Secondary Lesson Plans

Secondary Lesson Plan 1: What do we know about the Oregon Trail?
In this lesson, students share their prior knowledge about the Oregon Trail.  Students explore what they know, the sources of their knowledge, and their questions. The purpose of the unit is established with the closing lesson activity.

Secondary Lesson Plan 2: What are the 6Ps and how do they help our understanding of the Oregon Trail?
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the Six Orientations for an Anticolonial Framework (Sabzalian, 2019; Sabzalian, Miyamoto-Sundahl, & Fong, 2019).  Students apply their developing understanding of the 6 Ps by analyzing two examples through the anticolonial framework.  Lastly, the purpose for using the framework to examine the Oregon Trail is established.

Secondary Lesson Plan 3: 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.

Secondary Lesson Plan 4:  What was life like prior to the settler invasion at Celilo Falls?
Textbook curriculum about the Oregon Trail presents the history and perspectives of settlers.  The purpose of this lesson is to provide a window into the lives of people in the Pacific Northwest prior to settlers by focusing on the history of Celilo Falls.  The lesson opens with activities from the 10th grade ELA Tribal History/Shared History lesson plan featuring Elizbeth Woody (Navajo, Wasco, and Yakama).  Then, students engage in a historical investigation examining sources to answer the essential question: What was life like prior to the settler invasion of Celilo Falls?

Secondary Lesson Plan 5: What do we learn from Oregon Trail historical markers?
Students examine the hidden curriculum of Oregon Trail historical markers. The lesson begins with students comparing/contrasting two different historical markers about Celilo Falls and discuss 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.

Secondary Lesson Plan 6: Busting The Oregon Trail Video Game
In this lesson students use the 6 Ps to investigate the underlying messages and values embedded within The Oregon Trail video game and its seemingly innocuous presentation. Then, students compare and contrast the game content with When Rivers Were Trails, a video game created by Indigenous game developers and writers.  Lastly, students reflect on the ways in which some of The Oregon Trail gamified concepts were experienced by Native Nations of Oregon. 

Secondary Lesson Plan 7: What is the role of education in the historical “memory” of the Oregon Trail?
This lesson puts students in the role of curriculum specialists. Students evaluate a series of elementary lesson plans about the Oregon Trail and/or the experiences and perspectives of Native peoples.  Students use the lens of the 6 Ps and their roles as curriculum specialists to make decisions about whether the lessons should or could be taught to elementary students. 

Secondary Lesson Plan 8: Native Survivance Project
In this end of the unit project, students engage with the contemporary stories, struggles, and joys of Native peoples and communities.  Students will research and share with their peers stories of Native survivance.  Students create a school display of Native survivance stories for their school community.