Learn about Pioneer life on the Oregon Trail during the Westward Expansion with this complete unit. This unit includes reading passages, comprehension questions, activities, flip book, and coloring pages to make learning fun!
This pack includes many interactive activities and learning opportunities for students including:
Informational Articles on:
✔ Western Expansion
✔ The Oregon Trail
✔ Go West Young Man!
✔ Life on the Trail
✔ Settling Out West
With Character Studies where they will meet:
✔ Abigail Jane Scott, a young pioneer
Student Activities Included:
✔ Comprehension Questions
✔ Map Activity
✔ Oregon Trail Graphic Organizer
✔ 5 page Oregon Trail Flip-Up Booklet
✔ Vocabulary Posters
✔ Vocabulary Flip Flaps
✔ For Elementary Grades
There are 3 main activities:
Westward Expansion Vocabulary:
Introduce the vocabulary words with the real-life photo posters included. You could post these posters around the classroom and have students travel around to match up and define the words in their flip flaps or use as a center activity. These colorful posters are excellent for a bulletin board display too!
Informational Articles:
Have students read the informational articles about the Oregon Trail. Each article has questions and scenes for students to connect and color. Next, read the character studies where students will Meet Abigail Jane Scott. The character studies come in color and black and white for students to color. You could have students work with a partner or in small groups. These could also be used at a center or learning station activity.
Student Activities:
There is a custom-created graphic organizer to highlight key information, and/or use for review. Have students complete the Map Activity and 5-page Flip-Up Booklet with a cloze passage, timeline activity, important items, and four facts about life on the Oregon Trail. I usually have students complete the pages of the flip-up booklet at a station or as a center activity. Then we build the pages of the booklet one by one. The booklets fit perfectly inside their interactive notebooks or as a stand-alone booklet. You could fold a 12×18 piece of construction paper in half to make a cover for the booklets.