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Objectives
- Students will conduct online research and answer questions describing
the type of housing pioneers built to match the natural environment.
- Students will locate log cabin and sod house frontiers on a map and
explain the relationship of the housing type to the natural environment.
- Students will complete a poster exhibit or Web page showing the importance
of corn production in everyone's lives.
Activity Summary
- Students will work with a partner to complete online research as part
of a scavenger hunt activity.
Ask students to think of at least two additional research questions.
Students can number notecards, a paper or word processing document and
record answers to the questions and citation sources.
Online resources are listed for student research:
Sod Homes
Log Homes
- Students will create a poster exhibit or Web page to showcase their
investigation. Students may illustrate their display with original drawings
using KidPix software. Using the theme, "Life Back Then",
students will explain life in a log cabin. Sketches may include drawings
of a log cabin, split rail fence, cabin interior with fireplace and
spinning wheel, a sketch of a pioneer family, and a sod house.
- Select a rubric
for evaluating students' Web page projects.
Questions
- What kinds of pioneer homes were built where trees were abundant?
- What types of pioneer homes were built where trees were scarce?
- How did pioneers build a sod home?
- How were log homes and sod homes similar? How were they different?
- What were the advantages of each?
- What sort of floor plan was typical of the sod or log house? Number
of rooms, windows, doors, fireplace, bedrooms?
- What animals sometimes joined the pioneer family as roommates?
- (Add your own question)
- (Add your own question)
Tips for Teachers
For some students, the number of research questions may be too challenging.
You might consider asking some students to answer the even numbered questions
and others the odd numbered ones.
Students should design a concept map or storyboard before developing
their poster or Web page.
Why Use Concept Mapping
Graphic Organizer Examples
Storyboard
Example
Create
a Storyboard
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Teacher's
Overview 