Science: Biology, Agriculture and Weather

Health

Seasons

Agriculture

Wildlife Biology

HEALTH

Compare diseases of yesterday and today. Mini-reports on various diseases would be appropriate. Reports could include causes of different diseases, numbers of people afflicted by various diseases, whether or not a disease was/is contagious, various symptoms, and available treatments or cures.

Diseases of Yesterday (During 1800's to early 1900's)

• Dysentery
  
  
• Measles
  
  
• Influenza
  
  
• Cholera
  
  
• Scurvy
  
  
• High Infant Mortality
  
  
  

Diseases of Today

• Cancer
  
  
• Heart Disease
  
  
• Drug Abuse
  
  
• Alcoholism
  
  
• Obesity
  
  
• High Blood Pressure
  
  
• AIDS/Sexually Transmitted Diseases

SEASONS

The early pioneers left St. Louis and Independence in early to late spring. They traveled the Oregon Trail and would arrive in Oregon in late fall.

• Why did they leave St. Louis when they did?
  
  
• Why not later when the water runoff in the rivers was lower (as it would be later in the summer?)
  
  
• Have the students look into average rainfall and snowfall (precipitation) throughout a year in various locations in the United States.
  
  
• Which states receive more rainfall than other states?
  
  
• Which states receive less rainfall than others?
  
  
• What are some of the reasons different areas receive varying levels of rainfall (or precipitation?)
  
  
• Following the route of the Oregon Trail, determine and discuss various hazards or benefits of traveling during different times of the year.

Classroom Activities:

1. Talk about the relationship of the sun to the earth. Review the tilt of the earth and its axis. Why do we have four seasons?
   
   
2. The Indians had a yearly cycle where they would perform certain activities in particular months. Did the pioneers have a seasonal cycle? Do we have a similar cycle today? Why or why not?
   
   
3. The Indians had no written language. Instead, the Indians used songs as a form of expression. Nature was extremely important to the Indians and the weather/seasons cycle dictated when certain songs were sung or new songs were created. Have students listen to traditional native songs (not to understand the language, but to listen carefully for the way the songs were sung--paying attention to the beat, rhythm, instruments, voices, etc...) The students then could perform their own songs based on nature/seasons, or other areas of personal interest.
   
   
4. To use in conjunction with the above: Have students look for modern day songs that have a nature/season theme. Compare their creations with the ones they found and discuss the differences.
   
   
5. Have the students work in groups of 2-3. With butcher paper, create a mural depicting a particular activity or activities occurring during a selected season. Make sure that all the seasons are being represented and upon completion, all the murals could be combined and displayed for discussion.

AGRICULTURE

1. Set up a touch table that has grains, fruits, and vegetables (wheat, barley, peas, corn, beans, berries, and squash). Present the whole plant as well as its seeds. Using magnifying glasses, have students observe, touch, and record their individual observations.
   
   
2. As a class project, make whole wheat bread. Students can work in small groups of two or three, and then make their own loaves of bread.
   
   
3. Take a cup of oatmeal or corn meal. Slice a potato in half and place inside your cup of meal. Meal worms will eventually become evident. Have students observe and record their observations. They can also graph individual days and the results. (For example, the total numbers of meal worms they count each day.)
   
   
4. Have students grow wildflowers much like the pioneers did when they reached the Oregon country. Study different kinds of flowers and describe the growth of these flowers. How do they spread (or reproduce?) What type of seeds do they have? What do they look like?
   
   
5. Pioneers encountered many different types of trees along the trail. Trees were very important since the pioneers needed firewood and eventually, shelter. Logs were dragged behind wagons when travelers needed to slow down their speed when negotiating steep hills or grades. Logs were also attached to the wagons when floating across streams, because logs would float and provide buoyancy.
   
   On construction paper, trace the outline of leaves found in your area. Take your class for a nature walk and have students identify the trees by comparing the leaves. A field guide will help identify what is in your local area. Cottonwoods and willow trees are typically found along streams and rivers, so these types of trees were well known to the pioneers.
   
   
6. Explain why it was necessary for the pioneers to take along a supply of dried fruit (to prevent scurvy). As an activity, dry some fruits and vegetables and share these with the class. Can they determine what the different fruits are? Do they taste the same as fresh fruit? Relate the pioneers on the Oregon Trail to the pioneers of space (astronauts) and explain how dried fruit was and is important to both while on their long journeys.

WILDLIFE BIOLOGY (Tracking)

One important skill for the pioneer to possess along the Oregon Trail was the ability to trail or track animals. To become truly adept at this skill requires years of practice. Obviously, this skill was necessary because food supplies began to run low or become completely exhausted as the emigrants got closer to the Oregon country. Below are a few activities which highlight this skill.

1. How can you tell if an animal is running, trotting, or walking? The picture below shows an example of horse tracks. Run off copies of this page and have the students determine these differences between running, trotting, and walking. Note how the detail of the track becomes more obscure as the pace of the animal increases. Also, the length of stride increases as well. For an activity, have students go outside and make tracks of their own. Other students can then look at the tracks and guess who made them (possibly, by looking at tread) and the pace, (running, trotting, or walking).
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Match up the animal with the animal track. Copy, cut out, and laminate these onto colored construction paper and hand out to groups of students. Have them match the name of the animal to the corresponding track.
   
   
   

   Common Animal Tracks

   
   

   The numbers next to the animal's name correspond to the number next to the animal's track.

   1. Moose	2. Elk
   3. Mountain Goat	4. Bighorn Sheep
   5. Deer	6. Pronghorn Antelope
   7. Horse	8. Domestic Cat
   9. Large Dog or Wolf	10. Coyote
   11. Red Fox	12. Mountain Lion
   13. Badger	14. Striped Skunk
   15. Long Tail Weasel	16. Beaver
   17. Muskrat	18. Rock Chuck
   19. Pine Squirrel	20. Deer Mouse
   21. Meadow Vole	22. Shrew
   23. Black Tailed Jackrabbit	24. Cottontail Rabbit
   25. Raccoon

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Develop a touch center using different animal pelts or fur. Attach the sample animal pelts or fur to a piece of tagboard. Have students try to guess the animal from which it came from. They can keep a journal of this and record their observations. How do the pelts differ? In what ways are they alike?

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