We started a trip westward...in the year 1853. With the
wonderful help of my family, we changed the room into a
wagon train. For the next two weeks, the students were immersed in a
pioneer simulation. Think the Oregon Trail computer game crossed with
Survivor.....except no one will die of dysentery or be voted off the
island! Students are given a character role and family name as they
travel in their wagon groups. Along the "trail" they are earning points
through their research, reading, academic responsibilities, and group
challenges.
In addition to academic tasks, students can earn extra points by
dressing their part, packing a pioneer lunch, completing quality in class assignments, doing extra pioneer research at home, and presenting
research/artifacts to the class. I'm loving all the students that are
going the extra mile and really getting into the subject. Students want
all the points they can muster because life on the trail is very
unpredictable. Each morning students have to pick a fate card. Fate
cards can help or harm their point totals. For instance, you broke your
arm, you lose 5 points. Or, you found a patch of delicious berries
for your family, gain 5 points.
Additionally, we've sampled Johnny Cakes, learned to play marbles, made
string dolls, played Button-Button, and played the classic computer game Oregon Trail.
One of the best parts has been the group challenges. In the group
challenges, students have to show knowledge of academic content,
teamwork, and have a little bit of luck. The challenges can both win
and lose points for the family groups. Our first challenge had the
students packing their wagons. Each group was only allowed 2000 pounds
and had to really think about what they needed most. Then, students had
to participate in the multi-use challenge. The groups were given 4
items: rope, a pan, berries, and a blanket. Groups received points for
every use they could think of for each item. They earned an additional
five points for every use they thought of that no one else thought
of...creativity points. The Allen/Smith wagon was the winner of the multi-use
wagon packing challenge.
Next, was the fragile items egg drop challenge. It's a very bumpy ride
in the wagon. Ma could not part with her dishes. The pioneers had to
think of ways to pack fragile items with limited resources. Each family
was given 2 paper towels, 2 pieces of copy paper, masking tape, a
baggie, and a raw egg. The students had to design a way for the egg to
withstand a six foot drop. They had 7 minutes to make their design and
then we went outside to test. If the family's egg made the drop with
out a crack the whole family got 10 points. If there were a few cracks
in the egg, 8 points. Cracks with minor seepage got 5 points. A
complete break was zero.
Thursday, we ran into some trouble on the trail. We came to a
contaminated well. We had to conserve our water until we could travel
to the next freshwater sources. For the water conservation challenge,
we had a water ballon throwing contest. Students paired up and started
standing three feet from each other. The partners had to throw and
catch a water balloon. If they made the toss, then each student took a
step back. The team successfully conserving their water for the
greatest distance won the challenge and the extra points. This
challenge was won by the Vallejo family.