• Describe pioneer life.
• Interpret a primary source document.
• Plan for a trip to the West by creating a detailed manifest.

Chalkboard, white board, interactive white board, or overhead projector

Copy of book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Index cards

Internet access

• Varying academic levels: uses heterogeneous grouping to allow students of differing abilities to support learning, uses small- and whole-group discussions to ensure all students participate
• Auditory learners: allows students to listen to a passage and draw conclusions about pioneer life and the West; encourages small group discussion
• Technology integration: enhances capabilities through online research

• Begin your class discussion by reading the excerpt from Little House on the Prairie. Ask students “Why did Pa want to leave the Big Woods?” Write their responses on the white board.
• Next, ask students “What had Pa heard about the West? For example, what were the land and the animals that lived there like?” Write their responses on the white board.
• Explain that early pioneers faced many potential hardships on their trips, including blizzards, Indian encounters, prairie fires, rain storms, and broken wagons.
• Ask students “What did the Ingalls family pack for the long trip?” Next, ask students “What would you pack if you were leaving your home for a new one?” Remind them that Laura only had one day’s notice. Write their responses on the white board.
• Review the vocabulary words pioneer and manifest, explaining to students that they will be working in groups. They will imagine that they are pioneers heading west. They will be creating their own manifests for their wagons.

• Divide the class into groups of four, pairing stronger students with more challenged students.
• Pass out index cards to each group.

• Instruct students to visit http://library.thinkquest.org/6400/who.htm.
  They should take notes about pioneer life and the Wagon Train. Instruct students to visit http://library.thinkquest.org/6400/supply%20list.htm. They should print out this page, listing the supplies (and their weights).
• Provide each group of students with approximately 20 minutes of Internet time to research the pioneer life and the Wagon Train.
• Groups should create a manifest. They can record their manifest on the index cards provided. Their manifest must include a list of all the supplies they will be packing along with each item’s weight. Each group’s wagon (and supplies) may not exceed 2,000 pounds.

• Ask each group to share its manifest with the class. Assign one student to record the manifests on the white board. As each group finishes its presentation, allow for a question and answer session between the group and the class.

• Once all manifests have been presented, ask students “Which supplies seem to be mandatory?” Why?

Ask students to compare and contrast the manifests. Discuss: How could the pioneers best prepare for emergencies? What are the benefits of creating a manifest?