Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Movement of Native American Tribes 1830-1890

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students examine the movement of Native American tribes during the mid 1800's. In this American History lesson, students study two Native American tribes that live in the United States and complete a comparison/analyze project. Students...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Compound Nouns 2

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this compound nouns worksheet, students choose the correct words to complete each of the compound nouns. Students use the clues for help to complete the 25 exercises.
Lesson Plan
Other

California State Parks: Gold Rush

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
The California State Parks presents a brief unit on the California Gold Rush including three lessons which begin with the westward movement to California for gold, the actual process of mining for gold, then the effects of the rush on...
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Everyday Life and People

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source photos from 19th-century California which portray what everyday life was like during the California Gold Rush.
Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: Staking Claims: The Gold Rush in Nineteenth Century America

For Students 9th - 10th
This exhibition explores the Gold Rush, a group of related gold rushes to Western territories in the second half of the nineteenth century, and its impact on American history and culture.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era, 1848 1865: Disasters

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source materials that highlight the risks of natural disasters associated with the California Gold Rush as people rushed in to seek their fortunes.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Environmental Impact

For Students 9th - 10th
Original photographs depicting scenes from California during the Gold Rush. Illustrations of mines, miners at work, and the tools they used as well as the effect of the mining industry on California's landscape.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era, 1848 1865: Growth of Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source images depicting the rapid growth of small settlements into big cities as people continued to come to California from all over the world during the Gold Rush.
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: The Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
This comprehensive site from American Experience examines many facets of the Gold Rush in California. Read a transcript of the film, find out about the many individuals and groups of people who arrived in California to try to strike it...
Handout
Harvard University

Harvard Univ.: Immigration to Us, 1789 1930: California Gold Rush (1848 1858)

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the California Gold Rush and the impact it had on immigration to the United States and to the future demographics of California. Includes a high-resolution map of the gold region of California in 1851.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

Univ. Of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Diversity in the Changing State

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore original images depicting scenes of ethnic diversity in California during the Gold Rush years.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Van Valen's Gold Rush Journey

For Students 9th - 10th
In this superb interactive exhibition, students explore primary resources and learn about the reasons people left their homes to search for wealth during the California Gold Rush. Van Valen, along with four other men, set out in 1849 to...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Westward Expansion the California Gold Rush

For Teachers 5th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the discovery of gold along the West Coast. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Murder and Mayhem

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source materials and informational text that looks at law and order in the "wild west" of California, identifying changing ethnicity in a growing population seeking gold and other resources.
Handout
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: Mother Lode Now Strikes Gold in Tourism

For Students 9th - 10th
This CalGoldRush.com site contains an article on the effects that the California gold rush has on California's tourism. Many people still come from far lands to get a glimpse of what is was like to be a gold miner.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Metaphorical Gold: Mining the Gold Rush for Stories

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this lesson plan, students will consider "Metaphorical Gold: Mining the Gold Rush for Stories." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: The California Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the events that led to the California Gold Rush, the lives of the miners, the discrimination faced by Chinese immigrant miners and African Americans, the women who mostly stayed behind when their husbands went west as well as...
Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The American West: The Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the impact of the California Gold Rush of 1848 which brought hundreds of thousands of gold-seeking migrants to the region. This massive influx of people to a place with little law enforcement and no infrastructure led to...
Interactive
Vocabulary University

My vocabulary.com: Gold Rush California

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page has a variety of vocabulary puzzles and activities using 19 words pertaining to the Gold Rush in California. It also offers an extensive Vocabulary Word List of 286 words, and ideas for lesson plans on the topic.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Klondike Gold Rush

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Klondike Gold Rush," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and student...
Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Economic Spotter: Supply and Demand at the Gold Rush

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
During the Gold Rush, people paid exorbitant prices for ordinary objects. Why? Because of the laws of supply and demand, that's why! In the instructional activity, students will see how these laws fit into this great historical time.
Activity
University of Washington

Klondike Gold Rush: The Perilous Journey North

For Students 9th - 10th
An easy-to-understand exhibit highlights the stampeders' journey north to the Klondike gold fields.
eBook
Other

Gold, Greed, & Genocide: The Story of California's 1849 Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Use the table of contents to explore this site which recounts the plight of the Native Americans who lived in California before the Gold Rush and the impact of the gold rush on their lives.
Unit Plan
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Stories of the Lure and Legacy

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience the Gold Rush through this multimedia presentation. See the art that reflects the environment, characters, and the role of women in the gold rush. Listen to an overview of the gold rush and its impact.

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