Teacher Resources Introduction

The teacher’s guide is meant to be used along with the video documentary The Old Red Trail. Since the Red Line Trail cuts across the entire state of North Dakota, these lessons will help students better understand the state’s history, geography, and geology. What helps bring it all alive is that many of the students will come to these lessons familiar with I94 which follows the Old Red Trail.

There are two sections in the Teacher Resources section of this web site. Using Maps includes reading resources, handouts and activities to facilitate the teaching of geography, geology and math. Traveling The Old Red Trail includes reading resources and discussion questions which will prepare students to play The Old Red Trail game.

Activities include:

• Using maps
• Identifying historical routes and trails
• Identifying counties and major cities through which the Red Line Trail passed
• Calculating the amount of money raised in 1911 for road building
• Using changes in road construction techniques to discuss safety
• Discussing the impact changes in transportation had on rural communities
• Identifying the geological areas encountered by builders of the Red Line Trail
• Using vocabulary words

Credit: Teacher resources for the Old Red Trail were developed by Curt Ericksmoen.

To learn more about transportation in North Dakota, visit the Department of Transportation’s web site at http://www.dot.nd.gov or call 701-328-2671.