Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Unit

LU Title:                   Bound for Oregon	Author:                    Andrea Kaczor
Grade Level:            5	School Address:     Holland Patent
Topic/Subject Area: Social Studies, ELA	School Phone/Fax:  865-5721
	Email:      akaczor@holland-floyd.moric.org

Overview

The purpose of this unit is to introduce fifth grade students to the period of history when hundreds of families traveled across the United States to settle and farm in Oregon territory.  This is done through a series of reading assignments, oral reading in class, visual aids, review of documents, and a simulated journey along the Oregon Trail.  Although the emphasis of this unit is on learning standard #1 (Social Studies), this unit also ties strongly to reading and writing curriculum at the fifth grade level.  Evaluation occurs throughout the unit via teacher observation of the students as they work alone and in groups.  Formal assessment is tied to the rubrics which evaluates the students compare/contrast essay.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Declarative : Students will	Procedural : Students will
Listen to and read aloud Bound for Oregon as a way of getting information and analyze what s/he reads about westward expansion.	Listen for  specific purposes                  ( appreciation, critical information, figurative language) Use the writing process
Synthesizes, interprets, makes connections and acts on what is read, heard or seen (artistic media).	use appropriate self-editing skills
Analyze and interprets ideas, information and language and makes connections among ideas.	Use a particular format for writing of perspectives ie.sequential and compare/contrast graphic organizers.
Presents orally and in writing well developed analysis of issues, ideas or strategies explaining the rationale for his/her judgements and analyzing the rationale for a variety of perspectives.	create a map work in a team collaboratively
Recognize historical fiction as a genre	use the computer for the final copy of an essay following steps for reading and writing.
	create a picture from a descriptive passage.
	Recognize artifacts (documents)
	Acquire a working knowledge of an internet web site.
	Construct a time line

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1. What was traveling along the Oregon Trail like for families moving to the westward territories?
   
2. What characteristics, or qualities, did families who made it to Oregon or California share?

CONNECTIONS TO NYS LEARNING STANDARDS
(List Standard # and Key Idea #: Write out related Performance Indicators or Benchmarks.)

According to the fifth grade curriculum as dictated by New York State this learning experience will fulfill the requirements of Social Studies

            Standard   #1 History of the United States and New York

            Standard   #3 Geography

In accordance with the New York State ELA curriculum this learning experience will fulfill the requirements of fifth grade ELA curriculum.

            Standard #1 Language for Information and Writing

            Standard #2 Language for Literary Response and Expression

            Standard #3 Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

INITIATING ACTIVITY

The launch activities include

1. video - Children of the Wagon Train (V4434)

2. The Intro to the Oregon Trail II CD ROM during which the students will complete a KWL chart to assimilate their prior knowledge

LEARNING EXPERIENCES
(In chronological order including acquisition experiences and extending/ refining experiences for all stated declarative and procedural knowledge.)

Week 1 : (Acquire and Integrate Knowledge)

• Locate Oregon on map.

  How many have been to Oregon?  Impressions. Discuss distance, means of travel, landmarks, tourist attractions etc. students may have visited along the way.

• Provide each student with a KWL graphic organizer.  Have students list facts they already know about westward expansion and the Oregon Trail.
• Show video - Children of the Wagon Train. Have students take notes.  Add to KWL chart.
• View intro to Oregon Trail II CD game. Notice map and documents. Take notes. Using numbered heads add pertinent information, questions to KWL chart.
• Introduce book Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen.  Have students read aloud, boy/girl popcorn in class.
• Keep list of new vocabulary words.
• Students choose a book on westward expansion theme to read outside of class.

  Little House on the Prairie Series ........................by Laura Ingalls Wilder

  Mr. Tucket Series .................................................by Gary Paulsen

  Journey to Nowhere .............................................by Mary Jane Auch

  Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie................by Kristiana Gregory

  Rachel's Journey.by

Week 2 :         Continue reading Bound for Oregon orally in class.

• ongoing vocabulary list
• at recess learn to play Annie Over and Pussy Wants a Corner
• follow the Todd family journey on a classroom map.
• note authors use of figurative language to enhance imagery.
• have students form small groups (i.e. families) for cooperative work.
• each family is assigned a chapter to summarize and illustrate for a picture book.

Week 3 : (Refine and extend knowledge)

• Finish Bound for Oregon
• assign time for each `family'  to travel the Oregon Trail II via CD ROM .
• have students keep journals of their experiences, note places they've been, people they've met and challenges they've faced.  They should also justify decisions they've made. 
• Have student families chart their journey on classroom map.  Note landmarks, rivers, forts also on the map.

Week 4: (Meaningful Use task)

• Finish pictures and summaries.  Put together as a picture book to share with our kindergarten buddies.
• All families should finish their Oregon Trail II journey.
• In their small groups each student will complete a compare/contrast graphic organizer comparing their experiences on the Oregon Trail with the experiences of the Todd family.
• Each student will then write a four paragraph compare/contrast essay with a complete introductory paragraph, a paragraph of similar experiences, a paragraph of different experiences and a concluding paragraph commenting on what they learned about the REAL people who traveled on the Oregon Trail.

CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
(Include rubrics, checklists, etc.)

Oregon Trail Compare/Contrast Essay	4 Points	3 Points	2 Points	1 Point
Introductory Paragraph	A creative complete Introductory paragraph includes the titles, author and restates the task.	A complete introductory paragraph includes the titles and authors and suggests the task.	A sentence or two that suggest a comparison.	Mentions only one of the topics being compared.
Organization	Effectively and accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern.	Accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern.	Organizes the material into a compare/contrast pattern but varies through-out the writing.	Material is organized into a pattern that only compares or contrasts the items.
Support	Provides well developed and accurate support (examples, details, reasons) for each component being examined.	Provides accurate support (examples, details, reasons) for each component being examined.	Provides some support(details, examples, reasons) that is accurate but also has some inaccurate support.	Provides little if any support (examples, details, reasons) for the components being examined.
Conventions	Makes few to no errors.	Makes errors which do not interfere with communication.	Makes errors which interfere with communication.	Makes errors which seriously interfere with communication.
Conclusion	Constructs a thorough closure to the writing that follows logically from the opening lead.	Constructs an appropriate closure that follows logically from the lead.	Constructs a closure that somewhat follows logically from the opening lead but may not be fully explained.	Constructs a closure that does not follow logically from the opening lead.

Mapping Task	4 Points	3 Points	2  Points	Point
Content	All locations are included and are carefully and accurately placed.	All locations are included and most are accurately placed.	All but one or two locations are included, several are not accurately placed.	Several locations are not carefully placed Several locations are not carefully placed included and many are not accurately or.
Visual Appearance	Very colorful and clean looking: locations are easy to read.	Some color: a few locations are not easy to read.	Limited use of color: locations are somewhat difficult to read.	Limited or no use of color; locations are very difficult to read.
Map Elements	Includes clearly labeled title, date, compass rose.	Includes most standard map elements; most are accurate and easy to read.	Missing several standard map elements.	Missing most standard map elements.

PRE-REQUISITE SKILLS

Students should be reading and writing at an average fifth grade level. 

Students should be familiar with the use of a computer but since they will be playing Oregon Trail II in small groups, expertise is not necessary.

MODIFICATIONS/ADAPTIONS

Modifications were necessary as we read Bound for Oregon as a class. All students are included in comprehensive discussions and group activities but students were grouped homogeniously so that the weaker students could benefit from the skills of the stronger students.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

With the cooperation of the SS teacher the students will have a block of 80 minutes for this unit on at least two days a week. This Oregon Trail unit should take approximately four weeks.

TECHNOLOGY USE

Students will use the CD ROM experience The Oregon Trail II on assigned days in each of the four fifth grade classrooms.

Students will produce the final draft of their compare/contrast essay on Microsoft works and save on H drive for editing.