RAFT Row 1 Social Studies Oregon Trail

Objective: You will be able to describe life on the Oregon Trail.

Common Core Standards
Literature Key Ideas and Details 4.RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes 4.W.2. Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas and information clearly.
Production and Distribution of Writing 4.W.6. With some guidance and support from adults,
use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a
minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge 4.W.7. Conduct short research projects that build
knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Language
Conventions of Standard English 4.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 4.L.2 Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
ISTE Student Standards 1. Creativity and innovation (b); 2. Communication and collaboration
(b); 3. Research and information fluency (b, c, d); 5. Digital citizenship (a, b); 6. Technology
operations and concepts (a, b)
Student Role:
Child on the Oregon Trail
Audience:
Self or friends and family
Format:
A journal or a letter
Topic:
Have you ever wondered what life on the Oregon Trail was like?
Directions:
1. Research the daily life on the Oregon Trail visit the resources available.
2. Use note taking technology to take notes and get ideas for journal entries or letters.
3. Document the life on the Oregon Trail using a journal or by writing letter home to friends
and family describing the day to day life from morning to night the daily events.

4. Once planned out accordingly post the final draft as blog posts in student blog form, you
need to have 5 different post from 5 different parts of the journey.
Resources:
A Day on the Trail
http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/ADayOnTheTrail.htm
The Oregon Trail
http://oregontrail101.com/
Westward Expansion
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/oregon_trail.php
Basic Facts About the Oregon Trail
http://www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail/history-basics.php
Assessment:
You will receive 25 points for accurate information, correct sentence structure and grammar, and
for each of the blog posts.

RAFT Row 2 Social Studies-Oregon Trail

Objective: You will work in pairs or group to describe foods available to pioneers, meals made
while on the Oregon Trail, and how meals were prepared.
Common Core Standards
Informational TextKey Ideas and Details 4.RI.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the
text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes 4.W.2. Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas and information clearly.
Production and Distribution of Writing 4.W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults,
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
Language
Conventions of Standard English 4.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 4.L2 Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
ISTE Student Standards 1. Creativity and innovation (b); 2. Communication and collaboration
(a, b, d); 3. Research and information fluency (a, c, d); 4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and
decision making (a, c); 5. Digital citizenship (a, b, d); 6. Technology operations and concepts (a,
b)
Student Role:
Cooks on the trail
Audience:
Classmates/Teacher
Format:
A recipe presented on story board
Topic:
What types of food where available while pioneers traveled West?

Directions:
1. Research in group or pairs, foods available along trail, what foods where packed with the
pioneers, and how the pioneers prepared the food.
2. Visit the resources provided.
3. Take notes using notetaking program available on the Ipad.

4. Find or create a recipe that the pioneers would have for dinner.
5. Prepare a group presentation to give to the class about the information you discovered;
what foods are available and how meals were prepared.
6. Present presentation to the class and teacher.
Resources:
Trail Basics Supplies
http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Supplies.htm
The Oregon Trail Fantastic Facts
http://oregontrail101.com/facts.html
Oregon Trail Education Resource Guide
http://personal.my180.net/thesmiths/oregontrailrecipes.html
Chronicle of the Old West
http://www.chronicleoftheoldwest.com/chuckwagon.shtml
Assessment:
Each member will receive 25 points for accurate information, 25 points for participation in the
presentation, and 50 points for the digital presentation.

RAFT Row 3 Social Studies Oregon Trail

Objective: You will be able to express and describe how American Indians were impacted by the
Western Expansion.
Common Core Standards
Literature Key Ideas and Details 4.RL.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 4.RL.7. Make connections between the text of a story or
drama and a visual or oral presentation of the txt, identifying where each version reflect specific
descriptions and directions in the text.
Information TextKey Ideas and Details 4.RI.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical,
scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why based on specific information in
the text.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes 4.W.2. Writing informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas and information clearly.
LanguageKnowledge of Language 4.L.3. Use knowledge and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
ISTE Student Standards 1. Creativity and innovation (b); 2. Communication and collaboration
(b, d); 3. Research and information fluency (a, b, c, d); 5. Digital citizenship (a, b); 6.
Technology operations and concepts (a, b)
Student Role:
American Indians
Audience:
Pioneers
Format:
Speech
Topic:
How were Native Americans impacted by the Western Expansion?

Directions:

1. Research using resources below to determine how American Indians were impacted by
the pioneers moving west.
2. Takes notes to organize information using IPad.
3. Organize information and prepare for presentation
4. Develop multimedia presentation using different forms of interactivity and photos.
5. Practice oral presentation along with multimedia presentation.
6. Give presentation to class and teacher.

Resources:
Trail Basics Indians
http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/HistoricalTrails/Indians.htm
Disrupting the Natives
http://www.octa-trails.org/articles/disrupting-the-natives
Native Americans on the Oregon Trail
http://oregontrail101.com/native.html
Assessment:
You will receive 150 points for an oral presentation and for a multimedia presentation.