The Walking Classroom

Walk, Listen, and Learn

A program of Alliance for a Healthier Generation
  • Sample educational podcasts!
  • Adopter Resources
  • Buy
  • Apply
  • Our
    Program
    • Program Overview
    • Implementation
    • Why It Works
    • Research Studies
    • Videos
    • Sample Podcasts!
    • Testimonials
    • Resources
    • Our Ambassadors
    • Mammoth Cave National Park
    • Science Career Podcast Series
  • What
    Teachers Say
    • Latest News
    • Stories from educators
    • For families and homeschool
  • FAQs
  • About
    Us
    • About The Walking Classroom
    • Awards
    • The Walking Classroom Press Kit
    • Contact Us
  • Informational Webinars

The Santa Fe Trail

Today’s Walking Classroom focuses on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. Both of the trails began in the Missouri frontier and were routes that led settlers to unclaimed land in the west during the mid-1800s. The Oregon and Santa Fe Trails were important routes for the settlers in promoting the idea of Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny.

Health Message: Exercise and Moods
Character Value: Life goals

Click for Standards Alignment

Common Core

L–Language | SL–Speaking and Listening | RI–Reading: Informational | RL–Reading: Literature | W–Writing | RH–6-8 Literacy in History/Social Studies | RST–6-8 Literacy in Science & Technical Subjects Elementary School:
RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.4
RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, SL.4.1, SL.4.4
RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.3, SL.5.1, SL.5.4
Middle School:
RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, SL.6.1, SL.6.4
RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.3, SL.7.1, SL.7.4
RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.3, SL.8.1, SL.8.4
RH.6-8.4

Supplemental Resource Links and Downloads

Quiz: (Make sure you're already logged into your Gmail account, then click to copy this Google form to your Google Drive. Quiz keys are here.)
The Santa Fe Trail Google Quiz https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1tulARtF6DATIjV1emj6rdAN49iz4mMuyiI93DsRx4DU/copy

Slide Deck:
The Santa Fe Trail Slide Deck https://thewalkingclassroom.box.com/s/q7fc3t426ayzs56efdif0gm1efji857b

Related Videos:


New York to San Francisco by Train in Five Minutes
4:56

Presents footage taken out the window of a train going west across the United States.


The Dusty Trail
3:57

Discusses the historic route the settlers took.

Additional Resources:


Santa Fe Webquest
Online Activity

Search for answers using the list of provided websites in this activity from Easy Fun School.


On the Oregon Trail
Multi-Day Project

Script a scene that could have happened on the Oregon Trail in this project from the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Santa Fe Trail
Printable or Worksheet

Test knowledge of the Santa Fe Trail with this worksheet bundle from the National Park Service.


Time to Shop & Plan
Hands-on Activity

Budget and plan for a journey on the Oregon Trail from Teacher Bulletin.

See More Podcasts in Subject Area: Social Studies
See More Themed Groupings that Contain this Podcast: Westward Ho

Search all Podcasts

Search by Podcast

Whole Child Health

Free resources to support whole child health!
Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Podcast Categories

  • Science (60)
  • Language Arts (45)
  • Social Studies (83)

Themed Groupings

  • Biographies (68)
  • Figures from Science (35)
  • Historical Figures (48)
  • Innovators: Artists, Inventors & More (26)
  • Middle Ages & Renaissance (11)
  • Physical Science (7)
  • Earth Science (11)
  • Life Science (24)
  • The Environment (8)
  • Literary Elements (8)
  • Poets and Poetry (16)
  • Grammar & Word Skills (10)
  • Writing Skills (7)
  • Life Skills (5)
  • Heroes and Legends (6)
  • Writing Styles (5)
  • Songs and Poems (8)
  • America! America! (4)
  • Literary Figures (10)
  • Famous Women (16)
  • America's Pasttime (4)
  • 20th Century (24)
  • Famous African Americans (14)
  • Explorers (5)
  • Native Cultures (9)
  • The Road to Revolution (12)
  • Revolutionary Figures (9)
  • Presidents (5)
  • Government (6)
  • Civil War & Reconstruction (19)
  • Medicine (7)
  • The Human Body (10)
  • Westward Ho (14)
  • Geology (11)
  • Marine Life (3)
  • Astronomy (5)
  • Weather (6)
  • Science Careers (16)

Join Our Newsletter

Site Map

A program of    Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Follow us!

Alliance for a Healthier Generation
dba/The Walking Classroom
1028 SE Water Ave, Suite 210
Portland, OR 97214
(919) 240-7877
info@thewalkingclassroom.org

Privacy Policy (Web)

© Copyright 2025, Alliance for a Healthier Generation dba The Walking Classroom. All rights reserved.