Lesson Plan #: AELP-STH0007

Nevada Trilogy

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Sandy Kellogg
School or Affiliation: Churchill Co. Jr. High School, Fallon, Nevada.
Endorsed by: These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teacher from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western, United States, and particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.

Date: May 1994

Grade Level(s): 7, 8

Subject(s):

Description: After watching the video, "Gone West," The students will reminisce with early emigrant parties and make some of the same decisions they were faced with in travels westward.

Goal:

To give students a greater appreciation of what accomplishments and hardships the early emigrant parties were faced with and went through. To give a better understanding of the geographical region of the Great Basin while gaining an insight on what a trip like that might have been like.

Objectives: The learner will demonstrate the ability to:

  1. Make decisions that will effect his/her party as they cross this country moving west, choosing 1 of 5 emigrant parties that will be given to them.
  2. Form lists of what provisions will be needed on the long trip; food, clothing, ammunition, spare wagon parts.
  3. Decide the route to be taken, choose a departure date, estimating traveling 15 miles a day determine length of time the party will be on the trail. Take into account the terrain, weather, feed and water for the animals.
  4. Draw and label a map showing the route that they intend to take from St. Louis to their arrival in the Sacramento Valley.

Materials:

Pen, pencil, colored pencils, drawing paper, a good imagination.

The wagon dimension 4'x 10', load limit 15,000 pounds. Mules, sure footed most expensive (Cadillac); Horses, pull wagon faster (Ford or Chevy); Oxen, slowest, walk along beside wagon (economy; what most people could afford). Early wagons had no breaks