News - CKLA Knowledge Comes Alive on The Oregon Trail in Second Grade Classrooms at Redwood

Published on March 2, 2026

Redwood Elementary second grade classes are traveling back in time and experiencing an exciting hands-on learning approach to CKLA Knowledge units on Western Expansion. The unit includes various forms of The Oregon Trail game, reading an accompanying book, writing journal entries, and a finale activity of dress-up and re-enactment. The classroom bulletin boards have been transformed into colorful U.S. maps marking the Trail, with directions next to the “Wheel of Fate” clearly marked, and named wagons pinned above with “fates” of the day attached. For each day of the unit, the four second grade classes play The Oregon Trail board game in which they roll a dice and spin the “Wheel of Fate.” Both will determine the trajectory of how fast they move along the board and how successfully they will brave the trail. Each class picks three necessary items such as medication or a repair kit to start with, but with subsequent rolls of the dice or spin of the wheel, this fate may quickly change. For example, wagon wheels may break, they may be robbed, but they may also regain energy after an illness or gain an extra supply. The first class to reach Oregon on the game board is the clear winner. 

Along with the colorful real-life board game, students also play the classic game, The Oregon Trail, on their Chromebooks. As an accompaniment to the adventure, classes read a book together on the topic from the “Choose your Own Path” themed series. Documenting the expedition is key, and each student journals about his or her experiences on the Trail and about the story that is read in class. To complete the unit, students will dress up as pioneers, making covered wagons on their desks using pool noodles, rods, and tablecloths to give a true sense of the wagon train. Other activities will include butter making, riding stick ponies around the school to look for envelopes with secret messages, and other exciting pursuits. Thank you to the second-grade team of teachers for preparing and presenting this unit in a phenomenally engaging way!