backdrop for the action.
- Props:
Describe the wagons, animals, and other items that a filmmaker would need to stage
your scene.
- Action:
Describe what happens in your scene, including any "special effects" and dialogue.
6
Conclude the lesson by having each group "pitch" its scene to the class, as at
a Hollywood production meeting. This could involve preparing storyboards for the
scene's establishing shots and acting out parts of the action. Follow each presentation
with a class critique of the scene's historical accuracy focusing both on elements
that reflect the real experience of pioneers on the Oregon Trail and elements
that take liberties with the historical record.
Extending the Lesson
Standards Alignment
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