Students examine what it was like to travel west on the Oregon Trail. They develop a list of questions about the trip, explore various websites, and create a story about the experiences of a 19th century family travelling on the Oregon...

Students access the Oregon Trial website to find information on what it was like to experience traveling the Oregon Trial. Then, in groups, they create dioramas depicting events that could have happened along the Oregon Trail.

Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...

Students examine immigration. In this Oregon history lesson, students compare and contrast the population patterns of the state in the 1800's and the 1900's.

Fourth graders explore the Oregon Trail. In this Oregon Trail lesson, 4th graders collaborate to conduct Internet research regarding states along the Oregon trail route. Students present their findings to their peers.

Students describe events that happened on the Oregon Trail and in the daily lives of Native Americans by writing a narrative essay of a family traveling through Nebraska based on Thomas Hart Benton's paintings.

Students read and write journals to relate to events of the past, in this case the Oregon Trail travels. They watch a video and read journal accounts dealing with the trip to the West as they attempt to keep a journal of what the trip...

Students explore the Manifest Destiny. They interpret quotations, study point of view in writing, research English words that derived from Mexico, and analyze reasons why settlers moved west. After writing journal entries in first-person...

Fifth graders research a famous person or building associated with Oregon City. In this local history lesson, 5th graders work in groups to research and create a poster board about a famous person or building found in Oregon City.

Students map data on employment in wood products manufacturing in Oregon counties. In this Oregon forest lesson, students discover the percentage of people employed in the forest manufacturing industry. Students create a box and whisker...

High schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this African American history lesson, students examine the African American experience in Oregon.

Students write a diary. In this writing and creativity lesson, students pretend they are moving west and keep a diary about their adventures. Students study real-life scenarios about families who made the trip out west before writing...

Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the Westward expansion of the U.S. They play the computer game, Oregon Trail III, read primary source documents, conduct Internet research, write diary entries from the pioneer viewpoint, and...

Have your middle schoolers choose a topic about the Oregon Trail to research for an informative report. They are given a list of report ideas and the components required when composing an informational report. Then, they choose one of...

Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...

Students explore what life was like on the American frontier. They participate in a simulation of frontier life using Oregon Trail computer software, create an Oregon Trail newsletter, develop a timeline, and conduct interviews with...

Students locate the many forests located in Oregon. In groups, they use the internet to research employment data on wood products made in the state. They discuss how looking at information presented in a different way can change their...

Students discover how the land and people we develop relationships with in Nebraska affect our survival--past, present, and future. They write about and interview their grandparents, parents and peers and compare them with people on the...

Students explore prairie life. In this Oregon Trail instructional activity, students read literature regarding the move west and participate in cross-curricular activities. Students should take digital photographs of the participation in...

Students research Native American culture. In this Native Americans lesson, students read the folk tale, The Strongest One and identify the natural resources in the poem. Students participate in a discussion of how Native Americans got...

Students travel to the American West. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students discuss the Oregon Trail and then play the computer game of the same title. Students take on the roles of those who travelled the trail.

Fifth graders research the Oregon, Old Spanish, California, and Mormon trails, and the impact western expansion had on the Native Americans living on those lands.

Students investigate what life on the Oregon Trail was like. In this Westward Movement activity, students eat foods that were eaten by settlers on the trail as they read textbook pages about the trial. Students then draw an Oregon Trail...

Students investigate life on the trail West. In this Oregon Trail lesson, students collaborate to research the pioneer life and then role play a family's life on the trail. Students author an essay regarding their research finding and...