Cover Your Wagons

Everson Elementary fifth graders are learning about the expansion of the United States into the territory west of the Mississippi River in social studies. This includes understanding the arduous journey and planning for what to add to their wagons. In science, the students then consider the variable of weight in planning for the exploration with the question: How did the weight of supplies brought in a covered wagon influence the success and safety of crossing rivers during the journey west? Students used a model of a wagon and river to design a procedure to test the success or failure of river crossings.