Elementary Lesson Plans

Elementary Lesson Plan 1: Why do people move?
This lesson opens with the question, “Why do people move?,” as an invitation for students to consider the many reasons people are pulled and/or pushed from a place. Students share their own stories.  Then, students begin examining 1800s migration on the Oregon Trail, settler invasion, forced removal, and the experiences of Native peoples living in the region since time immemorial.

Elementary Lesson Plan 2: Design or Destiny?
This lesson, featuring the mystery activity, engages students with the critical work of analyzing how and where the past is remembered. Going beyond textbooks, students will confront official representations of Oregon history, namely as shown on the Oregon flag, by collaboratively examining a set of clues gathered from settler journals, Native peoples, and other sources.

Elementary Lesson Plan 3: What stories do historical markers tell?
Students examine the hidden curriculum of Oregon Trail historical markers. The lesson begins with students comparing different historical markers presenting information about the Sandy River and discussing what is being remembered and what perspective is forwarded. Then, students analyze the text of Oregon Trail historical markers using a database from the “Oregon’s Historical Markers and Cultural Memory” project.  The lesson concludes with an activity for students to “talk back” to  historical marker authors.

Elementary Lesson Plan 4: Resources for Teaching About Language Revitalization
Language loss is a direct consequence of colonization, and addressing this issue within the context of the Oregon Trail helps students understand the broader impact of these historical events. Teaching about the resilience and successes of Native nations working to revitalize Native languages helps students learn about the ongoing importance of language in maintaining cultural identity, sovereignty, and the successes of Native peoples’ efforts to reclaim and revitalize their languages.  We believe the best resources to do this come from the Native nations themselves.  In recognition of the incredible existing resources and lesson plans offered by Oregon’s Tribal History/Shared History (TH/SH) curriculum, we highlight some lessons that we think fit particularly well within the scope of the Oregon Trail Curriculum Project.

Elementary Lesson Plan 5: Resources for Teaching About Termination and Restoration
Capturing a teacher’s thought process behind a lesson can be difficult to express in a lesson plan template with procedures listed in chronological order. In this entry, we share Oregon Trail Curriculum Project author Rina Miyamoto-Sundahl’s teaching story to convey the thinking behind her decisions when teaching about termination and restoration.  In addition, we provide links to lesson plans about restoration from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. Rina is a Dual Language teacher at Barnes Elementary in Beaverton, Oregon. She is the co-author of “The Time is Now: Taking Initiative for Indigenous Studies in Elementary Curriculum” with Leilani Sabzalian and Robin Fong (2019). 

Elementary Lesson Plan 6: Reading Guide for My Name is LaMoosh (Meanus, 2023)
My Name is LaMoosh is a children’s book by Linda Meanus (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, 2023). Linda shares her story of growing up near Celilo Falls with her grandparents, Flora Cushinway Thompson and Chief Tommy Thompson. The book helps readers understand how Indigenous people maintain their connection to the land and river despite the disruptive forces of settler colonialism, like the Oregon Trail.  Through Meanus’ vivid storytelling, readers will understand the impact of these historical events on Native communities and the geographical landscape of Oregon. We encourage teachers to consider using My Name is LaMoosh (Meanus, 2023) for reading-aloud or silent reading as a companion to the Oregon Trail Curriculum Project lesson plans. By reading about Linda Meanus’ experiences and her community’s survivance, students can better grasp the historical and ongoing consequences of colonial expansion. This context enriches their understanding of the Oregon Trail beyond the typical pioneer perspective.  This reading guide offers questions for each chapter, a list of vocabulary terms, and notes for the teacher.  In addition, refer to My Name is Lamoosh (Meanus, 2023) for discussion questions (p. 87), timeline (p. 89), and glossary (p. 92). 

Elementary Lesson Plan 7: Busting Oregon Trail Imagery
This lesson plan will be posted by December 2024.