Westward Ho! or No?
It is 1845 and your family is faced with a huge decision. You are currently a shopowner in Boston and are doing fairly well, but the news all around you is “Go West! There is free land, fertile soil, a fresh start, a chance to make your own fortune and even gold!” Several of your friends and neighbors have decided to head west to settle in the new territory. You have heard stories of striking it rich in the "land of opportunity,” but have also heard of tragedies and failures. Your spouse and 4 children anxiously await your decision. What are you going to do? Do you stay in Boston or take your chances and pack up your family and head West. Are you a pioneer who is willing to work the land even though you've never done that before and start a new life?
Together, you and your partner will be working to study different aspects of the westward migration: the trail, the reasons for traveling, the obstacles that were faced by the pioneers, what they needed to take for survival on the trail, what the wagons they traveled in were like, and how to prepare for the obstacles you’ll encounter (weather, Native Americans, sickness, etc.).
Use the questions here and the Pros and Cons sheet to guide your research to prepare for your final project to present to the class. Print these out to take notes on. You will put together a PowerPoint, PhotoStory, or Discovery Education Board to convince us whether we should go west or not. You must show evidence of how you made your decision. Include your Pros and Cons. You must also include at least 6 images to illustrate your findings.
Together, you and your partner will be working to study different aspects of the westward migration: the trail, the reasons for traveling, the obstacles that were faced by the pioneers, what they needed to take for survival on the trail, what the wagons they traveled in were like, and how to prepare for the obstacles you’ll encounter (weather, Native Americans, sickness, etc.).
Use the questions here and the Pros and Cons sheet to guide your research to prepare for your final project to present to the class. Print these out to take notes on. You will put together a PowerPoint, PhotoStory, or Discovery Education Board to convince us whether we should go west or not. You must show evidence of how you made your decision. Include your Pros and Cons. You must also include at least 6 images to illustrate your findings.
Websites to Use:
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210182/supplies.html
http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/history-faqs.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/6400/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/oregon_trail.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001587/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/daily_life_on_the_frontier.php
http://www.connerprairie.org/Plan-Your-Visit/1836-Prairietown/The-Journey-West.aspx
http://www.america101.us/trail/Oregontrail.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay3.html
Discovery Education
Destiny WebPath Express
NC WiseOwl Encyclopedias
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210182/supplies.html
http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/history-faqs.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/6400/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/oregon_trail.php
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001587/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/daily_life_on_the_frontier.php
http://www.connerprairie.org/Plan-Your-Visit/1836-Prairietown/The-Journey-West.aspx
http://www.america101.us/trail/Oregontrail.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay3.html
Discovery Education
Destiny WebPath Express
NC WiseOwl Encyclopedias