Students get hands-on history lessons
They dress as pioneers, learn about Native American culture
The Oregon Trail recently ran through a Jurupa Valley school.
Fourth graders at Mission Bell Elementary School took part in activities to bring their studies of California history to life earlier this month during a program called California History Days.
For two days, they received lessons and joined in hands-on experiences to learn about pioneer life, the Oregon Trail, gold and the state’s Native American people, Helen Yoshikawa, a retired teacher who assisted with the program, said in an email.
One classroom resembled the terrain as it would have looked when the first native people lived in the state. Students learned about Native American culture with games and crafts, including making necklaces inspired by those created by California tribes.
Another classroom became a wagon train and gold mining town, complete with a covered wagon, a river and parts of an 1849 mining town.
Students dressed as pioneers and grouped together in wagon families. They did chores such as collecting water and firewood, doing laundry and fishing. They also sewed quilt squares, created hand-dipped candles, played with pioneer toys and sang and danced around a mock campfire.
When students “reached” California, they shopped at a general store and went to a barber shop for shaves and haircuts. They also panned for “gold.”
Parents, teachers, administrators and volunteers joined to put on the program, Yoshikawa wrote.
“It is a great example of how bringing common core social studies standards to life can give students more insight and understanding into the things they are learning about in class, while letting them have fun at the same time,” Helen Yoshikawa, a retired teacher who assisted with the program, said in an email.