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Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers

Publication Information

Author: Wadsworth, Ginger

Illustrator: (archival photos)

Title: Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers

Date: 2003

Publisher: Clarion

City: New York

ISBN, paperback:

ISBN, hardback:

Recommended audience:

ABE/ABLE: Yes

ESOL:

Family:

Young Adult: Yes

Picture: Yes

General Information:

Book Type(s): nonfiction, diaries and journals

HSE Descriptor(s): social studies

Summary:

Diary and journal excerpts and archival photographs enliven a well-written text about the Westward Movement as seen from the perspective of children. The book includes short biographies of the children who are quoted often as well as a chronology, further reading suggestions, a bibliography, and an index.

Teaching Ideas:

Although the book has 14 chapters, the book does not seem long. However, teachers may want to excerpt individual chapters to supplement classroom units (such as the Gold Rush) or use a jigsaw strategy to distribute chapters to individual readers to report on. Because the engaging narrative allows readers to identify with the experience of members of the wagon trains, learners could keep a diary of an imaginary trip west. The children's perspective lends itself to a study of point-of-view. How would the text differ if it were told from an adult perspective? Problem-solvers might want to keep a list of the ways the pioneers coped e.g. tar on the wagon bed to ford streams, beeswax on the cover for waterproofing etc. Others might want to conjecture about why the author is so interested in the Westward Movement. Artistic students could draw a diagram of the wagon, its storage, and uses.

Teaching Strategies: