We have been encorporating learning about the Oregon Trail into our homeschool this week. I have fond memories of playing the computerized Oregon Trail game as a young preteen. Or maybe I was (embarrassingly) older than that when I enjoyed it. Let's not think about it. It was fun to play in a simulation, and at the same time I was learning a little about history.
The main book we used for our mini-study was If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon by Ellen Levine. This was a perfect book for learning about the Oregon Trail. Since my kids are young, I encouraged them to use the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Index to find where to find the answers.
Searching for answers in an otherwise text-heavy book helps student learn how to find information in the book, as well as learning a little bit about the subject. We've done half of it and we will finish next week. I let my children answer orally as they found the answers. A teacher could also give a student the questions and require them to write the answers.
Sometimes these books do not have an index. In that case, these questions could be an interesting lesson in reading pictures, skimming, or assigning various people to read sections in order to find the answers.
Here are some great free resources I've found that relate to the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, and general westward migration.
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