Apply distance, scale, and route-mapping skills to overland trails — Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Pony Express, Lewis and Clark route
Exercise Difficulty 3 ~7 min hist.g4.s.ex_38

Trail Scale Distance

MG-2 Map
US 50-State Physical and Political Map (tactile-relief version available): full continental US plus Alaska and Hawaii in

US 50-State Physical and Political Map (tactile-relief version available): full continental US plus Alaska and Hawaii insets; all 50 state outlines in faint gray with capital-city dots and state-name labels in 12pt; major landforms in raised-relief tactile version (Appalachians, Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Coastal Range, Ozarks, Great Smoky Mountains); major rivers (Mississippi/Missouri/Ohio/Columbia/Colorado/Rio Grande/Hudson) in blue; Great Lakes labeled (Superior/Michigan/Huron/Erie/Ontario); Great Plains shaded; deserts (Mojave/Sonoran/Great Basin) shaded; climate zones lightly indicated via 5 color washes; 5 region-boundary lines overlaid (Northeast / Southeast / Midwest / Southwest / West) with Pacific Northwest sub-region and Alaska/Hawaii separately. Translucent overlay layer (removable): historic Indigenous-homelands map circa 1500 CE based on cartographic work by Native Land Digital (native-land.ca, used with permission) showing 100+ nation-names across the continent. Style: cartographic accuracy, child-readable labels, tactile-raised landforms.

Prompt

Using scale ruler on MG-2, compute distance from Independence MO to Oregon City OR (Oregon Trail). Compare to Independence MO to Santa Fe NM (Santa Fe Trail). Which is longer?

How it's presented
mode map and math prompt audio ID audio.g4s.ex 38.stem
Answer criteria
type compute
correct
Oregon ~2170 mi > Santa Fe ~900 mi
Hints
  1. Use scale ruler
  2. Oregon longer by ~1270 mi
Misconceptions to watch
  • Scale-ruler reading errors
  • Reversed comparison
Used in lessons