WebQuest

Westward Expansion: The Oregon Trail

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The goal of this webquest is to get students to use creative thinking and imagine they have gone on the journey on the Oregon Trail. In order to get the students thinking about the vocabulary used during this journey, they are given a hangman game and a word search, to find the vocabulary words. This prepares the students for the videos and links for students to read,  that will have all the information needed to take a quiz and write an essay. The students are given choices of graphic organizers to organize their information which will assist them in their writing of the essay. The students are asked to imagine that they have gone on the Oregon Trail and are asked to convince their family to join them.  


The hangman game was used for small group, and the word search was independent work, as was the quiz. The reading can be done independently, with partners or small group. This can be determined by the teacher.   The essay is intended for independent work, to see what the students have retained and can in turn retell.  For students who need extra help, or a differentiated way to get the assignments done,  a scribe can be used for writing or typing.  The assignments in this lesson could last a week and even up to two weeks, depending on the pace of the readers and the teacher's timeline. This lesson was designed to last one week, splitting up the assignments. 

Week 1:
Day 1: hangman game and read the first link.
Day 2: watch a video and do the word search. For homework read through the 2nd link and start the graphic organizer. 
Day 3: read the last link, and continue work on the graphic organizer. For homework, start the essay, using the APA template. 
Day 4: watch the second video, take the quiz, and finish the graphic organizer. For homework, continue working on the essay and have the rough draft done. 
Day 5: complete the essay in class and pass it in. 

Homework:
The homework is given each night, to help the students complete everything in one week. However, if the teacher decided to spread everything out into two weeks, this could be done. For students who need extended time, this could be an option, as well. Keep in mind, that the class time is one hour each day and students have study labs built in their schedules. Students also have the opportunity to do more than what is given on each day and can work independently throughout the week to get everything in. The guidelines are there to help those who are not organized with their time, or need guided help. 

The differentiated instruction used, was verbal/linguistic, as they students worked with small group or partners for the hangman game. The Logical/Mathematical was used for putting the information they watched on the video and read in the links and put them into the graphic organizers. The Interpersonal and Intrapersonal were used when the students were watching the videos and learning about how people must have felt to leave all their possessions behind and move across the country. They also had to write the essay and work independently and persuade their families to join them in the West. Students are assessed through a game, a quiz, a word search and through the essay. Students who need extended time are given that. There are multiple ways to learn: games, videos and reading links. Students are given a choice as to which graphic organizer they wish to use, to enhance their understanding of the lesson. 

Standards

English Language Arts Standards for History/Social Studies: American History, Grades 6-8
Social Studies for Sixth Grade: Westward Expansion
Common Core Standards for the State of Maine
These are the standards that were used in this lesson.

Standards:
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.10
By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Credits

I have a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Underhill, who was very helpful in letting me observe in her class. She does a beautiful job of teaching and reaching all types of learners. Without having her for an example on how to teach Sixth Grade Social Studies, and the Westward Expansion, this webquest would not have been a success.

The websites that were the most helpful, were:

http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/oregon_trail.php
http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/index.html
http://www.ducksterspremium.com/history/westward_expansion/daily_life_on_the_frontier.php

Other

I'd like to thank Amanda Green for the opportunity to observe in her classroom and learn about Westward Expansion. She was an amazing source of knowledge and it was very fun to learn from her.

I would also like to thank Professor Stooks for pushing me to learn technology and how it can aid in the classroom. Learning how to do the webquest was fun and it will be a great resource in the classroom in the future.

The Public URL for this WebQuest:
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=322384
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