{"id":2251,"date":"2010-01-26T09:46:22","date_gmt":"2010-01-26T14:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/openwidelookinside\/archives\/2251"},"modified":"2010-01-26T09:46:22","modified_gmt":"2010-01-26T14:46:22","slug":"teaching-geography-with-childrens-literature-roughing-it-on-the-oregon-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/openwidelookinside\/2010\/01\/26\/teaching-geography-with-childrens-literature-roughing-it-on-the-oregon-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Geography with Children’s Literature: Roughing It On the Oregon Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"roughing-it-on-the-orgeon-trail.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Set in 1843,\u00a0Roughing It on the Oregon Trail<\/a>, written by Diane Stanley and illustrated by Holly Berry, is based on the 5 month\u00a02,000 mile journey on the Oregon Trail.\u00a0 The story starts off with twins, Lenny & Elizabeth going\u00a0back through time with their grandmother,\u00a0and her\u00a0magic hat that takes them back to 1843.\u00a0 Once Lenny, Elizabeth & their grandmother arrive in the Louisiana Territory, they head off looking to meet the twins\u00a0great-great-great-great grandmother,\u00a0Elizabeth.\u00a0 The children learn what it was like traveling along the Oregon Trail.\u00a0 Descriptions are\u00a0given about traveling in the covered wagons, the hot and dusty atmosphere, the food that was cooked, the oxen\u00a0& the Indians they would meet along the journey.<\/p>\n

Curriculum Connections<\/strong>
\nThis is a wonderful book with detailed\u00a0descriptions on every page.\u00a0\u00a0I would recommend reading this book to students in a Virginia\u00a05th grade classroom when\u00a0learning about the Oregon Trail and the Westward Expansion.\u00a0 Reasons for the westward expansion\u00a0are explained (Panic of 1837 when a lot of people lost the farm that they called home\/depression) along with\u00a0the hopes and adventures of moving out west (SOL USI.8).\u00a0 Stops made along the\u00a0journey\u00a0include historic sites such as: Scott’s Bluff, Chimney Rock, Independence Rock, The Great Plains, Snake River, Columbia River and many more.\u00a0 The early encounters with Native Americans are explained: events such as the leader of the camp\u00a0smoking the clay\u00a0pipe with the Indian Chief\u00a0and the leader of the camp giving up dried buffalo meat to\u00a0the Native Americans\u00a0(SOL USI.2 & USI.3).<\/p>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n