Day 5

The Oregon Trail is coming to an end! To finish off the unit, we are going to make a class book. I will have each student write a brief summary of their favorite Oregon Trail activity in a Word document. I will also show the students Flickr.com and have them add a picture. I will then print out each student's page, laminate them, and make them into a book for our classroom. The next time you come to visit, be sure to check out this book!

By having the students write about their favorite lesson, I will have the opportunity to see what they enjoyed the most. The book will also be a nice memory for the students to look back and see what everyone learned while studying the Oregon Trail!

Hope you had a great week!

Miss Smith

Photo from Flickr.com

Day 4

The activity we will be doing today will be a fun experience for the students. I spent many days as a child playing the Oregon Trail computer game. The hardships that the travelers faced along their journey become real in this game as family members become sick, theifs steal oxen, and there is little money to buy the necessary items to last through the trip. What better way for the students to understand these difficulties than to have them play the game themselves!

After playing the game, the students will fill out a brief summary of their experience on the Oregon Trail. Once all the students have turned in their summary, we will have a class discussion about the different choices the students made along the journey and how those choices influenced their money supply, health, or family.

I believe this will be a fun and interesting activity for the students and I am anxious to see what they are able to learn from it!

Feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns! Have a great week!

Miss Smith

Play the Oregon Trail at home!

Photo from Flickr.com

Day 3

On the third day of our journey, we are taking a closer look at the route the travelers took in their movement to the west. To do this, students will use Google Maps to create a map of the route either independently or with a partner. After creating the map, the students will estimate the distance of the journey and view the terrain of the land to gain a better understanding of the reason for the specific route.

Following making the map, the students will each make another journal entry on their blog. Today's prompt is: What are some of the hardships you, as a traveler, may face during your journey west? I will be encouraging the students to use resources in the room such as the posters made during yesterday's group activity.

I am excited to see the maps the students create and read about the obstacles they feel they would face during the journey. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please send me an e-mail!

Thanks! Have a great day!

Miss Smith

Photo from Flickr.com

Day 2

Hello! We are now into the second day of our journey. Today, the students will work on a group project. They will use the website titled All About the Trail to gather information. After finding information, each group will create a poster to present to the class. This will help the entire class understand more about the Oregon Trail. The posters will be hung in the classroom for the entire class to use as a reference for the remainder of our Oregon Trail unit.





Each student will also post a new blog entry. The prompt for today is: Imagine for a moment that you are going on a 4 month trip in your family van. You will be traveling through a remote wilderness and there will be no place to stop for food or supplies. What would you take along? Make a list and explain why each item is necessary. I look forward to reading each student's blog to see what is most important to them.





Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. This has been a fun and exciting unit so far!

Miss Smith

Photo from Flickr.com

Day 1

To begin our Oregon Trail journey, each student in the class will start his/her own blog to make journal entries. We are starting this at the beginning of the week so the students can make new posts each day including the information they learned about the Oregon Trail. Each student will be expected to write three paragraphs about their journey in the form of a creative writing paper. This will allow me to view each student's writing through a fun assignment.

I am looking foward to reading each journal entry, and I hope the students enjoy this assignment. By sending the link of your child's blog to you, you will be able to view his/her blog as well. This will give you an opportunity to see what we are learning about in class, view your child's writing, and talk to your child about what he/she is discovering about the Oregon Trail. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Let the journey begin!

Miss Smith

Photo from Flickr.com

This week...

This week we will be taking a closer look at the Oregon Trail. We will do a variety of activities such as creating our own diaries to describe our experiences during travel, reading stories to help us better understand the Oregon Trail, and considering what items would be necessary to take with us for our journey.



I hope that through these lessons, the students will be able to consider what it would have been like to be one of the travelers of the Oregon Trail. The students will have many opportunities to explore the Oregon Trail and work together as a community of learners to give each other ideas. I will continue to provide updates to let you know what is happening in the classroom throughout the week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns feel free to let me know so I can answer any of those.



Have a great week!

Miss Smith

photo from Flickr.com