Heading West

Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion

From the Set Behind the Curtain

The events surrounding the Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion did not look the same to everyone involved. Step back in time and into the shoes of a pioneer, a Native American in a territory crossed by the trail, and a U.S. soldier at a government outpost as readers act out the scenes that took place in the midst of this historic event. Written with simplified, considerate text to help struggling readers, books in this series are made to build confidence as readers engage and read aloud. This book includes a table of contents, glossary, index, author biography, sidebars, and timelines.

Format List Price Your Price Qty
$32.07 $22.45
$14.21 $9.95
$32.07 $22.45
$49.21 $34.45
Interest Level Grade 4 - Grade 8
Reading Level Grade 2
Dewey 978/.02
Lexile
ATOS Reading Level
Guided Reading Level U
Publisher 45th Parallel Press
Series Behind the Curtain
Language English
Available Formats Reinforced book (9781534143395), Paperback (9781534139954), PDF (9781534141155), ePub (9781534145795), Hosted ebook (9781534142350), Kindle (9781534144590)
Copyright 2019
Number of Pages 32
Dimensions 7 x 9
Graphics Full-color photographs, Historical photographs

Booklist - Heading West: Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion

Behind the Curtain series takes an atypical approach to history by giving students a chance to act out major events in our country’s past. Designed as a two-act play, each book opens with a succinct historical overview, cast of characters, and “Spotlight Biography” on a noteworthy historical figure. Scripted dialogue, while somewhat stilted, offers various perspectives on the event at hand. Famine and Dust portrays the hardships faced in the drought-plagued Midwest of the 1930s. While Heading West dramatizes the dangers of traveling the Oregon Trail, it also emphasizes the trials faced by Native Americans as settlers moved through their lands. Civilians and soldiers both have their say about the Battle of Gettysburg in Union Triumph. Figures from first through third class promenade through Women and Children First, going from excited to distraught as disaster strikes the Titanic. Visual layouts incorporate vocabulary and “Flash Fact!” bubbles, photos (period and current), artistic renderings, and notes on each event’s setting—not to mention its “bloopers.” Educators will want to take advantage of the time line and further reading section, as these books feature invented dialogue but no source notes.

School Library Journal - Heading West: Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion

Gr 3-5–This series allows children to immerse themselves in the past through a unique and rarely seen approach. An engaging blend of historical events with readers’ theater brings the prose to life. After presenting simplified background information, the books present a cast of characters, all of whom were real individuals, and a two-act script fictionalizing the event. The scripts are written through a modern lens, with the occasional anachronism, even going so far as to predict future repercussions. Despite the heavy nature of some of the topics, the series is accessible to the intended audience. More than just dramatic retellings, anecdotes of marginalized groups are provided, real-world settings and monuments of significance are described, and even historical bloopers are detailed, all of which are accompanied by original and reenacted visuals. VERDICT The unique approach to enlivening history via readers’ theater makes this series a worthy purchase.

Author: Virginia Loh-Hagan

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan was born in the luckiest of all years, the Year of the Dragon. She’s an author, university professor, curriculum designer, and former elementary school teacher. She was inspired to write this story after doing author visits. Her young audiences wanted to know more about Chinese New Year! She lives in San Diego with one well-trained husband and two very naughty dogs.

  • Historical Background
  • Cast of Characters
  • Act 1
  • Act 2
  • Event Timeline
  • Consider This!
  • Learn More
  • Index
  • About the Author
Author/Illustrator biography
Glossary of key words
Index
Informative sidebars
Reviewed
Table of contents
Timeline of key events
Full-color photographs, Historical photographs