Introduction
This unit focuses on pioneer life during the Western Movement in the United States during the 1800’s. It will introduce concepts such as why pioneers traveled westward, what hardships they faced while on their journey and when they reached their new home, and the impact that this movement had on the Indians. To aid in this study students will read two core texts, Little House on the Prairie (fiction) and If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie (nonfiction). Much of this reading will take place in class with discussions following and some will be done as homework. Supporting nonfiction texts for this unit that students will have access to will include Food and Recipes of the Westward Expansion and What People Wore During Westward Expansion. Differentiated supplemental texts will be Prairie Day and Going West. All these texts will help students understand the key concepts for this unit.
Students will engage in many daily activities, such as think alouds, graphic organizers, discussions, journals, viewing TV episodes, and making pioneer food. As the texts are read students will engage in think alouds and discussions in small groups and with the whole class. Daily journals will be kept by students, in which they will make comments on the readings and/or write down questions that may arise while reading independently. Students will also be asked to write responses to different prompts during reading. These responses will be done in their journals. Journals will be collected routinely and responded to.
Culminating activities will include skits and a persuasive brochure for moving west. Students will work in small groups to write a skit appropriate to the topics read in class. They will choose the setting and characters for the skit and may base these on the text read or develop their own characters and prairie setting. Students will be asked to individually develop a persuasive brochure. In this brochure they will include any information that would make pioneers want to travel to and settle in the west. These activities will demonstrate how well the students have comprehended the information taught in this unit.
Rationale
This unit is designed to address goals and objectives specifically in the Social Studies curriculum for grade five. Through Wilders’ captivating stories of her childhood students will be able to relate to her youthful view of the pioneer experience. While engaging in the texts and planned activities, they as I, will enjoy this very important study of United States History. As students study about the way of life for pioneers during Westward Expansion in the United States they will meet the following North Carolina Goals and Objectives.
Unit Goals and Objectives
Social Studies NCSCS Goal 1- The learner will apply key geographic concepts to the United States and other countries of North America.
Objective 6- Explain how people of the United States and other countries of North America adapt to, modify, and use their physical environment.
Unit Objective- Students will be able to explain how pioneers adapted to and lived off of their new land during the westward movement.
Social Studies NCSCS Goal 1- The learner will apply key geographic concepts to the United States and other countries of North America.
Objective 7- Analyze the past movement of people, goods, and ideas within and among the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America and compare it to movement today.
Unit Objective- Students will be able to use discussion maps to compare and contrast the movement of people today.
Social Studies NCSCS Goal 4- The learner will trace key developments in United States history and describe their impact on the land and people of the nation and its neighboring countries.
Objective 2- Explain when, where, why, and how groups of people settled in different regions of the United States.
Unit Objective- Students will be able to discuss the settlement of pioneers in western United States.
Language Arts NCSCS Goal 1- The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
Objective 3- Increase reading and writing vocabulary through word study.
Unit Objective- Students will gain understanding and knowledge of vocabulary through several word study activities.
Language Arts NCSCS Goal 2- The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
Objective 2- Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by: making predictions, formulating questions, supporting answers from textual information, previous experiences, and/or other sources, drawing on personal literary, and cultural understandings, and seeking additional information.
Unit Objective- Student will be able to interact with core text and reference texts and discuss in whole and small group to understand key concepts of the unit.
Language Arts NCSCS Goal 3- The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
Objective 2- Make connections within and between texts by recognizing similarities and differences based on a common lesson, theme, or message.
Unit Objective- Students will be able to use information from texts to write and orally
perform skits to compare and contrast reasons why and how families moved long ago and
today.
Bibliography
Core Texts
Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Harper and Row, 1953
If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie, Anne Kamma, Scholastic, 2003
Supporting Texts
Food and Recipes of Westward Expansion, George Erdosh, PowerKids Press, 1997
What People Wore During the Westward Expansion, Allison Stark Draper, PowerKids Press, 2001
Prairie Day, Laura Ingalls Wilder, HarperCollins, 1997
Going West, Laura Ingalls Wilder, HarperCollins, 1996
Daily Calendar of Unit Activities (3 weeks)
Week 1
Day 1
- Introduce unit study and core texts that will be read
- Define pioneers and engage in pre-reading activities
*predict why pioneers traveled westward (whole group discussion)
*vocabulary prediction activity (words they will encounter during reading, predict meanings)
-Read Chapter 1-2- Little House on the Prairie in class
Day 2
-Introduce journals that students will keep during reading (journals will include thoughts, questions, comments that they have while reading, teacher will respond to their comments)
-Read Chapter 3- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Assign Chapter 4- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 3
- Read pg. 10-15- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie in class
-Discuss why and how pioneers traveled west and the hardships they faced on the way
-Work in small groups to complete comprehension maps
-Read Chapter 5- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Assign Chapter 6- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 4
-Read Chapter 7- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Go over vocabulary prediction activity- share their predictions-develop class definitions
-Assign Chapter 8- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 5
-Read Chapters 9-10- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie in class
-Discuss hardships they faced on arrival
-Pick character from Ingalls family- write a letter from their point of view to tell someone back home in Wisconsin about their journey and new home in the prairie
Week 2
Day 6
-Read pg. 16-25- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie in class
-Small groups make posters of characteristics of prairie homes/ compare the Ingalls’ home to the homes in this book
-Read Chapter 11- Little House on the Prairie and p. 36- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie for homework
Day 7
-In Literature Circles reread excerpts from pg. 46, 55, 71- Little House on the Prairie
and discuss the stereotypes about Indians on these pages/compare that to Chapter 11 and the families first encounter with Indians/share with the class
-Read Chapter 12- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Assign Chapter 13- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 8
-Read Chapters 14-15- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Watch episode of Little House on the Prairie to give students a visual
-Assign Chapters 16-17- Little House on the Prairie for homework with a reading guide to complete
Day 9
-Discuss Chapter16-17- Little House on the Prairie and reading guide
-Read pg. 51-52- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie in class and discuss going into town
-Read p. 36- If you Were a Pioneer on the Prairie and Chapter 18- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Discuss the Indian Treaties and the tension between the Indians and the Pioneers
-Write in journals whether or not you feel like the Indians were treated fairly or unfairly and if you were an Indian during the Western Movement, how would you have felt
-Assign Chapter 19- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 10
-Read Chapters 20-21- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Introduce individual culminating activity- allow students to begin brainstorming their individual persuasive brochures
-Assign Chapter 22- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Week 3
Day 11
-Introduce group culminating activities- place students in groups and allow them to begin writing skits
-Read Chapter 23- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Assign Chapter 24- Little House on the Prairie for homework
Day 12
-Read Chapter 25- Little House on the Prairie in class
-Collect journals for a final grade
-Allow students time to work in groups
Day 13
-Read p. 26- If You Were a Pioneer on the Prairie
-Churn butter with small baby food jars, ingredients, and a marble
-Allow students time to work in groups
Day 14
-Perform skits while dressed liked Pioneers or Indians
-Turn in persuasive brochures
Assessments/Evaluations
Students will be assessed throughout the unit study in many different ways. Student participation will be assessed daily through whole and small group discussion of readings. Students will turn in their journals routinely so that responses can be made to their comments. This will be checked so that it is evident that students are keeping up with the assigned readings. Reading guides and vocabulary activities will also be collected and checked for accuracy. At the completion of the unit students will be asked to self assess their total participation during the unit.
Culminating Activities
Group Project
Students will work in small groups (four to five students) to write a skit appropriate to the topics read and studied in class. Time will be given in class for students to decide on the setting and characters and develop their skits. They may choose actual characters from the core text, Little House on the Prairie, or they may make up their own characters. They will also be given the option of reenacting a scene from the book by making variations to their dialogue. Student may choose their characters as Pioneers or Indians. When students have written and edited their skits they must dress the part of their characters and make or bring props from home to accommodate their skits. These skits will be performed for the other groups in class.
Individual Projects
Students will be asked to develop a persuasive brochure. The brochure will include any information that would persuade pioneers to leave their homes in the east and travel west to settle on prairie land. Students will make brochures appealing and use any information that they have learned during the unit study. The brochure should include writing as well as pictures. It must be creative and neat.