Lesson Plan

The Oregon Trail Lesson Plan: Middles Edition

Keep a trail journal, map real landmarks, and see the trail from both sides.

This is the Middles Edition of The Oregon Trail: one ready-to-teach week written just for grades 4-6. Every day follows the same rhythm: Reading on Monday, Writing and Words on Tuesday, Science and Math on Wednesday, a Hands-on Project on Thursday, and Show and Tell on Friday.

The big question: What did it really take to cross 2,000 miles by wagon, and who was already there?

The Week

• Mon: Life in a Covered Wagon (Reading) • Tue: Start a Trail Journal (Writing & Words) • Wed: Mapping the Trail (Science & Math) • Thu: A Map You Can Touch (Hands-on Project) • Fri: Trail Guide Talk (Show & Tell)

Teaching more than one level? The all-levels edition of The Oregon Trail has Littles (K-3), Middles (4-6) and Bigs (7-8) in one file, so siblings or a mixed classroom can study the same topic together.

Perfect for homeschool families, grade 4-6 classrooms, co-ops and substitute plans.

What's inside

• 5 ready-to-teach days for Middles (grades 4-6), about 60 to 90 minutes a day
• Lab sheet: Mapping the Trail
• Sequence cards (Landmarks in Order) and a cut-and-sort page (Trail Myth or Trail Fact?)
• Writing page: My Trail Journal
• Hands-on project: Salt Dough Relief Map
• Word search, crossword, scramble and secret code puzzles
• 8 fact cards, 9 vocabulary cards and a book list of 4 titles
• A certificate and an answer key for the grown-up

Instant PDF download after checkout. Print at home.