The American Journey © 2012

Chapter 13: North and South

Web Activity Lesson Plans

"Life in Sod Houses"

Introduction
In this chapter students have read about the western movement of farmers who settled the prairies in the mid-1800s. The grasslands of the Midwestern plains offered fertile soil to grow crops. Lacking lumber to build houses, the farmers used thick slices of sod cut from the land, to build walls and roofs of their homes. Some dug their homes and sheds into the sides of hills to protect their families from the elements. In this activity students will take a closer look at these “soddies," how they were built, and what it was like to live in these homes.

Lesson Description
Students will visit the Pioneer Life: Sod Houses Web site referenced in the activity. Here they will see photographs of sod houses and the people who lived in them. They will also read personal accounts of these pioneers' lives. After answering questions they will design a postage stamp that commemorates the sod house era in American history.

Instructional Objectives

1. The learner will be able to identify a sod house and its components.
2. The learner will be able to understand what it was like to live in a sod house.
3. The learner will be able identify the geographic area settled by farmers who built sod houses.

Student Web Activity Answers

1. Answers will vary but could include: staying cool in summer and warm in winter, saves money on building materials.
2. Answers will vary but could include: dampness and dirt; snakes and bugs invading.
3. Bricks were laid lengthwise and crosswise in reversed layers, usually forming squared walls.
4. Answers will vary but could include: Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
5. Postage stamp designs will vary but should depict a sod house, interior or exterior.