Journey West on the Oregon Trail

***Before you begin your Webquest, make sure to review the rubric so that the assignment expectations are clear.  The rubric for this assignment can be found by clicking on the evaluation tab of this webquest.***

Week One:
During this week you will familiarize yourself with the Webquest and locate specific landmarks along The Oregon Trail.

Day 1: Explore two websites and/or videos located on the bottom of this page, or click here for an organized list of resources.  As you explore, think about the answers to the following questions:

-Why did the pioneers decide to move west?
-What is a wagon train, how was it formed, and why did many people travel in a wagon train?
-What new plants and animals did the pioneers see on their journey?
-Why did the pioneers chose certain areas in which to settle?
-What landforms did the pioneers see on the Oregon Trail?
-Why were specific landforms so important to the pioneers traveling west on The Oregon Trail?

Day 2: Explore two websites and/or videos located on the bottom of this page, or click here for an organized list of resources.  As you explore, think about the answers to the following questions:

-Why did the pioneers decide to move west?
-What is a wagon train, how was it formed, and why did many people travel in a wagon train?
-What new plants and animals did the pioneers see on their journey?
-Why did the pioneers chose certain areas in which to settle?
-What landforms did the pioneers see on the Oregon Trail?
-Why were specific landforms so important to the pioneers traveling west on The Oregon Trail?

Day 3: Explore two websites and/or videos located on the bottom of this page, or click here for an organized list of resources.  As you explore, think about the answers to the following questions:

-Why did the pioneers decide to move west?
-What is a wagon train, how was it formed, and why did many people travel in a wagon train?
-What new plants and animals did the pioneers see on their journey?
-Why did the pioneers chose certain areas in which to settle?
-What landforms did the pioneers see on the Oregon Trail?
-Why were specific landforms so important to the pioneers traveling west on The Oregon Trail?

Day 4: Explore two websites and/or videos located on the bottom of this page, or click here for an organized list of resources.  As you explore, think about the answers to the following questions:

-Why did the pioneers decide to move west?
-What is a wagon train, how was it formed, and why did many people travel in a wagon train?
-What new plants and animals did the pioneers see on their journey?
-Why did the pioneers chose certain areas in which to settle?
-What landforms did the pioneers see on the Oregon Trail?
-Why were specific landforms so important to the pioneers traveling west on The Oregon Trail?

Day 5: Print the Blank Oregon Trail Map located in the resources section at the bottom of this page.  Using the websites from this page, work with your group to label the following landmarks on the map:

-Independence, Missouri
-Chimney Rock
-Courthouse and Jail Rock
-Whitman Mission
-Independence Rock
-Fort Laramie
-Soda Springs
-Fort Hall
-Oregon City

Place your map in your research folder.

Week Two:
Begin working on your pioneer journal.  Print the Pioneer Journal located in the resources at the bottom of this page.  Write your name on the cover of the journal and complete the journal activity for each day.  Start a new journal entry each day.  To start a new journal entry, you will need to print page 2 of the Pioneer Journal each day.  Refer back to the websites and videos that you explored last week to help you answer some of the questions.  Place your journal entries in your research folder each day.

**Remember you are writing in diary form, which means you need to pretend you are a pioneer on The Oregon Trail.  This means you need to use the words I, me, and my.**

Day 1:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-How old are you? 
-Where are you leaving from?
-Why are you going out west? 
-Who is traveling with you? 
-What do you bring with you and why? (remember pioneers children were only able to bring a few personal items on the trip) 

Day 2:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-When do you leave?  Summer, winter, or spring? What is the weather like?
-Why did your family choose to leave then?  Does the time of year you travel make a difference on how easy it is to travel across the land and rivers?

Day 3:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Do you walk or ride in the wagon?  Why?
-Are others walking, riding in the wagon, or by horseback?
-How many other families are in your wagon train?
-Why is it important to travel in large numbers?
-Who is the leader of your wagon train and why? 

Day 4:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-What do you eat?
-Where do you find your food?
-Who cooks the food?
-How is the food cooked?

Day 5:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-How do you feel now that you have left your home for a new place unknown to you? Are you scared, excited, worried? Why do you feel that way?

Week Three: 
Continue working on your pioneer journal.  Remember to write each day a new journal entry from a pioneer's point of view.  Refer back to the websites and videos that you explored last week. Place your journal entries in your research folder.

Day 1:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-What chores are you responsible for?
-If you have siblings what are their chores?
-What do the adults do to make sure everyone is taken care of? 

Day 2:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Name and describe at least 3 new animals you see on the journey. 
-Why do they live there and not where you are from?     
 
Day 3:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Name and describe at least 3 new plants/trees you see on your journey. 
-Why do they grow there and not where you are from?      

Day 4:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Name and describe at least 3 people on the journey besides the family you are with-this could be the leader, a lone traveler, Native American, etc.
Remember when we describe people we want to focus on their character traits not just what they look like.  Think about what kind of courage it took to make this journey and read some of the writings in the websites provided that help you understand what people were like.

Day 5:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Name and describe 3 landforms along the way. 
-How did these landforms help or cause problems for your journey?    

Week Four: 
Continue working on your pioneer journal.   Remember to write each day a new journal entry from a pioneer's point of view.  Refer back to the websites and videos that you explored last week.  Place your journal entries in your research folder.

Day 1:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-How long do you travel?
-What hardships did you have? Some examples are people getting sick, running out of food, danger with animals, difficult land to cross, and difficult people.

Day 2:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-Where is your destination?
-Are you in a small, established town or by yourself on acres of land?
-Why is that place a good place to settle? What does it offer you?
-Does it meet the needs you had for the reason you left your home? How? 

Day 3:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-What happens when you reach your destination?
-How do you feel now that you are there? Did others in the wagon train stay with you or did they -continue west?
-Did all of your belongings make it or did you lose some along the way? How did you lose them or how did you keep them safe on the journey?

Day 4:  Your journal entry should answer the following questions:

-How did you make your home?
-How long did it take? 
-Did anyone help you? Did you help anyone?
-Where did you find your supplies to build your house?

Day 5:  Use plain white paper for the last two entries in your diary.
Create the following drawings on the last two pages of your journal:

-Create a diagram of the inside of your home.
-Create a picture of the landscape where you built your home.

After all assignments are completed, keep them in your research folder and turn your research folder into your teacher.