The Oregon Trail: The Journey Across the Country From Lewis and Clark to the Transcontinental Railroad With 25 Projects

(Paperback)

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Westward ho! If you travel across certain parts of the United States, you can still see wagon wheel ruts where people crossed the west in search of more opportunity and better lives more than 200 years ago! The Oregon Trail: The Journey Across the Country from Lewis and Clark to the Transcontinental Railroad offers readers ages 9 to 12 a fascinating look at the explorers and settlers who traveled this route during the westward expansion of the United States.

Reviews

Reviews for other titles in the series: Great Pioneer Projects: You Can Build Yourself.
Learning Magazine, Teachers' Choice Edition: "What was it like to be an American pioneer during the 1800s More than 25 projects and activities in this book give students and first-hand look."
Children's Literature Review
"Beginning with a color map of the Trail and a timeline of its history, the introduction informs readers that Americans were always eager to move westward, though in the early nineteenth century the West was still unknown to colonists. Readers experience growth and increasing use of the Trail, starting with the explorations by Lewis and Clark, the effects on the prairies and native inhabitants, and the building of transcontinental railways that finally replaced the Oregon Trail. . . . Each chapter includes QR codes for Internet information, an Essential Question to consider, and numerous Did You Know sidebars with further tidbits--a magnifying glass labeled PS identifies primary sources. Helpful are brief glossaries on appropriate pages, as are projects to do as homework or in a classroom. The details of history, biographies of interesting characters, and many activities (some needing help) make this attractive volume a useful resource for a study of the Great Migration westward."

This interactive survey of 19th-century American history focuses on westward expansion from early exploration to the realities of life on the Oregon Trail to the effects on native peoples and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Amply illustrated with cartoons and photographs, the text is kid-friendly with helpful insets that define new vocabulary as it occurs. Other insets provide supplemental information including passages from letters and journals, accounts of real families, essential questions to ponder, and QR codes that link to relevant web pages, many of them containing primary sources. Each chapter ends with activities that invite readers to delve deeper into the material or to put themselves in the shoes of early Americans. The language of some of the primary documents will be difficult for elementary schoolers and some things could use further explanation. Overall, however, the activities are thought-provoking and web links enrich the material covered. While not necessarily a book children will read from cover to cover, this is a valuable springboard for classroom teachers looking to bring immediacy to American history units and research projects. Additional Resources. Glossary. Index. Recommended

Author Bio

Karen Bush Gibson is the author of more than 30 nonfiction books for children and a member of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators. One of her books about women aviators was named a 2014 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People by the NCSS and a selection in Air & Space/Smithsonian`s Best Childrens Books of 2013 roundup of aviation and space-themed books. Karen lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tom Casteel is an illustrator and cartoonist with a master's degree from the Center for Cartoon Studies. Tom has illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including The Brain: Journey Through the Universe Inside Your Head; Cities: Discover How They Work; and Human Migration: Investigate the Global Journey of Humankind. Tom lives in South Bend, Indiana.