To correlate with our new novel unit, Little House on the Prairie, that we are reading, Pam came and helped us to better understand what it may have been like to be a pioneer family moving westward.
Students were divided into "families," consisting of a mom, dad, and two children. Each family pretended to have sold their belongings and had $200 to purchase supplies for their trip from New York to Iowa via covered way.
Pam explains the trip to the families
Students visited The Way West Store and chose the supplies they thought they would need for their trip . .
Then Pam read to us about our journey. As we "traveled," families earned points if they had purchased items they would need along the way. For example, if they had a pot to cook in, the earned a point. However, if they purchased Cholera medicine, they actually lost a point because medicine at that time was not actually of benefit.
At the end of the journey, we had about 4 families (between the two classes) who actually made it to Iowa. Most of the families did not bring enough/the correct provisions and had to turn back. A few families had so few "points" that they died during the journey.
Thanks to Pam for coming and doing this fun activity with us!
No comments:
Post a Comment