Overland Trails To The West

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Overland Trails To The West

• Don Dunham
• Junction Elementary
• Palo Cedro, CA

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Overland Trails To The West

• My name is Don Dunham and I am a Fifth Grade
  teacher at Junction Elementary.
• My web site is http//ctap295.ctaponline.org/ddun
  ham
• You may e-mail me at ddunham_at_shastalink.k12.ca.us
• This is a Fifth grade History/Social Science
  lesson (Standard 5.8) on settlers on the overland
  trails to the west in the mid-1800s.
• The students will research the trails west. They
  will create a 4 day journal and a map on one of
  the trails west.

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Expectations

• To develop a web page.
• To increase my own computer skills.
• To learn a new way to develop student lessons.

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Actual Learning Skills

• Learned to create a standard based lesson.
• Learned to create a web site.
• Learned to use power point in a presentation.
• Learned to develop web links.
• Learned to use Leech to upload information.
• Learned to use the internet as a resource.

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Successes

• Creating a map that students are able to use to
  travel the trails
• Students enjoyed using the web site
• Students liked using the links
• Allowed students to work independently or with a
  partner

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Successes continued

• Students were able to access the information
  correctly from the map
• Students enjoyed traveling on the map and reading
  about the early formations of the trails
• Students formed wagon trains to discuss what they
  learned on the same trail

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Shortcomings

• Limited computers available
• One of the links would lock up on the Oregon
  Trail
• Students had difficulty keeping track of
  information
• Students had trouble completing their journals
  because they did not keep accurate information
  from the research

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Student Data

• I administered a pre-test and post-test. The
  students were also required to complete a map and
  a final project journal that was evaluated using
  the scoring rubric.
• Students demonstrated improvement, but not to the
  extent I had anticipated.

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Student Data Pre-test/Post-test scores
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Student DataMap and Project Journal Scores
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Reflections and Revisions

• Students did not have enough background
  information to help in writing journals.
• Students had difficulty keeping track of the
  information on each trail.

• Students need to read the text book pages
  448-452,447-487 before going on to the research.
• Students needed to have a recording sheet for
  each of the trails to keep notes.

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Reflections and Revisions

• Students had difficulty completing the K-W-L
  chart.
• Students were unfamiliar with the map and the
  places on the map.
• Students had difficulty drawing their trail on to
  a map.

• Students needed to study the trails map before
  starting their travels.
• Students needed to revisit the K-W-L- chart at
  the conclusion of each travel day to write their
  reflections.
• Students needed a map that looks like the web
  page map and they needed more time (1 hour) to
  use the web page map to draw from.

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Summary

• The technology helped my students to learn best
  through their own exploration. The culminating
  activity offered the students different ways to
  show what they had learned and to do it in a
  learning style that was best for them. Being able
  to use the map and links to information gave the
  students opportunities to be choose what they
  wanted to learn most about. Their projects did
  show a clear proficiency with the standard of
  this project. Not all students gave their best
  effort in all areas of the project but they did
  master knowledge of the the trails west.

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Concluding Statements

• Students enjoyed the process of learning with the
  web page.
• Students were able to choose working individually
  or in pairs to complete their journals and maps.

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Final Look

• These students show their completed work for each
  of the assessment areas. Final project, trail
  map, and post-test.