Divide children into groups of four or five. Assign each group an area of pioneer life to research on the computer. Ask students to make a poster about what they learned so they can present it to the class. Popular topics can include trail dangers, pioneer food, pioneer recreation, and first-aid on the trail. If there are insufficient computers available, let children do their research in the library.
Introduce students to the way pioneers traveled. Tell them that pioneers carried most of their belongings in covered wagons and usually walked behind the wagons on the trail, Discuss what the conditions on the trail were like and the types of items that pioneers would bring in their wagons. Let children make their own covered wagons with a shoebox and construction paper. Children can paint the shoebox brown. When it is dry they can glue construction paper wheels to the box. show students how to bend a piece of construction paper so it forms a tunnel-shaped arch, and attach it to the longer sides of the shoebox with tape.
Read children an article or letter about pioneer schools. Then brainstorm differences between schools in the pioneer days and schools today. Ask students to create a Venn diagram of the differences and similarities. As a follow-up activity, ask students to compose letters describing schools today so that children living 100 years from now will get a sense of what school was like in the year 2010. Students can discuss their school curriculum, their favorite subjects, their school's appearance, and any other information they think a students in the future might want know.
Tell students that pioneers had minimal space and had to limit what they brought on the trail. Ask students to pretend they are traveling westward. Break them into groups and ask them to identify a list of items they want to bring on their travels. Have students write down their selections. Use masking tape to indicate the size of a standard wagon on the floor. Ask students to share their lists and categorize what is a necessity. Based on the space, students must decide whether they can bring everything and what they should omit. At the end of the lesson, explain that families had to make important decisions about what to pack and that many items were left behind.