Roughing+it+on+the+Oregon+Trail

__ **Objective:** __ Students will be able to identify the paths settlers took to move westrad in order to explain how life on the Oregon trail led to the expansion of the United States. __ **Materials:** __
 * 6+ copies of __ Roughing it on the Oregon Trail __
 * Large classroom map of the United States
 * Print-outs of the United States map
 * Colored pencils/markers
 * Paper

__**Allotted Time:**__ //2 class periods (50-60 min. long)//

__**Procedures:**__ Teacher will begin the activity by reading the book out loud and performing a “think aloud”. The comments are usually connections to real life or material that has already been taught. It’s also a great time for students to use their background knowledge to make their own connections, while the teacher makes theirs. The questions asked should be higher order thinking questions. While the teacher is reading, the large classroom map of the United States should be up and visible to the students. This way the teacher can point out where the settlers are traveling as the book is read.

Once the book has been read, the teacher will divide the students in groups, of no more than four, to work on a map of their own. Pass out the individual maps to each student and ask them to get out colored pencils/markers. The students will be mapping out the Oregon Trail and creating their own pit stops. Each stop should include a rough date of when settlers arrived. They will color code each stop by coloring the dot on the map a certain color and then describing their conditions there. They’ll write with the same color as the dot on a separate piece of paper to indicate that’s what life was like at that point in the trip. Encourage the students to base the lifestyles on the ones they read in __Roughing it on the Oregon Trail__. If needed, students can supplement the book with research from the websites or teacher guides listed below.

After they have mapped it all out and described what was done on the trip, groups will pair up with another group to discuss how life on the Oregon Trail has led to the growth of the United States. Each stop they’ve created should have activities that led to developments in our country. Students should discuss how the trail led to new settlements and eventually to the creation of new states. Since the students included dates on their map, this serves as a timeline, showing them how long the trip on the Oregon Trail took.

http://www.america101.us/trail/Allabout.html [|http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/history-basics.php] Teacher's Guide - @http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/files/TBKS_opt.pdf
 * __Resources:__**

__**Other Ohio Standards:**__ Grade 8 History Strand, Expansion 10. Westward expansion contributed to economic and industrial development, debates over sectional issues, war with Mexico, and the displacement of American Indians.