Third graders head West!

Our third grade students have been studying westward expansion and the challenges pioneers faced when traveling west.  Students began writing their own pioneer newspaper during class to highlight the many stories and facts they have learned while studying the westward movement.  In addition, our third grade class has their own covered wagon located outside the classroom to bring to life some of the challenges pioneers experienced when traveling.  The covered wagon has become a favorite reading spot for our third grade students during the last few weeks.  The culminating activity for their study was a trip to Bethelwoods in York, South Carolina last week for Pioneer Day!  While there, students went on a hike, explored true to size covered wagons, and practiced their archery skills.  Several students had the opportunity to help prepare the lunch for the class in a real dutch oven while reading letters from the trail.  All the students agreed that it was tremendous fun being a pioneer for one day, but it would be truly difficult to live that life for several months!