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.

Students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. Working in groups, they write a scene for the movie that is historically accurate and based on the kinds of...

Explore non-fiction comprehension strategies with your class. They will visualize daily activities and label a 4 circle Venn diagram with related phrases. They must identify the overlapping sections as "main ideas," then complete a...

Fourth graders discover the significance of the Oregon Trail in Idaho history. In addition, 4th graders conceptualize the Oregon Trail in relation to their own lives. They engage in a wide variety of curricular activities, culminating in...

Students use maps and diagrams to examine the Oregon Trail. In groups, they create their own poster of the trail showing the different types of artifacts found along the way. To end the lesson plan, they identify the sources of water...

You have just hit the lesson plan jackpot! This isn't just a instructional activity, it's a ten-day unit covering westward expansion, pioneer life, and the Oregon Trail. Activities include baking, model building, role-play, newspaper...

Analyzing historical legends is a fun way to develop critical-thinking skills. Pupils will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two historical legends relating to volcanoes. While this activity focuses on the image of Crater...

Through learning about the Oregon Trail and Nebraska, learners evaluate the elements of historical fiction. Coming with a comprehensive bibliography, this lesson plan has your class learn about settlers traveling 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.

Students prepare cross-curricular lessons based on the experience of traveling the Oregon Trail.

In this Internet Oregon Trail scavenger hunt worksheet, students use online research to answer 10 essay questions. No site suggestions are given on the page.

Students compare and contrast the realistic and romantic art and literature about experiences on the Oregon Trail. Using this information, they compare their viewpoints and write messages on what they believe it was like on a trip down...

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.

Fourth graders investigate the historical context for the founding of The Oregon Trail. They conduct research to put together the events that led to the geographical route that was taken. The lesson also strengthens geography skills with...

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.

Learners investigate the concept of the Oregon Trail. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The class divides into different groups to take a different aspect of the research. Then the groups present the findings to the...

Pupils pretend they are on the Oregon Trail and keep a diary of their adventures. In this Oregon Trail lesson plan, students write about their decisions to move, crossing rivers, buying supplies, and more.

First graders identify the commodities of Oregon and produce a map of the different commodities in different regions.

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...

Consider the political, physical, and geographical factors that led to and marked the Westward Expansion. Learners will track the various routes developed during the 1800's. They create a first person journal describing what they see,...

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...

The youth vote. Rock the Vote. Vote-By-Mail. Electronic voting. Class members investigate issues facing today's voters, and the ways they have adapted over the years to optimize voter turnout.