Welcome to our pioneer writing page

Welcome to our pioneer writing page. As we learned about the adventures and hardships of the pioneers, each student created a journal response log written after reading different Christmas stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Additionally, students created graphic organizers about each pioneer learning topic. They say that this helps develop their schemata. Each student created written compositions using the steps in the writing process. This class really enjoys writing and illustrating their work. They are really remarkable writing pieces for first graders.

"A Farmer depends on himself, and the land and the weather. If you're a farmer, you raise what you eat, you raise what you wear, and you keep warm with wood out of your own timber. You work hard, but you work as you please, and no man can tell you to go or come. You'll be free and independent, son, on a farm."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

What Clothes Did Pioneers Wear?

By Madeline

What Did the Pioneers Wear?

By Caroline

In the pioneer times, your pa made your shoes. There was no left or right foot to shoes. The first time you wore the shoes they had to always stay on that foot. So, you had to always get off on the right foot. To get their clothes pioneers had to cut the wool from the sheep. The pioneer moms had to spin the wool on a spinning wheel. The day that a pioneer would wear fancy clothes was for church on Sunday. They only had one or two outfits. Their clothes were for working. The boys did not have zippers in their pants. Sometimes pioneers could order clothes from a catalog. But it would take a long time for the order to come. I would not want to be a pioneer because I would not want to work all day.

What would you wear if you lived in the time of the pioneers? The mom would start to teach the daughters when they were five years old how to spin lambs wool. The mom would wear a day cap during the day. Most pioneer children had one or two outfits. If you were rich you could have more clothes. The pioneer families would have work clothes for working. If you had good clothes, that meant that you would be going some place special like church. They could order things by a catalog but it could take six months to get to their home. Shoes were usually made by the father. There was on left or right foot. You had to wear the shoes to make it left or right. Pioneer women wore dresses and petticoats. The boys wore suspenders to hold up their pants. They also wore long johns. If I were a pioneer it would be sad because moving would be hard to do.

WHY DID THE PIONEERS MOVE WEST?

PIONEER LIFE MOVING WEST

By: Sierra

PIONEER LIFE MOVING WEST

By: Daniel E.

Pioneer families moved West for more land. They used buffalo chips to start their fires on the prairie. They used a spinning wheel to make clothes. It they broke a wagon wheel it could take days to fix it. They pulled their wagons up steep mountains. There was also danger going down the mountains. There were all kinds of animals that could hurt their animals, too. Pioneers only brought what they needed to live. The children had jobs on the trail like milking the cows and taking care of the animals. Wagon masters were used to guide the people. Crossing rivers was hard and very dangerous. Maps were never right about the wagon train trails. There were trails that the pioneers used. These trails were the Mormon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Oregon Trail. The Conestoga wagons were made of barn wood and the bows from a soft wood. Oxen pulled the Conestoga wagon. If you did not have a wagon and walked, you were a walker. If I were a pioneer I would feel sad if I had to leave all of my friends behind.

Pioneer families wanted to move West because it was too crowded where they lived. When they went in a Conestoga wagon and the wheel broke it could take two days to fix it. Oxen pulled the Conestoga wagon to get West. Buffalo chips were used to make fires to get warm. If you were in a Conestoga wagon and going down a mountain it was dangerous. You could also get stuck in a snow storm. Pioneers had to be careful in what they were bringing. The pioneers followed the Mormon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail

Pioneers Moving West

By: Schuyler

Pioneers Moving West

By: Cassidy

Pioneer families wanted to move West. Where they lived it was too crowded. Some went to California to find gold. Buffalo chips were used to make fires. They did not have trees for wood on the prairie. The spinning wheel was used to make cloth for clothes. Pioneers followed trails. The trails were the Mormon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail. When a Conestoga wagon broke a wheel it could take two days to fix it. Oxen pulled the Conestoga wagon. There was danger going up mountains. There was always danger. Pioneers had to be careful what they took with them. Independence City was a gateway to the West. The wagon master guided the pioneers on the trails.

The pioneers moved West because it was too crowded. Some pioneers wanted to move West to find gold or morel and. When you broke your wagon wheels it would take you about two or three days to fix it. The wagon master would lead the people that were in the Conestoga wagons. The prairie people made their own trails. The oxen would go in front of the Conestoga wagon to pull it. Some people and some animals died on the trail. Id you want to make clothes you took your spinning wheel. Buffalo chips were used to make fires because there were no trees to chop down on the prairie. The children's jobs were to take care of the animals and get the buffalo chips. Ma and pa also had jobs. Ma had to clean the dishes. Pa had to direct the oxen. If I were a pioneer I would feel scared inside.

Why did the Pioneers Move West?

By: Neil

Why Did the Pioneers Move West?

By: Victoria

Pioneer families wanted to move West. Some wanted to find land and others went to California to find gold. The trip was long. They used buffalo chips to make a fire because they did not have trees on a prairie. They had tools but the ax was the more important than other tools. When a wagon wheel broke, it took days to fix it. The wheels were made of wood. The wagon was made of wood, too. When they got to a hill they had to pull the wagon up. One thing the pioneers thought was that they were going to make it. They had to get the wagons ready before they could leave. They needed food and the animals. They took a spinning wheel to make clothes. The wagon master guided the people on the trails. I would be scared if I went to California to leave my friends.

Pioneer families wanted to move West. It was too crowded. They went in a Conestoga wagon. It was made of wood and it had a sheet for the top. It was pulled by oxen. If the wheel broke it would take days to fix it. The wagon master leads the people. Some pioneers made the trip to the West and some did not. I would be scared to go on this trip if I were a pioneer.

Pioneer Reading Response Journals

Students responded to reading selections from different Little House stories about Christmases for the Ingalls family. They responded to the reading selections from the view point of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Then Pa and Ma and Mr. Edwards sat by the fire and talked about Christmas times back in Tennessee and up north in the Big Woods. But Mary and Laura looked at their beautiful cakes and played with their pennies and drank water out of their new cups. And little by little they licked and sucked their sticks of candy, till each stick was sharp-pointed on one end.

That was a happy Christmas.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dear Journal,

I looked in my stocking this morning. There was a pair of mittens. I also got peppermint candy. The happiest of all was my rag doll. I named her Charlotte. I will keep it until I die.

(Cassidy's Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today is Christmas. Mr. Edwards came to dinner. He brought presents from St. Nick (Santa Claus). This was the best Christmas ever.

(Sierra's Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today it was snowing. The snow was as high as my head. My sister Mary and I made sugar snow with Ma. Pa brought snow into the house. I can't wait to jump and run in the snow with my cousins. It will be fun!

(Caroline's Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today there was a lot of snow. Mary and I were making paper dolls out of wrapping paper. Every night it was cold. I was afraid Santa would not come because we moved to Kansas and he could not find us. Mary was afraid that Santa would not come even if there was snow.

Dear Journal,

This morning I woke up and saw a doll in my stocking. It had black eyes, black hair, and it was white. I loved my doll more than anything.

(Madeline's Journal)

Dear Journal,

This morning the day before Christmas, my cousins arrived. We played out in the snow all day long. My cousins and I woke up at the same time on Christmas morning. We had pancake men for breakfast. We looked in Pa's book. We ate turkey for Christmas dinner.

(Sierra's Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today is Christmas. Mr. Edwards said that he saw Santa. Mary screamed. He brought us presents. There were heart shaped cakes in our stockings.

(Daniel E.'s Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today is Christmas. Mr. Edwards brought my sister and I presents. Mr. Edwards told the story of meeting Santa Claus. Mr. Edwards said he was downtown shopping at night. Santa said, "do you know the little girls named Laura and Mary?" Mr Edwards said, "I sure do!" Santa asked him to bring presents over the creek to our house. He came in time. Ma told us to close our eyes. Then we ran over to see our stockings. We took out golden cups, two sticks of peppermint candy, and a heart shaped cake. There was a penny, too. We were so excited and happy that we forgot all about Mr. Edwards. Then he pulled out three sweet potatoes. He gave them to Ma. Then we had turkey and sweet potatoes for dinner. What a happy Christmas!

(Lily's Journal)

Dear Journal,

Today is Christmas. Mr. Edwards came. I got a tin cup, a penny and candy. We had Christmas dinner. We ate sweet potatoes and turkey.

(Schuyler's Journal)

Then Pa gave her a little wooden man he had whittled out of a stick, to be company for Charlotte. Ma gave her five little cakes, one for each year that Laura had lived with her and Pa. And Mary gave her a new dress for Charlotte. Mary had made the dress herself, when Laura thought she was sewing on her patchwork quilt...

Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Revised 12/2005