Unit Title: The Oregon Trail
Lesson plan Title: Troubles on the Trail
Subject – Social Studies
Grade Level – 4th grade
Duration of Lesson: Five 50 minute class periods
Purpose: This lesson is part of a bigger unit about The Oregon Trail. This particular lesson
introduces students to the hardships encountered by immigrants during their journey out
west. In this lesson the Internet will be used collectively with a PowerPoint presentation in
order to introduce students to The Oregon Trail and troubles on the trail that pioneers
encountered.
Goals: The goal of this lesson is to engage students in thinking about what life was like for
people back in pioneer times. It is designed to introduce them to the hardships that
immigrants faced on the trail, as well as introduce them to particular pioneers that made an
impact on the journey.
Objectives:
 Students will be able to locate, compare and analyze information about The Oregon
Trail using the internet.
 Students will investigate the hardships the pioneers faced on the trail. Students will
be able to explain the hardships faced by immigrants traveling the trail.
 The students will collect data to complete an Internet scavenger hunt
 Students will appreciate the similarities and differences they have to pioneers.
 The students will perform an oral presentation (in character) from a particular
pioneer’s point of view which will be filmed and edited into a type of documentary.
Standards/Benchmarks/GLCEs:
MDE Standards:
Technology
Technology Communications Tools
By the end of Grade 5 each student will:
1. identify search strategies for locating needed information on the internet
2. use age-appropriate citing of sources for electronic reports
3. know how to use menu options in applications to print, format, add multimedia
features; open, save, manage files; and use various grammar tools (e.g.,
dictionary, thesaurus, spell-checker)
4. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g.,
presentations, newsletters, brochures, web pages) to communicate information
and ideas to various audiences
5. use Web search engines and built-in search functions of other various resources
to locate information
Science
 Reflection and Social Implications
S.RS.04.18 Describe the effect humans and other organisms have on the balance of the
natural world.
 Evolution
L.EV.E.2 Survival- Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes
the differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.
L.EV.04.22 Identify how variations in physical characteristics of individual organisms give
them an advantage for survival and reproduction.
 Ecosystems
L.EC.04.11 Identify organisms as part of a food chain or food web.
L.EC.04.21 Explain how environmental changes can produce a change in the food web.
Social Studies
 The World in Spatial Terms
4 – G1.0.1 Identify questions geographers ask in examining the United States (e.g., Where
it is? What is it like there? How is it connected to other places?).
4 – G1.0.2 Use cardinal and intermediate directions to describe the relative location of
significant places in the United States.
 Places and Regions
4– G2.0.2 Compare human and physical characteristics of a region to which Michigan
belongs (e.g., Great Lakes, Midwest) with those of another region in the United States.
 Human Systems
4– G4.0.1 Use a case study or story about migration within or to the United States to
identify push and pull factors (why they left, why they came) that influenced the migration.
(H)
4 – G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural
development of
different places or regions of the United States (e.g., forms of shelter, language, food). (H)
ELA
 Comprehension
R.CM.04.01 connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world to
themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.
R.CM.04.02 retell through concise summarization grade-level narrative and informational
text.
R.CM.04.03 explain relationships among themes, ideas, and characters within and across
texts to create a deeper understanding by categorizing and classifying, comparing and
contrasting, or drawing parallels across time and culture.
R.CM.04.04 apply significant knowledge from grade-level science, social studies, and
mathematics texts.
 Critical Standards
R.CS.04.01 develop, discuss, and apply individual and shared standards using student/class
created rubrics and begin to assess the quality, accuracy, and relevance of their own writing
and the writing of others.
 Writing
W.GN.04.03 write an informational comparative piece that demonstrates understanding of
central and supporting ideas using an effective organizational pattern (e.g.,
compare/contrast) and informational text features.
W.GN.04.04 use the writing process to produce and present a research project using a
teacher-approved topic; find and narrow research questions; use a variety of resources;
take notes; and organize relevant information to draw conclusions.
 Writing Process
W.PR.04.01 set a purpose, consider audience, and replicate authors’ styles and patterns
when writing a narrative or informational piece.
W.PR.04.02 apply a variety of pre-writing strategies for both narrative and informational
writing (e.g., graphic organizers such as maps, webs, Venn diagrams) in order to generate,
sequence, and structure ideas (e.g., plot, setting, conflicts/resolutions,
definition/description, or chronological sequence).
 Personal Style
W.PS.04.01 exhibit personal style and voice to enhance the written message (e.g., in
narrative text: strong verbs, figurative language, sensory images; in informational text:
precision, established importance, transitions).
Materials:
 Computers (including teacher’s computer and projector) with Internet access,
and Microsoft Software
 “Troubles on the Trail” internet scavenger hunt
 “Troubles on the Trail” PowerPoint
 Writing paper and pencil
 Rubric
NTEQ Components:
In order to complete the assignment, students will work independently and must have
knowledge of and be able to perform the following functions:
 navigate the internet
 word processing skills and/or familiarity with Microsoft Publisher
 use menu options in applications to print, format, and add multimedia features
 open/save/manage files
 use various grammar tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, spell-checker)
-Day OneOpening
1. Materials:
 Index cards with the word ‘Yes’ printed on one side and ‘No’ on the other (for
pre-assessment)
 Troubles on the Trail PowerPoint Presentation
 Roughing It on the Oregon Trail (The Time-Traveling Twins)by Diane Stanley
 Venn Diagram
2. Anticipatory Set:
3. Focus: Introduce the students to the shocking hardships that children faced while
traveling the Oregon Trail, while inviting students to speculate as to what I’m
describing (i.e. Walking from sun up to sun down, never having fresh food, watching
people die around you, etc).
4. Pre-Assessment: Students will use the yes/no index cards to individually answer
the following questions:
 Do you know what the Oregon Trail is?
 Do you know who was traveling on the Oregon Trail?
 Do you know why they were traveling the Oregon Trail?
 Could you name some of the supplies they brought with them?
 Could you describe the kinds of transportation they used?
 Do you know where they departed from?
 Do you know where they were going?
 Could you describe some of the hardships the people faced while traveling?
Afterward I will read our book Roughing It on the Oregon Trail.
Body
1. Input:
 Aspects of the Oregon Trail will be presented through The Troubles on the
Trail PowerPoint presentation.

As a whole group, I will tell the students about some of the aspects of The
Oregon Trail and through reading the book Roughing It on the Oregon Trail.
 Encourage students to go home and use the internet and/or talk to their
parents about the topic.
 Ask students to consider:
o How do you think your life is similar to that of a pioneer?
o What aspect of your life is different to that of a pioneer?
o Why did the pioneers travel the way they did? Why do your parents
drive the vehicle they do?
o Where do they travel on vacation? Do they think pioneers considered
traveling the trail a vacation?
2. Guided Practice
 Students will begin filling out the right hand side of a Venn diagram with
information regarding aspects of their own lives. As a large group we will
discuss some similarities and differences between our lives and the lives of
the pioneers. Students will break off on their own to complete the diagram.
Closing: Students will review the information listed in their Venn diagram and view the
power point one last time. I will encourage them to go home and do a little research on
their own of The Oregon Trail. I will also inform them that we will be going to the computer
lab to begin the Internet Scavenger Hunt.
-Day TwoOpening
1. Materials:
 Computers
 Internet Scavenger Hunt
2. Anticipatory Set:
 Focus: Review the previous day’s lesson. Ask the children what they
discovered by researching the topic on their own. Tell them that they will be
going to the computer lab to begin working on an Internet Scavenger Hunt.
Body
3. Input:
 The computer lab is equipped with 30 computers. Each child can work
independently or with a partner to begin the scavenger hunt.
 The link to the scavenger hunt will be saved to each computer’s desktop for
easier access.
 I will walk the students through the process of completing the internet
scavenger hunt by looking at the first question and making an example of it
on the projector screen.
 I will then invite the students to begin working on the hunt. I will be walking
around to answer any questions the students may have.
-Day ThreeOpening
1. Materials:
 Computers
 Internet Scavenger Hunt
 Travel brochure thinking map
2. Anticipatory Set:
 Focus: Review the previous day’s lesson. Ask the students if they had any
questions or issues navigating the scavenger hunt. Review some of the
information they may have found during their search yesterday
Body
4. Input:
 The computer lab is equipped with 30 computers. Each child can work
independently or with a partner to complete the scavenger hunt.
 Students will access the scavenger hunt from the desktop again.
 Students will work to complete the scavenger hunt.
 Those that finish early may begin working on the travel brochure thinking
map.
 Students will fill out the graphic organizer to help guide their thinking in order
to create a persuasive travel brochure from the point of view of a pioneer on
the trail.
 Students will use the information gathered from the Internet Scavenger Hunt
to pick a side that’s for or against traveling The Oregon Trail.
-Day FourOpening
1. Materials:
 Computers
 Travel Brochure thinking map
 Microsoft Publisher brochure template
2. Anticipatory Set:
 Focus: Review the previous day’s lesson. Ask the students if they had any
questions or issues navigating the scavenger hunt. Review some of the
information they may have found during their search during the last couple of
days.
Body
5. Input:
 Students that have finished the scavenger hunt will begin working on the
travel brochure thinking map.
 Students will fill out the graphic organizer to help guide their thinking in order
to create a persuasive travel brochure from the point of view of a pioneer on
the trail.
 Students will use the information gathered from the Internet Scavenger Hunt
to pick a side that’s for or against traveling The Oregon Trail.
 I will show all of the students how to access and use the brochure template
from Microsoft Publisher.
 Students that have completed the thinking map may begin working on their
brochure.
 The brochure is an individual assignment.
-Day FiveOpening
1. Materials:
 Computers
 Travel Brochure thinking map
 Microsoft Publisher brochure template
 Travel brochure rubric
2. Anticipatory Set:
 Focus: Review the previous day’s lesson. Ask the students if they had any
questions or issues navigating the scavenger hunt. Review some of the
information they may have found during their search during the last couple of
days.
Body
6. Input:
 Students that have finished the scavenger hunt will begin working on the
travel brochure thinking map.
 Students will fill out the graphic organizer to help guide their thinking in order
to create a persuasive travel brochure (as a form of authentic assessment)
from the point of view of a pioneer on the trail.
 Students will use the information gathered from the Internet Scavenger Hunt
to pick a side that’s for or against traveling The Oregon Trail.
 I will pass out and discuss the requirements of the rubric.
 I will show all of the students how to access and use the brochure template
from Microsoft Publisher.
 Students that have completed the thinking map may begin working on their
brochure.
 The brochure is an individual assignment.