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Classroom Activities
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You may also want to view the recommended
reading list from the Sesquicentennial Committee.
Utah: Then and Now
"The Mormons were one of the principal forces in the settlement
of the West." One hundred and fifty years ago on July 24, 1847,
the Mormon pioneers declared the valley of the Great Salt Lake to
be their new home.Wallace Stegner says, "There are more than theological
reasons for remembering the Mormon pioneers. They were the most
systematic, organized, disciplined and successful pioneers in our
history; and their advantage over the random individualists who
preceded them and paralleled them and followed them up the valley
of the Platte came directly from their "un-American" social and
religious organization. Where Oregon emigrants and argonauts bound
for the gold fields lost practically all their social cohesion en
route, the Mormons moved like the Host of Israel they thought themselves.
Far from loosening their social organization, the trail perfected
it. As communities on the march they proved extraordinarily adaptable.
When driven out of Nauvoo, they converted their fixed property,
insofar as they could, into instruments of mobility, especially
livestock, and became for the time herders and shepherds, teamsters
and frontiersmen, instead of artisans and townsmen and farmers.
When their villages on wheels reached the valley of their destination,
the Saints were able to revert at once, because they were town-and-temple
builders and because they had their families with them, to the stable
agrarian life in which most of them had grown up. "The
Gathering of Zion, 1964, McGraw-Hill Book Company p.6"
Utah has had many different peoples who have called it home. This
unit of study covers Utah's peoples up to the time that the transcontinental
railroad connected the 2 coasts of the United States in 1869.
Elementary Grades
These lessons fall into 3 different age categories. The K-6 lessons
are focused around the following essential questions. Pat Horyna
helped several master teachers develop the focus for these lessons.
Contributors of the K-6 lessons are Linda Crowther, Barbara Rindflesh,
and Gaylene Seaman.The rest of team of K-6 teachers comes from the BYU/Public
School Partnership including Rob Keddington, Lauren Tanner,
Marilynn Nielson, Sharon Jensen, Debra May, Phyllis Embley, Mike
Embley, Barry Graff, Ann Searle, Julie Warren, Jan Burger, Judy
Catlett, and Christine Wilkinson.
Essential Questions About the Settling of
Utah
Who settled Utah and why did they settle?
- Native Americans
- Spanish Explorers
- Mountain Men
- Pioneers/Settlers/Immigrants
- How did people's background impact their settlement?
- What is the heritage of Utah's settlers?
How did people get to Utah?
- Walking
- Horseback
- Wagon
- Handcart
- What was the impact of the trail on the pioneers?
- What role did geographic features play along the trail?
What did people do when they got to "Utah"?
- What was daily life like for the pioneers?
- What lifestyles/traditions did the settlers bring?
- What impact did the pioneers have on the environment?
- What impact did the environment have on the pioneers?
How does Utah history uniquely affect you?
- What role does heritage play in the lives of Utah's people?
What influence did the trek have on the United States
and on the world?
Does the settling of Utah affect the environment?
- Heritage:
'For Some Must Push and Some Must Pull'
- The handcart was one of many modes of transportation used by
the pioneers when traveling to the Great Salt Lake Valley. The
students will listen to handcart stories, construct a paper model
of a handcart and learn a handcart song.
- Heritage:
A Billboard for Utah
- Students will design a billboard for Utah.
- Heritage:
An Orderly Wagon Train Migration
- Students work in small groups to organize a wagon train for
a trek westward. They determine leadership responsibilities and
rules needed to make a successful trek.
-
- Heritage:
Dwellings of the 5 Major Native American Indian Tribes of Utah
- Students will create a diorama showing at least one type of
dwelling used by the 5 Native American Tribes of Utah.
- Heritage:
Famous People of the West
- Students will learn about two famous people who made an impact
on the westward expansion and create a cartoon strip using the
information.
- Heritage:
Going Into Business
- Groups of students plan a transport business to run between
Independence, Missouri and Salt Lake City, Utah between 1850-1860.
- Heritage:
How did the pioneers impact Utah's environment?
- How did the face of Utah change with the coming of the pioneers?
Farming, mining, roads, rails, and cities all changed the landscape
of Utah in many ways.
- Heritage:
Legends, Fairy Tales and the Native Americans of Utah
- In their study of the Native Americans of Utah, students will
compare and contrast a legend with a fairy tale and share their
ideas by creating a venn diagram.
- Heritage:
Line Dance is a Pattern!
- Students will apply the pattern of a line dance to different
music tempos. The lesson will integrate well when the student
is studying 'patterns' in math and science.
- Heritage:
Make a model of a typical Utah Settlement.
- Using a variety of materials, make a model of a typical Utah
settlement, including street and block layouts, houses, businesses,
farms, churches, etc.
- Heritage:
Packing Your Handcart
- Charting and making categories for items needed to take in a
handcart 1200 miles.
- Heritage:
Patchwork Quilting
- In this activity centered lesson, the class will make a quilt
commemorating the pioneer trek of 1847.
- Heritage:
Petroglyphs and the Stories They Tell
- In their study of the Native Americans of Utah, students will
create a story using petroglyphs and share their ideas through
a picture story.
-
- Heritage:
Seeking Land or Gold
- Students write a persuasive letter home defending their decision
either to settle in Utah and farm the land, or to go on to California
to seek gold.
- Heritage:
Survival and the Geography of Utah
- In their study of the hunting and gathering techniques of the
Native American Tribes of Utah, students will predict how a fictional
tribe would hunt/gather food based on the geography of a specific
location and share their ideas through role play.
- Heritage:
What a Sight!
- The students will learn the physical features and location
of major landmarks along the pioneer trail. These landmarks will
be placed on individual and a large class map of the trail.
- Heritage:
What if the Mormons had not come to Utah?
- If the Mormons had not come to the valley of the Great Salt
Lake, what other place(s) might they have settled that would have
met their criteria, including that of being isolated from other
non-Mormon settlements?
- Heritage:
What would YOU take?
- Could YOU leave your home and your beloved posessions to settle
an unknown land? What would you choose to take with you?
- Roads of the Past and Present
- This unit focuses on the effects the pioneer trails had on the paths of today's freeways. The students will have the opportunity to compare the paths taken by the pioneers with those taken today.
-
Junior High/Middle
School Grades The 7-9 lesson plans were gathered under the direction of Dr. Jess
Walker, Pat Horyna, and Lauren Tanner. Main contributors of the
7-9 lessons are Jean McPherron, Kimberly Nielsen, Cory Little, Natalie
Anderson, Mindy Husk, and Sara Bird-Matis.
- Handcarts of Knowledge
- The lesson covers the handcart companies that travelled to Salt Lake between 1856 and 1860. Students will come to understand who these individuals were and what it was like for them to travel to Utah.
- Heritage: 'And Should We Die...' Attributes of the Pioneers in Character Sketches
- Showing various attributes of the pioneers through character sketches allows students greater understanding and empathy with their cultural heritage.
- Heritage: Choices - Making the Journey
- Students will select and defend selected items that they propose to take on their pioneer journey.
- Heritage: Health Education - What does a Mormon Pioneer Need to Know to Survive the Trek?
- Cholera, dysentary, hypothermia, Rocky Mountain Fever, malnutrition, and even fatigue were health dangers along the trek. The odds of survival along the Mormon Trail would be greater if pioneers followed certain health precautions.
- Mapping the 'Utah War'
- Student-generated maps help students understand geographical and spacial relationships when discussing important events such as the Utah War.
- Mountain Man Rendezvous
- The mountain man rendezvous were unique occurances, associated with fur trappers, where many cultures joined in the intermountain west from 1825 to 1840 and made exchanges of goods, services and skills that influenced all who participated. These events also had great impact on westward expansion of the United States.
- Out in the Middle of Nowhere: Inevitable Lifestyle Changes from the Mormon Migration
- Mormons sought isolation from the U.S. by settling in an unwanted remote region of the west. Mormon leaders' decisions of place and purpose created misunderstandings that resulted in U.S. government action against the Mormons. Examining cause and effect helps to interpret what happened in the 'Utah War.'
- Pioneer Currency in Utah: Have you got change for $5?
- Pioneer society needed a uniform medium of exchange -- not so much among themselves, but for use with non-Mormon suppliers and California immigrants. This lesson explores the efforts to create this medium in the Utah Territory before the spread of 'greenbacks'.
- Raising the Mormon Battalion
- The decision to send 500 Mormon soldiers to fight in the War with Mexico was a very difficult one for Brigham Young, and for his followers.
-
- SLC ordinances from the 1860's get students involved in local government!
- A discussion of Salt Lake City ordinances from the early 1860's leads to drafting ordinances to present to local government.
Senior High Grades
The 7-9 lesson plans were gathered under the direction of Dr. Jess
Walker, Pat Horyna, and David Squires. Main contributors of the
9-12 lessons are Mark Bake, Sally Todd, Janet Bledsoe, Judy Rice
and Steve Haderlie. These teachers are part of the BYU/Public
School Partnership.
Common Themes About the Settling of Utah
Human Environment
- Family Dynamics
- Communication in the Frontier
Physical Environment
- Landforms and Map-making
- Land Distribution and Water Rights
Imposed Environment
- Education - What Does a Pioneer Need to Know?
Pioneering
- Tenacity, Courage, and Self-Reliance
- Pushing Boundaries - The Pioneer Spirit
Change
- Curiosity Drives Change: Risk-takers in the Mormon Migration
- Family Roles and Lifestyle Changes Become Inevitable in the
Westward Movement
- Cycles of Change and Growth in the Mormon Trek
Common Themes About the Settling of Utah
Health and Well Being
- Why did pioneers wear what they did? Why do we wear what we
do? Fashions, freedom of choice.
- Compare pioneer activities/risk today with those of that time.
- Special populations - what did they do with those who were badly
injured or handicapped? How is it similar/different than how we
deal with exceptionalities today?
- How did the pioneers utilize herbs and homeopathic medicines
and did they learn from the native population to use indigenous
plants?
Leisure Time and Recreation
- How did the pioneers beautify their surroundings?
- What games, recreational activities, entertainment, athletics,
avocations, etc. were they involved with?
Justice and the Law
- How did the pioneers deal with issues of law and order? What
penalties were imposed? When and how did they establish jails
and prisons?
Environment and Conditions
- What impact does a wagon train have on the environment (insect
populations, flora, fauna, water quality, air quality)?
- What traces did the pioneers leave as they traveled and why
(discarded baggage, graves, writings, etc.)?
- How did the pioneers deal with water treatment and quality issues?
- How were the pioneers changed by the experience and how did
they change their environment?
- What wild life controls evolved (laws, regulations, endangerment
of species)? What about land use controls (irrigation, farm use,
farming techniques)?
- In what ways were agriculture different?
- How was city planning handled? How did they choose to layout
their cities? How does it compare with today?
- What were the conditions under which the pioneers were living
along the trek (crops, potable water, food)?
- What was the weather, environment, geography, terrain?
Family Structure
- What was the role of women and their place in society? How is
it different from today? How were the roles of children, married
people, single men/women, widows/widowers different?
- What differences were there in how families were defined? Were
there differences in the types of pressures families experienced?
- How was leadership established?
- Create your own settlement.
- What social problems did they encounter (alcohol use, immorality,
etc.)?
- How did they deal with death, grieving, hardships, illness,
depression, medications? What differences were there in mortality
rates, life expectancies, aging?
Diversity
- In what constructive ways did people of other religious and
ethnic groups respond in their interactions with the pioneers
both during the trek and during the settlement of Utah?
- How did the pioneers interactive with Native Americans? How
did the native culture affect the pioneers?
Learning and Communication
- Create your own journal. Compare it with those of the pioneers.
- How was education handled during the trek and after they arrived
in the valley?
- How did the experience affect the pioneers' poetry, music, literature,
art?
- What was the impact of their experience on their language -
what new words evolved? What effect did contact with peoples of
different backgrounds have on their language?
- How did libraries, universities, newspapers and print industries
evolve?
- How did contact with native and other cultures impact pioneer
arts, crafts, and expression?
Technology and Invention
- How were weapons made?
- How did farming and agriculture change as the pioneers adapted
to their environment (food storage, food preparation)?
- How did manufacturing and industry develop? Who created them?
What new industry evolved?
- How were events recorded (photography, historical documentation)?
- How did the pioneers know what materials to utilize (clays,
woods, etc.)? How did they change with their new environment?
- What kinds of things did people use/create to make their lives
easier technologically/ Compare then and now.
- Cycles
of Change and Growth in the Mormon Trek: Comparing the 1847 Trek
to the 1997 Reenactment Trek
- Does the Reenactment Trek of 1997 parallel the attitudes and
challenges of the 1847 Trek? Comparing journals shows similar
cycles of experiences.
- Handcarts
of Knowledge
- The lesson covers the handcart companies that travelled to Salt
Lake between 1856 and 1860. Students will come to understand who
these individuals were and what it was like for them to travel
to Utah.
- Heritage:
'And Should We Die...' Attributes of the Pioneers in Character
Sketches
- Showing various attributes of the pioneers through character
sketches allows students greater understanding and empathy with
their cultural heritage.
-
- Heritage:
Choices - Making the Journey
- Students will select and defend selected items that they propose
to take on their pioneer journey.
-
- Heritage:
Pioneer Job Application
- The students will write a job application letter for a job of
the pioneer era, either specifically for Utah and the West or
for any job current in America at that time.
- Mapping
the 'Utah War'
- Student-generated maps help students understand geographical
and spacial relationships when discussing important events such
as the Utah War.
- Mountain Man Rendezvous
- The mountain man rendezvous were unique occurances, associated with fur trappers, where many cultures joined in the intermountain west from 1825 to 1840 and made exchanges of goods, services and skills that influenced all who participated. These events also had great impact on westward expansion of the United States.
- Out
in the Middle of Nowhere: Inevitable Lifestyle Changes from the
Mormon Migration
- Mormons sought isolation from the U.S. by settling in an unwanted
remote region of the west. Mormon leaders' decisions of place
and purpose created misunderstandings that resulted in U.S. government
action against the Mormons. Examining cause and effect helps to
interpret what happened in the 'Utah War.'
- Pioneer
Currency in Utah: Have you got change for $5?
- Pioneer society needed a uniform medium of exchange -- not so
much among themselves, but for use with non-Mormon suppliers and
California immigrants. This lesson explores the efforts to create
this medium in the Utah Territory before the spread of 'greenbacks'.
- Pushing
the Boundaries: The Pioneer Spirit
- What motivated various pioneer groups to go out west? Each group
(settlers to Oregon, persecuted Mormons, and gold-rush adventurers
to California) had different reasons, but at huge cost in life
and lifestyle. Was it worth it?
- Raising
the Mormon Battalion
- The decision to send 500 Mormon soldiers to fight in the War
with Mexico was a very difficult one for Brigham Young, and for
his followers.
-
- SLC
ordinances from the 1860's get students involved in local government!
- A discussion of Salt Lake City ordinances from the early 1860's
leads to drafting ordinances to present to local government.
Other lesson plan resources that may be of interest are the Utah
Centennial Lesson Plans. |
