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It's hard for your students to imagine, but communication wasn't always as easy as sending a text or email! |
English/Language Arts
Explore creative writing
Use this Minute to get kids writing. Have them play with form by writing a journal entry or writing a letter from an imagined day on the Pony Express route. Or have them experiment with voice, and tell their narrative from the point of view of the pony, or even the piece of traveling mail.
Social Studies
Explore US Geography
Use this Minute to hone your students map skills. From reinforcing ordinal directions and the compass rose, to learning how to measure distance on a map, this Minute inspires lots of learning. How many states did the Pony Express cover? What kinds of dangers might riders face? What kinds of physical topography may have posed a challenge? Would weather have been a factor? Check out the information on the Pony Express National Historic Trail provided by the National Park System to find more maps and information, including the ability to download a detailed map over four feet long for students to pore over. Look closely at the alternate route described by Author Adkins
STEM
Explore the science of communication - the telegraph
Author Adkins tells readers that the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line was the end of the Pony Express. What exactly is telegraphy and how does it work? Use this Minute to review concepts of electrical pulses and magnetics. YouTube has some decent videos explaining the history and how to build a simple telegraph of your very own. Check them out and get kids coding.
Art
Explore artist William Henry Jackson
Author Adkins includes a beautiful map drawn by artist William Henry Jackson. Have students explore this artist through Google Arts and Culture and beyond.
Research Skills
Explore Resources - the Library of Congress
The map of artist William Henry Jackson comes from the Library of Congress collection. Introduce your students to the Library of Congress online site and teach them how to effectively search. They can try a search for “pony express” across all formats, or they can narrow the format of results to maps, audio recordings, paintings, photographs and more. Help them discover the possibilities of this tremendous resource. Point out the information on the left of the results screen so they can experiment with all the ways to narrow their search.
Explore creative writing
Use this Minute to get kids writing. Have them play with form by writing a journal entry or writing a letter from an imagined day on the Pony Express route. Or have them experiment with voice, and tell their narrative from the point of view of the pony, or even the piece of traveling mail.
Social Studies
Explore US Geography
Use this Minute to hone your students map skills. From reinforcing ordinal directions and the compass rose, to learning how to measure distance on a map, this Minute inspires lots of learning. How many states did the Pony Express cover? What kinds of dangers might riders face? What kinds of physical topography may have posed a challenge? Would weather have been a factor? Check out the information on the Pony Express National Historic Trail provided by the National Park System to find more maps and information, including the ability to download a detailed map over four feet long for students to pore over. Look closely at the alternate route described by Author Adkins
STEM
Explore the science of communication - the telegraph
Author Adkins tells readers that the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line was the end of the Pony Express. What exactly is telegraphy and how does it work? Use this Minute to review concepts of electrical pulses and magnetics. YouTube has some decent videos explaining the history and how to build a simple telegraph of your very own. Check them out and get kids coding.
Art
Explore artist William Henry Jackson
Author Adkins includes a beautiful map drawn by artist William Henry Jackson. Have students explore this artist through Google Arts and Culture and beyond.
Research Skills
Explore Resources - the Library of Congress
The map of artist William Henry Jackson comes from the Library of Congress collection. Introduce your students to the Library of Congress online site and teach them how to effectively search. They can try a search for “pony express” across all formats, or they can narrow the format of results to maps, audio recordings, paintings, photographs and more. Help them discover the possibilities of this tremendous resource. Point out the information on the left of the results screen so they can experiment with all the ways to narrow their search.
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission
