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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Rush California and its Diverse Population

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students compare contemporary cultural differences with historical differences based on population percentage. In this cross-curriculum Gold Rush/math lesson plan, students analyze aspects of California's Gold Rush population and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Splendide Californie French Artists’ Impressionsof the Golden State, 1786-1900

For Teachers 6th - 8th
There is a lot to learn from art. This teacher's guide provides you with extensive background information, activities, and a scripted commentary to accompany a slide show on French artists in California during the Gold Rush Period. The...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California's Golden History: 1848-1880

For Teachers 11th
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
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PPT
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America. Manifest Destiny, Texas Independence, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican War are all...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Mystery State #26

For Students 4th - 6th
In this mystery state worksheet, students answer five clues to identify the state in question. They then locate that state on a map.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

A Timely Occupation

For Students 5th - 8th
For this Gold Rush worksheet, students fill out a chart for the job or business, the products or services provided, what we have today, and the services it provides. Students complete this for 14 jobs during the Gold Rush.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Baker's Gold

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine art of the California Gold Rush. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze the photography and art of Isaac Wallace Baker. Young scholars also conduct further research about the miners of the era...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Klondike Fever

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider the geographical aspects of the gold rush. In this gold lesson, students research just what gold is and where it has been found. Students create maps that highlight the regions of the world where gold has been found and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching with Objects The Gold Nugget

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete activities related to the California gold rush. In this gold rush lesson, 4th graders go to an Internet website video that discusses the gold rush. They complete discuss miner's experiences, sing a gold rush song,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heading West

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. lesson, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Young scholars...
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Worksheet
abcteach

Gold Found in California

For Students 4th - 5th
In this historical reading comprehension learning exercise, students read a factual account of the Gold Rush. Students answer 14 questions about the passage.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Legacy of War -- The Gold Rush and the Foreign Miner's Tax

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the results of the Mexican War from both countries. They analyze the impact of a war for the losing side. They also compare the politics of the time of the Mexican war with those of today.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rancho San Pedro

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students perform 15 different activities in order to investigate what life on a rancho in California was like in the 1800's.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Census and Gold Rush Town

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars analyze data and form a mental picture of the make up of a gold rush town. They explain social life in a gold rush town. They use online sources to see paintings of camp life and read accounts of miners' lives.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on the development of Skagway, Alaska. Lesson can be used in units on western expansion, late 19th and early 20th-century commerce, and urban history.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eureka! You've Struck

For Teachers 4th
While incomplete, this lesson could provide ideas for a lesson on the California gold rush. Learners look at a chart to analyze population growth in San Francisco after the discovery of gold, analyze political changes that occurred, and...
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PPT
Curated OER

Chapter 12: American History

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Short and to the point, these slides cover some basic points about life in 19th centrury America. Topics such as Texas Independence, the California Gold Rush, and the Oregon Territory are briefly mentioned, and some of the facts are hard...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baltimoreans in the California Gold Rush

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the reasons for migration to California during the Gold Rush.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders read letters about the opportunities and obstacles people faced.  Students create a map of migration...
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Interactive
Curated OER

Gold Rush Quiz

For Students 4th - 8th
In this Gold Rush worksheet, students answer multiple choice questions about the Gold Rush. Students answer 20 questions total.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Rush Quiz

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students take a quiz about the Gold Rush that happened in California. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, students complete 8 multiple choice questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Rush Abolitionists: How different was the role of Spanish-speaking blacks under Mexican rule from the role of English-speaking blacks under U.S. rule?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students determine how Spanish-speaking blacks and English speaking blacks were treated differently. In this emancipation instructional activity, students compare the Mexican and American rules regarding slavery.     
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Boom Town/Gold Rush

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discover the history of California by researching the Gold Rush.  In this economics history lesson, students participate in a class discussion about the book Boom Town, and the value of gold in California.  Students participate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gold Rush

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders practice researching the Gold Rush. In this research lesson, 4th graders take the Gold Rush and break it into smaller topics they can research. They fill in a graphic organizer to organize their topic and subtopic.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ethnic Family Life

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the impact of the gold rush on different cultures.  In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders examine the reasons for ethnic diversity in the west.