Lesson 3

“Building Farms”

What did pioneers do when they first arrived in the Midwest?

• Rushed to claim their land

• Built Houses

• Started Farms

Types of Homes Built

• Sod House

What are the characteristics of a Sod House?

• Small one room house• Were warmer in the winter and cool in the

summer• Sod homes were made of grass, roots, and dirt• Negative: Sod homes were hard to keep clean

Play this fun game to see how pioneers built a sod house.

Types of Homes Built

•

•Log Cabin

What are the characteristics of a Log Cabin?

• Small and simple• Made of trees that farmers cut down on their

own land• Negative: If you did not have trees on your

land it made it very difficult to build• Most had log cabins

• What did John Deere do to help the Midwest farmers?

He created the plow to help work up the tough prairie sod (grass).

Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl took place because there was little rain (drought) and the soil became like dust. When the wind blew it blew all of the soil.

Lesson 3 Review

1. What affected Native Americans in the Midwest from the 1600’s to the early 1800’s?

2. What kind of houses did the pioneers build and why?

3. What effect did advances in technology in the mid 1800’s have on the economy of the Midwest?