Robots on the Oregon Trail?!

Who would have thought?! Not me!

This is precisely what Mrs. Wells and our 7th grade Social Studies classes are up to: Programing Ozobots to follow the Oregon trail!  Ozobots, you ask?  Yes – small, programmable robots that teach coding through play. So, while learning about America’s Manifest Destiny –  the supposed inevitability of the continued territorial expansion of the boundaries of the United States westward to the Pacific and beyond – our students explored in multiple ways how the United States acquired and populated the land as the nation expanded westward.  The students first played the original Oregon Trail game, discussing the settlers’ different paths and hardships westward. The students drew their own Oregon Trail maps and programmed these robots, using four different markers, to simulate the many challenges settlers faced: bad weather, getting lost, navigating mountainous terrain, etc.  When fun and games accompany content, collaboration, and creative thinking skills, and a student can relate this content to their own life experiences – learning that lasts a lifetime!

Each week, we will be highlighting the amazing and wonderful things that are happening in our classrooms and grade levels at St. Margaret of Scotland School. We are very proud of the work our teachers do with our students and are amazed by what happens at SMOS. Our goal is to share more about the hidden gem that is St. Margaret’s.