Pioneer Pursuits

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AUTHOR: Jane Barnes

 

HISTORICAL TOPIC/ERA: Pioneers of Nevada

Era:  1700-1865

 

GRADE LEVEL(S):  3

 

TIME REQUIRED: Six 45 minute periods

 

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND: Third grade students are to learn about the life of pioneers.  They are to understand the concept of pioneers as people who led to the creation of a new nation and a distinctive culture.  In studying and teaching about the pioneers of Nevada there is some background information that should be known.   Some pioneers of Nevada had a goal to settle in Nevada.  These people met with particular hardships such as the Mormons who settled in Muddy Village in southern Nevada.  Other pioneers passed through Nevada on their way to California.  They met with different hardships.  Nonetheless, they too met with hardships. 

     In setting the stage for this lesson, geography of the great Basin should be looked at.  Information about scientific explorations by such people at Captain Simpson should be known by the teacher.  This information gives the teacher a time frame for when the first white men explored the Great Basin—1859.   The teacher will then find and supply routes that different pioneer parties traveled as they traveled through Nevada. 

 

NEVADA STANDARDS:

 

Nevada History Standard 6.0 Students understand the people, events, ideas, and conflicts that led to the creation of new nations and distinctive cultures.

Nevada History Standard 6.3.17 Describe the life of pioneers.

Nevada Reading Standard 3.5.3 Identify historical events as portrayed in a variety of genres in literature.

Nevada Writing Standard 5.3.5 Write compositions that retell events of a story in sequence.

 

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

Students will learn what pioneer means. They will describe in words and pictures various aspects of pioneer life:  reason for travel, transportation, food and shelter during travel;  reason for settlement to start a new life; hardships experienced during travel and settlement at new location.

 

 

MATERIALS/SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS:

Online Nevada Encyclopedia www.onlinenevada.org

Physical maps of Nevada, pictures of the desert in southern Nevada and the Great Basin. Route maps of pioneer groups that traveled through Nevada.

Books to show pictures of utensils and artifacts pioneers would use. 

Pictures of what pioneers looked like.

Paper to make a scrapbook.

Computer.

The book Patty Reed’s Doll

 

ACTIVITIES/STRATEGIES:

1.      Define pioneer. 

2.      Brainstorm what students think the term means.

3.      Teacher read some excerpts, descriptions of pioneers.

4.      Write a class meaning of pioneer.

5.      Examine physical maps and pictures of area.

6.      In groups, children will draw what the Great Basin area looks like.

7.      Discuss how people would be able to live in the environment as they traveled through the area.  Make a chart of children’s ideas.

8.      Students will try to experience the life of pioneers by working in groups to follow the route of a group of pioneers.  Each group will follow a pioneer route. Routes will have to go through Nevada.   Groups will report to class about their routes.  Information about routes found on google.  There will be four groups.   

9.      Students will make a scrapbook of artifacts, by drawing, what might be found on legs of their trip.  This will be done by using the computer during lab time and using books to follow routes.

10.  Go to computer lab.  Examine some scenes of settlements of Nevada pioneers such as Mormon Station and Muddy Flats on www.onlinenevada.org  Have students work in pairs to list what they see in pictures and descriptions on computer to help describe the environment of these particular pioneer settlements.

11.  As a final literacy activity students will read Patty Reed’s Doll –a pioneer experience a seen through a girl and her doll during the Donner Party pioneer trip.

 

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING:

1.      Student scrapbooks.  A final completed scrapbook will be assessed for completion.  Students will orally present highlights of scrapbook.

2.      Students will write a retell and reaction to each chapter of the book Patty Reed’s Doll.

3.      A class chart of what student’s learned will be written, whole group, and displayed.