California

Study Guide for Pioneers

Eller 4th Grade

If you study and learn the following information, you will be prepared to do well on the unit. All the
test questions will come from the Pioneer Background Sheets.

Section One
This is a true and false section. Dont forget that for true & false if there is one false part, the whole
thing is considered false. ( For example: Chimney Rocks strange tower was 250 feet tall and was a
famous landmark. This is false because it was a famous landmark but it was 500 feet tall.) Some of the
topics covered will be: trail guides/wagon masters, cholera, and info about the wagons & wagontrains
like what was packed in a wagon, how much it could carry, problems they encountered.

Section Two
This will be a multiple choice section. It covers a little bit of this and a little bit of that so its a bit
hard to study for it. But, as a hint, dont forget: details about the landmarks, disease, food & drink on
the trail, details about the Donner Party, and details about the Native Americans.

Section Three
Its time to pack your wagon! What are some of the most important things you would pack into your
wagon? What are some things that you would like to take but isnt necessarily essential? The nonessential items might be those that you would throw out of your wagon when you needed to lighten
your load. Essential/important items you would not throw out.

Section Four
Time to fill in the blank. You will be provided with words in a box to use to fill in the blanks in
sentences. The words are mostly places, names of landmarks, numbers, and a few objects.

Section Five
This is The Big Essay question section. You will be asked to write a detailed answer to some essay
questions. Dont be surprised if you are asked to include 2 or 3 examples of something or to provide
details. If you remember to use the SMAART method, it will help you get all the points. Some
things to focus on:
Different disasters/problems the pioneers faced crossing mountains or rivers
Explain how weather was a problem on the trail
Everyday chores and duties everyone had on the trail
Why landmarks were important to the pioneers
Why the Indians ended up angry with the pioneers who crossed their land