Oregon Trail Week-Long Adventure!

This is a fun way to learn about what life was like on the Oregon Trail in th emid-1800s.  In this class, learners will participate in a simulation (that I created) and pretend as though we are in a wagon train heading west.  We will "begin" in Independence, Missouri, and along the way they will see pictures of the natural geography that they would have seen (if actually traveling on the trail).  Students will be asked to "roll the dice" to determine results- such as a broken wheel, loss of family member (due to common causes during that time), or possibly have a fortunate event.  By the time we "arrive" in Willamette Valley, students will have an understanding of the experiences real settlers endured to reach their westward dreamland.  

This is a highly interactive and fun simulation that is taught in a game-like way.  Learners do not need to have any prior knowledge.  A positive class culture is a must, so I prefer learners to take turns when participating and to treat each other with respect.  All are welcome!  

This is the weekly schedule:
Day 1- Historic background, creating a fake family, preparing for the journey, and reflecting on motivations for making the journey.
Day 2- We begin the journey, endure struggles, and learn that people who made the journey faced many difficulties.
Day 3- We continue towards our destination and experience more hurdles and also seeing beautiful parts of the west.  
Day 4- More experiences as we travel further... 
Day 5- We'll make it to Oregon territory, although many of us will have experienced major challenges along the way- which we'll discuss and reflect on.  We'll play a fun Kahoot to end our week-long adventure!

*This is a week-long version of my one-time class, with more detail (although many of the locations are the same) and different outcomes. In short, any learner who took the one-time class would still enjoy this experience!