Introduction
The Oregon trail was a trail that spanned 2,170 miles and connected the Missouri River valleys in Oregon. From the early to mid-1830s this trail was used by some 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families. These settlers migrated out west for a number of reasons, such as seeking new opportunities or escaping hardships at home, but ultimately the one constant between all these travelers was the deadly challenges they faced on their journey to the west. An estimated 20,000 settlers died on this trail. Today the west has been conquered and is safe to travel to, but how do you think you would hold up during these uncertain times? Do you have what it takes to make it to the west and build a new home, or will you become one of the 20,000?
Task
Students must get into groups of 4, once in a group they are no longer just a group but a family instead! A family of settlers to be exact and they must all work together in order to survive the journey to the west. Within groups they will research what the Oregon trail was and more importantly what it took to survive. Armed with this knowledge they will plan their trip to Oregon by providing an outline of what a typical settler family would need for this journey along with other elements that they feel would benefit their survival.
Process
Step 1 - The journey begins
Within your groups decide on a family name and place of origin, also choose your roles within the family along with your own names and professions that fit accordingly with the topic. For example, someone in your group can take on the role of the father whose farm has fallen on hard times while the rest of the group could be his siblings, or his wife and kids. The group must also consider their reasons for traveling west and what they wish to achieve in their promised new home.
In order for your family unit to have a firmer grasp on what will be necessary to survive on the journey west the group must research the demands of this voyage and the number of ways that they could increase their survival. This information can be found in these sites, there are multiple ways of doing things so consider what options will be best for you and your family unit.
https://www.backwoodshome.com/oregon-trail-preparedness/
https://oregontrailcenter.org/supplies
https://oregontrailrus.weebly.com/reasons-for-
moving.html#:~:text=People%20went%20on%20the%20journey,sense%20of%20fun%20and%20adventure.
Step 2 - Outline your journey
Your group must provide a one-page outline detailing all the various aspects of your journey in order to show how prepared your family is for the journey. This page will cover both things like the minimum necessities that you plan to bring, along with other tools or factors that you believe will help you with your journey.
Here are some questions to help you layout your outline:
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What time of the year did you leave on your journey and why?
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What supplies and equipment would you bring to maximize your survival (tools, domesticated animals, type of wagon)
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How would you travel the trail (pay your way or different method)
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What food would you bring on the trail and how would you cook it.
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Are you bringing anything with you for protection? If so why, or why not? What would you be bringing with you if you did want protection or what method would you employ?
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What do you believe will be the primary dangerous of your journey and what methods will you use to avoid or minimize this danger
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What are the various tasks that each member of your family unit undertakes and how do they contribute to your survival?
Step 3 - Test out your preparedness
As a group, take a short quiz that will test out how prepared you are for the upcoming journey. This quiz will allow you to figure out your family’s strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly before you set out. Briefly write down what your observed weaknesses lie and how you all can improve.
https://grizly.com/quizzes/survive-the-oregon-trail-quiz-are-you-a-pioneer-or-a-leeverite/4
Step 4 - The Journey Begins!
Now armed with both your readings and outline you are ready to set out! Your instructor or teacher will approach your group with a number of scenarios that your family must discuss and find a solution for, depending on your response it will have a positive or negative effect on your journey. These scenarios will test your knowledge of the trail and your problem-solving skills, you may be asked to make tough decisions like rationing of food or how to proceed with a sick family member. For every positive scenario you complete you and your family will proceed 200 miles up the trail till you reach the 2000 mile mark, once you pass this mark you win! If your family encounters too many negative penalties it will result in you either having to turn back or risking it all and pushing forward possibly leading to your death, either case will result in failure to complete your journey so choose wisely when faced with difficult decisions and good luck!
Evaluation
|
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
Organization of family unit |
The various positions and roles within the family were well thought out and all members are contributing to the survival of the family |
The various positions and roles within the family were well thought out but not all necessary responsibilities were filled |
Only a few members of the group took on family roles and there is a lack of responsibilities being assigned to all members |
No one in the group took on a family role and the necessary responsibility to aid in survival were not filled |
|
Outline |
The outline meets and exceeds all the necessary information that needed to be listed for the journey to the West |
The outline meets the requirement of necessary listed information |
The outline contains some of the information necessary but is lacking in some other key areas |
No outline was given or the information given does not pertain to the assignment |
|
Quiz |
The group passed the quiz and effectively listed their weaknesses and how they will improve |
The group failed the quiz but was able to provide insight on how they can improve on their weaknesses |
The group failed the quiz and provided some description of their weaknesses but failed to list how they could improve |
The group failed the quiz and also failed to write down their weaknesses and improvements |
|
Final Voyage |
The group was able to complete the voyage and showed critical thinking skills and knowledge of the source material to overcome the obstacles in their way |
The group failed to complete the voyage but still showed critical thinking skills and knowledge of the source material for the obstacles they were able to overcome |
The group failed to complete the voyage and failed to show both critical thinking skills and knowledge of the source material for a number of areas |
The group both failed to complete voyage and showed a large lack of the understanding of the source material |
Conclusion
Congratulations to those who were able to survive the Oregon Trail. Now let’s discuss as a class what each group did differently and how far everyone was able to get. At the end of class please turn in your outline, family summaries, and quiz results.
