This is a multiple session project. Students should be allowed 15 to 30 minutes per session. Background information should be presented in order to assist students in understanding the historical period and the reasons why people were migrating. The game simulation approach is a method for producing a powerful experience which incorporates a large amount of information, opportunities to solve problems, and specialized vocabulary. Activities off the computer are designed to meet the varying intelligence strengths of a wide range of students.
Students sit around the campfire, tell trail stories, sing camp songs.
Body Kinesthetic, visual, spatial. Trail snacks, cassette recorders, music, fake campfire. Create an Oregon Trail Newsletter about pioneer life. Research newspapers of the frontier period to find examples of advertisements. Students will interview one another about their adventures on the Oregon Trail.