Balance of Nature and the Westward Movement
1820-1880

Ann Urie
First Grade
Lenz Elementary School

Portfolio Cover Sheet

Ann Urie
Nevada History:  Using Primary Sources with Primary Students
Historical Topic: Balance of Nature and the Westward Movement
1820-1880

Nevada Standards
Nevada History Standards:
H5.1.3 Name a traditional U.S. patriotic activity, holiday, or symbol of, such as the 4th of July.
H8.1.1 Name their school and community.
H1.1.1 Describe local life long ago, including jobs, school, communication, transportation, and recreation.
H1.1.2 Listen to stories that reflect the beliefs, customs, ceremonies, and traditions of the varied cultures in the neighborhood.
H1.1.3 Listen to histories of important local landmarks that create a sense of community among citizens.
H3.1.1 Describe the neighborhood around their school.
H3.1.2 Compare and/or contrast their daily lives with those of their parents or guardians.
H3.1.4 Demonstrate respect for each other and people in the neighborhood.
 G5.1.2 Describe maps as representations of places.
G5.1.2 Describe maps as representations of places.

English/Language Arts Standards:
2.1.3 I/L With assistance, use after reading strategies based on text and purpose to: orally recall details; orally restate main ideas
3.1.4 With assistance, identify first-person point of view
3.1.7 With assistance, listen to, read and discuss text from different: cultures, time periods
3.1.9 With assistance, make connections to self, other text, and/or the world.
4.1.1 With assistance identify the purpose of and gain information from: illustrations, graphs, charts, titles, text boxes, diagrams, headings, table of contents
4.1.4 With assistance, listen to, read, and discuss text from different: cultures, time periods
4.1.5 With assistance, make connections to self, other text, and/or the world.

Background
As the influences of the European settlers moved Westward in the 1800’s, the hardships that were suffered by many were numerous.  People left their homes in the Midwest and the Eastern United States with great expectations of gold and land, only to be beaten back by circumstances beyond their control, often losing their worldly possessions as well as lives along the way.  Many of these events were recorded in first-hand accounts, leaving us with evidence to witness the trials and accomplishments of these early communities on the move.

Much of the balance of nature of the land was destroyed, changing the way of life of the Native American Indian forever.  The horses and cattle of the emigrants used up the limited water supplies and stripped the valleys of all growth. Through the use of primary sources, we are able to revisit some early experiences of the interactions between the Native Americans and the first visitors and explorers in the region of the Great Basin.  By studying these stories from history we realize that many different peoples had a great influence have shaped America into the great country that it is today.

Portfolio Table of Contents

Activities and Learning Goals

Activity 1: Primary Source: Compare and Contrast Road Trips
Learning Goal: Students will listen to and observe examples of primary sources from a diary and from pictures of emigrant travelers in the 1800’s.  Students will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast a modern road trip to the primary source’s explanation of travel in the 1800’s.

Activity 2: Wordle: City vs. State
Learning Goal: As a class, students will discuss both wordless as teacher displays them on overhead projector.  In pairs, they will use a graphic organizer to compare and illustrate the characteristics of city and state as displayed by the wordles.

Activity 3: Literature Connection: Sarah Winnemucca
Learning Goal: Teacher will read segments from the book Sarah Winnemucca by Mary Frances Morrow focusing on her life among the Paiute Indians in the 1800’s.  Students will use a graphic organizer based on The Important Book template to show a main idea with supporting details related to either Sarah Winnemucca or the Paiute Indians.

Activity 4: Foldable Activity: Early Paiutes vs. Nevada Life Today
Learning Goal: Students will create a foldable with four different perspectives on life in Nevada today versus that of the early Paiutes.  They will focus on shelter, food, clothing, and transportation.

Activity 5: Internet/Technology: Comparing Then and Now
Learning Goal: Teacher will lead viewing of the PowerPoint while discussing the slides as primary sources and the content presented.  Students will be able to address one slide and answer questions from it in writing.

Activity 6: Art Piece/Writing: The American Flag
Learning Goal: Students will create an art piece by representing important aspects of the American flag.  Once their piece is finished, they will respond to questions related to the significance of the American flag.

Activity 1: Primary Source
Compare and Contrast Road Trips

Student Learning Goal
Students should be able to: identify primary sources and their significance in the learning of history; identify the significance of keeping records of daily life; identify ways in which people or things move from one place to another (patterns of human migration and settlement) through the study of the Western Movement. 

Procedure for Teaching Lesson

1.  Using Scott Foresman’s Social Studies video with overview of primary sources, teacher introduces primary sources as first-hand accounts of what people did in the past.
2. Using Source 1 (http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/00.ar.sager1.html), teacher reads first paragraph of diary entry from “Across the Plains in 1844” by Catherine Sager Pringle:

My father was one of the restless ones who are not content to remain in one place long at a time. Late in the fall of 1838 we emigrated from Ohio to Missouri. Our first halting place was on Green River, but the next year we took a farm in Platte County. He engaged in farming and blacksmithing, and had a wide reputation for ingenuity. Anything they needed, made or mended, sought his shop. In 1843, Dr. Whitman came to Missouri. The healthful climate induced my mother to favor moving to Oregon. Immigration was the theme all winter, and we decided to start for Oregon. Late in 1843 father sold his property and moved near St. Joseph, and in April, 1844, we started across the plains. The first encampments were a great pleasure to us children. We were five girls and two boys, ranging from the girl baby to be born on the way to the oldest boy, hardly old enough to be any help.

1. Lead class discussion on important words and events from the intro.
2. Students continue to read diary entry individually (with help from teacher).
3. Students observe photos of people along the Oregon Trail with Source 2 (http://www.awesomestories.com/history/go-west/people-go-west).
4. Teacher leads discussion on firsthand accounts of what people did in the past, the importance of primary sources as the most exciting way to explore history, and relates diary entry to students.
5. Teacher models class account of “A Day in the Life of a First Grader at Lenz Elementary” with class suggestions to relate to Source 1. 
6. Take photos of class events to represent a primary source in order to relate to Source 2.

Worksheets begin on following page
(Pages 2 and 3 to be reused by teacher, page 4 to be completed by student)

Student Worksheet

Source 1: Diary Entry from Catherin Sager Pringle
We waited several days at the Missouri River. Many friends came that far to see the emigrants start on their long journey, and there was much sadness at the parting, and a sorrowful company crossed the Missouri that bright spring morning. The motion of the wagon made us all sick, and it was weeks before we got used to the seasick motion. Rain came down and required us to tie down the wagon covers, and so increased our sickness by confining the air we breathed.
Our cattle re-crossed in the night and went back to their winter quarters. This caused delay in recovering them and a weary, forced march to rejoin the train. This was divided into companies, and we were in that commanded by William Shaw. Soon after starting Indians raided our camp one night and drove off a number of cattle. They were pursued, but never recovered.
Soon everything went smooth and our train made steady headway. The weather was fine and we enjoyed the journey pleasantly. There were several musical instruments among the emigrants, and these sounded clearly on the evening air when camp was made and merry talk and laughter resounded from almost every camp-fire.

Source 2: Photos from The Oregon Trail

Wagon trains crossing the plains.

 
Landmarks along the trail.

 
Team of oxen pulling wagons.

 
A family poses in 1866 Nebraska with their wagon.

Name:_________________________

One family found land they wanted in Guthrie (now Oklahoma).

Let’s Observe

Evaluating the Learning

1. Teacher gives examples and non-examples of primary sources; children give thumbs up/thumbs down to show their understanding.
2. Use following rubric to evaluate understanding of the keeping of diaries as well as migration.

Rubric

Activity 2: Wordle
City vs. State

Student Goal
Student should be able to: locate places on a simple picture map; recognize that maps are representations of the Earth’s surface; recognize the shape of Nevada; understand the difference between a city and a state

Primary Sources

1. Classroom map of the United States (to show states)
2. Nevada state map (to show cities)

Wordles

Words used to create wordles

Expanding into Other Learning
This lesson will go along with Unit 2 in Scott Foresman Social Studies, relating to community, neighborhoods, states, etc.

Evaluating Student Learning
Students will be evaluated for their ability to participate in classroom discussion of both wordles and their completion of the compare and contrast worksheet.

Worksheets on following page:

Name:______________________

Compare and Contrast: City vs. State

Activity 3: Literature Connection
Sarah Winnemucca

Literature

• Sarah Winnemucca by Mary Frances Morrow
• The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown

Activities
Teacher will read segments of Sarah Winnemucca over a week’s period of time.  As a class, students use graphic organizer to identify events and characteristics of Paiute life. Each student will then use the template from The Important Book to display their knowledge about Paiute Indians and Sarah Winnemucca. (“Important” template on following page.)

Evaluating Student Learning
Students will be evaluated on their class participation and their ability to assimilate information from graphic organizers to their individual “Important” templates.

Assessment Rubric

Name:_______________________

The Important Thing About Paiute Indians

The important thing about______________________________________
is _________________________________________________________.
They_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
They_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
They also___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
But, the important thing about__________________________________
is_________________________________________________________.

Activity 4: Foldable Activity
Early Paiutes vs. Nevada Life Today

Purpose of Foldable
The purpose of the foldable is to reinforce comparisons of early Paiutes with children of today, focusing on shelter, transportation, food, and clothing.

Assessment Rubric

Activity 5: Internet/Technology
Comparing Then and Now

Learning Goal
Teacher will lead viewing of the PowerPoint while discussing the slides as primary sources and the content presented. Students will be able to address one slide and answer questions from it in writing.

Download the Powerpoint Presentation here.

Activity 6: Art Piece/Writing
The American Flag

Lesson Overview
The purpose of the lesson is for students to identify and explain the significance of the American flag after exploring a variety of books in the social studies program.

Art Piece
Using 11x14” watercolor paper, blue and red acrylic paints, repositionable drafting tape, glitter, and stamps, each student will create a personal interpretation of the U.S. flag.

Writing
The writing component will include vocabulary from the books we have read on the 4th of July and American songs such as “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “The Star Spangled Banner”.  Students will choose significant vocabulary words and add them to their art piece.  On a separate sheet of paper, students will respond to the following questions:

• Why is the 4th of July important to us in the year 2009?
• What does it mean to celebrate this holiday as a citizen of the United States?
• Why is the word ‘freedom’ so important to us as Americans?
• How do you and your family celebrate the 4th of July?

Evaluating Student Learning
Students will be evaluated in their ability to demonstrate their understanding of the American flag and its significance in America.

Assessment Rubric