Artistic Expansion

We have been taking what we are learning in social studies and transforming it during our art classes. Students are illustrating pictures that go along with their social studies journal entries. Pioneers traveled westward leaving their homes in Independence, Missouri, and traveling to Oregon City on the west coast of the United States with the dream of becoming landowners in a new place they hadn’t seen before.

In drama, we have been taking our knowledge of the Oregon Trail, building scenes, and acting out the things we are learning in our social studies classes, further solidifying the history of the pioneers in our minds. We build scenes like Chimney Rock and other important landmarks on the Oregon Trail.

We have had fun acting out some death-defying moments like crossing dangerous rivers in covered wagons, crossing deep, thick mud with family and animals like horses and oxen, and dealing with sickness and disease all while simultaneously creating a great sense of community, joy, and imagination in the classroom!