Lesson Plan
Traveling the National Road - Unit 3: Travelers and Transportation on the National Road
- Grade Level:
- Second Grade-Fourth Grade
- Subject:
- Commerce and Industry, Economics, Geography, Immigration, Transportation, Westward Expansion
- Duration:
- 45 – 90 minutes
- Group Size:
- Up to 36
- Setting:
- classroom
- National/State Standards:
- National Standards for History: K-4 Standard 1, 2, 3, 5, 8. Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: II, VII, VIII. Common Core: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3, 3.2, 3.7, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.4, 3.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1.
Vocabulary
National Road, Conestoga wagon, stagecoach, emigrant
Overview
In “Traveling the National Road (Travelers and Transportation on the National Road)” students will learn about Conestoga wagons, stagecoaches, drovers and emigrants.The “Traveling the National Road” teacher’s guide is broken into ten units and is targeted for 3rd grade students. This is unit 3 and contains teacher background, two student readings and three activities.
Objective(s)
Guiding Question: What kinds of vehicles were used on the National Road? What did Conestoga wagons and stagecoaches look like? What was it like to travel the National Road as you moved to a new home?
Critical Content: Stagecoaches and Conestoga wagons were the main vehicles on the National Road and both were brightly colored. People also walked along the road. Many emigrants used the National Road to move to new homes in Ohio and further west.
Student objectives: Students will…
· List three means of transportation used on the road
· Describe how the Conestoga wagon and the stagecoach operated
· Color a stagecoach or a Conestoga wagon so they look like they would have when they traveled the National Road
· Describe three travelers tools
· Describe a typical day for an emigrant
· List two hardships the emigrants encountered
Background
The "Traveling the National Road" teacher's guide is broken into ten units and is targeted for 3rd grade students. Each unit can be completed independently. Units 1 - 6 each have teacher background, a student reading and two student activities. Unit 7 has fourteen biography cards of people associated with the National Road along with two student activities. Unit 8 has fourteen occupation cards of jobs that were associated with the National Road along with three student activities. Unit 9 discusses seven historic sites in Pennsylvania associated with the National Road. Unit 10 has other activities and an appendix. Additionally there are two posters: one is a map of the National Road and the other is a list of the historic tolls.
Check out the other units:
Unit 1: Overview of the National Road
Unit 2: Construction of the National Road
Unit 3: Travelers and Transportation on the National Road
Unit 4: Accommodation on the National Road
Unit 5: Workers Along the National Road
Unit 6: Decline and Rebirth of the National Road
Unit 10: Other Activities and Appendix
Materials
Unit 3: Travelers and Transportation on the National Road. This unit is a 20 page long pdf covering the types of transportation (stagecoach, Conestoga wagon, on foot), what the vehicles looked like, and what it was like to be an emigrant moving to Ohio.
Procedure
1. Download the pdf
2. Read the teacher background
3. Make copies of the student readings for each student
4. Make copies of the activities for each students
5. Teach and discuss with the students
Park Connections
This lesson relates to the Mount Washington Tavern located in the main unit of Fort Necessity National Battlefield. The tavern was a 1830s stagecoach stop along the National Road and is now a furnished museum. It tells the story of travelers, transportation and accommodations along the road. This lesson will help students prepare for the "Travelers and Workers Along the National Road" field trip.
Additional Resources
Experience More
Parks
Lesson Plans
- Traveling the National Road - Unit 7: Biography Cards
- Traveling the National Road - Unit 1: Overview of the National Road
- Traveling the National Road - Unit 8: Occupation Cards