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Lesson Plan

Moving West: Researching Trails and Student Created Poetry by NNWP


Subject

English Language Arts (NYS P-12 Common Core)

Grade Levels

Elementary, Intermediate, 4th Grade, 6th Grade


Picture Book Overview

Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by Verla Kay illustrated by S.D. Schindler is about a family heading west. The family stuffs all of their belongings into their covered wagon and is on their way to Sacramento Valley, California. Along the way they encounter rivers, endless plains, rough mountain terrain, and even a desert. Students will learn about the grueling and exciting life on the trails as the pioneer family travels west.

Description

Students will research an immigrant trail, write down descriptive and interesting concepts, and turn it into a concept poem. This lesson is a fun way to integrate research skills and poetry writing.

Website(s)

The Northern Nevada Writing Project
The National Writing Project
Trails West
The Overland Trail
Wagon Roads to the West

Six-Trait Overview

The focus trait for this lesson is idea development; students will write with a clear purpose and put research in their own words. Word choice is also emphasized in the lesson; students use precise nouns to assist in reader's understanding, incorporate adjectives, and use strong verbs to keep the poem interesting.

Author

Denise Boswell

Duration

Two 45-minute class periods

Materials

  • The picture book Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails by Verla Kay
  • Copies of Fact Finder Graphic Organizer (one per student)
  • Copies of Concept Poem Example and Graphic Organizer (one per student)
  • Copies of the Rough Draft Graphic Organizer (one per student)
  • Rubric for Concept Poem
  • Construction Paper
  • Stencils of various objects- such as wagon, wagon wheel, campfire, oxen, mountain, etc.
  • Books, articles, Internet access, or copies of information about various trails (Oregon Trail, Sante Fe Trail, Yukon Trail, The Trail of Tears, Overland Trail, Applegate Trail, The California Trail, The Mormon Trail, The Smoky Hill Trail, etc.) for student research
  • Concept Poem Example and Graphic Organizer.pdf
  • Concept Poem Rubric.pdf
  • Fact Finder Graphic Organizer.pdf
  • Rough Draft Graphic Organizer.pdf

    • Step-by-Step Procedure

    Anticipatory Set: Ask students what they know about Westward Expansion. Have they heard that term before? What about the Oregon Trail? Ask students what they think it was like to be in a covered wagon with their entire family and all of their possessions… introduce the picture book: Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails.

    1. Read Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails to the class.
    2. Assign a trail to each student and distribute the Fact Finder Graphic Organizer. (Possible Trails to assign include: Oregon Trail, Sante Fe Trail, Yukon Trail, The Trail of Tears, Overland Trail, Applegate Trail, The California Trail, The Mormon Trail, The Smoky Hill Trail, etc. Visit: http://www.over-land.com/trwestmid.html for more information.)
    3. Supply students with information printed from the Internet on the trails, or sections of their textbook, books and encyclopedias, and any other available resources. Students will fill in the fact finder sheet as they research their trail.
    4. Reread Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails. Copy the Example Concept Poem on overhead or chart paper. Ask students what they notice about the poem (It is long and thin, only two words on each line- what does it look like??).
    5. Read the poem aloud and then have students read aloud with you.
    6. Have students identify the describing word/adjective and naming word/noun.
    7. Students will choose ten events from their research to write a poem about the trail.
    8. Distribute the Concept Poem Graphic Organizer.
    9. Students complete the graphic organizer by writing a sentence for each piece of research (identified in step 7) and choosing a describing word and a naming word that matches their sentence topic.
    10. Students write the poem on the Rough Draft Graphic Organizer. They will revise and edit their poem by answering the questions on the bottom of the graphic organizer. Students choose a shape for their poem. (Wagon, Oxen, Mountain, Trail, Campfire, etc…)
    11. Students write/type the final draft of their poem on/in their selected shape. Students may want to do this using the stencils and/or construction paper.

    Closure: Have students share their final copies of their poems with the class.

    Extension of the Lesson

    To further promote cross-curricular integration, students may extend their poems and develop a short story. In art class, students could design and create their own picture books (using their short stories) based on the trail research and their concept poems.

    Assessment

    Use the Concept Poem Rubric to assess student products.

  • Concept Poem Rubric.pdf

    • Content Provider

    The Northern Nevada Writing Project: HistoryFix


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