Teacher Support

What was the Oregon Trail?

Learn about the Oregon Trail and all the other people, places, and events in Scott Foresman ESL 4. These links bring you to sites with more detailed information on the history and culture covered in the text. You can use these extra facts and stories to give your students a better understanding about the context of each chapter.

page 2: cowboy
Learn about the history of the cowboy, and the cowboy's daily routines:

• The International Museum of the Horse
  
• Buckaroos in Paradise (Library of Congress site)
  

page 14: roundup
This site explains how the roundup eventually turned into the rodeo.

page 18: gold rush, silver rush
Get a teacher's guide to the gold rush.

pages 20-21: covered wagons
This site gives a detailed diagram and description of the Prairie Schooner, the type of covered wagon used on the Oregon Trail.

pages 22-23: Oregon Trail
Read about the journey west along the Oregon Trail and listen to experts talk about the importance of this time period:

• From The Oregon Trail History Library
  
• From Idaho State University
  

pages 26-37: Nicodemus, Kansas, African American settlement

• Read about the first African American settlement in the United States.
  
• Scan a timeline to learn more about how Nicodemus developed.
  

page 31: dugout
Learn more about dugout shelters:

• Handbook of Texas Online
  
• Pioneer Dugouts
  

page 78-101: The First Americans

• Read a short encylopedia article about the term Native American.
  
• Click on the name of a Native American culture to learn the history, language, location, and more.
  

pages 78, 81 : Native American shelters (wigwams, tepees, pueblos, snowhouses)
Click on the images or map to learn more about tepees, pueblos, snowhouses, and other Native American homes:

• Native American Shelters
  
• Pre-Contact Housing Types
  

pages 88-98: Muskogee
These sites offer brief histories of the Muskogee Creek Indians:

• Creek Indians
  
• Saga of the Creek Nation
  

page 100 : Sioux

• Click on a topic to read Sioux legends.
  
• Check out "The Great Sioux Nation," an online exhibit from HistoryChannel.com.
  

pages 108-109: Aztec food
Learn more about what the Aztecs ate and drank:

• Ancient Aztecs (ThinkQuest)
  
• Food Reference website: Aztec Food
  

page 110: Aztec calendar

• This site translates the current day, month, and year into the Aztec calendar. Click on the symbols to discover their meaning.
  
• Go to an detailed description of the Aztec calendar, including an explanation of the symbols and their meanings.
  

pages 138-139: James Lind, Kanehiro Takaki, Casimir Funk

• Learn more about how Lind, Takaki, and Funk contributed to the study of nutrition.
  
• Read more about James Lind.
  
• Read more about Casimir Funk.
  

pages 164-175: Amazon Rain Forest
These extensive sites describe the history, flora, and fauna of the region named Amazonia:

• Journey into Amazonia (PBS site)
  
• Amazon Life
  

page 197: Florida marine parks
Get more information on Marineland (St. Augustine) and Sea World (Orlando).

page 197: The Everglades

• Go to the National Park Service site for The Everglades.
  
• Learn about the birds and other wildlife in The Everglades.
  

page 200-201: states: symbol, bird, color, flower

• Click on the name of a state to learn facts and symbols.
  
• This site features an interactive map of the United States. Click on the state code to learn the bird, flower, song and more, for every state in the country.
  

page 206: Williamsburg, Virginia

• Learn more about colonial Williamsburg.
  
• Get teaching resources about Williamsburg and colonial times in Virginia.
  

page 207: George Washington
These sites offer concise biographies of the first president of the United States:

• The official White House site
  
• America's Library
  

page 207: flags of the United States

• See how the U.S. flag has changed since the American Revolution (click on "By Year" under Flag Gallery).
  
• This site provides a guide to historical U.S. flags and current state flags.
  

page 212: Chinese immigrants/railroad
Learn more about how Chinese-Americans contributed to building the Transcontinental Railroad:

• Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
  
• Chinese Laborers in the West
  

page 212: San Francisco earthquake
View images of and read about the San Francisco earthquake.

page 213: Disneyland
Each of these sites features an interactive map of Disneyland. Click on the map to explore locations in the park:

• Disney Online
  
• I Need a Vacation
  

page 226: California scenic locations
Learn more about California's scenic areas:

• Big Sur
  
• Sequoia National Park
  
• Golden Gate Bridge
  

page 228: when states joined the Union
Find out when each state joined the United States:

• Explore the States (from the Library of Congress)
  
• The Internet Public Library