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ISD Middle School Students Discovering the Old West

Posted April 9, 2015

IMG_4780IMG_4775Reading from actual ‘trail diaries’ locked away in boxes for decades, eighth-grade students at Bingham Middle School are learning about the westward expansion of the United States. Using the original words of pioneers traveling through Independence more than 150 years ago, students read from the diaries and share their interpretations during social studies class. The lesson culminates Friday, April 24 when the students take a field trip to the National Frontier Trails Museum and the Wayne City Landing historical marker in Sugar Creek. During the field trip, the students will actually get to hold the diaries and ride a wagon train through historic Independence Square.

This is a joint venture between the ISD and the Independence-based Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) to promote local history. Recently, these long hidden historical works were scanned and made available to the ISD and Brian Schultz, the district’s social studies coordinator, developed an instructional framework to bring those words to life inside the classroom.

“These diaries are very valuable sources,” he said. “They’ve been locked away in boxes for decades and are fascinating to read.” Schultz said he sees educational benefits extending far beyond the eighth-grade classroom.

“Through this project, we hope to raise awareness of Independence’s historical heritage and significance,” he said, “and the way we are using the ‘trail diaries’ in class should help OCTA expand how they offer them to other institutions.”