Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting There: "Do You Want To Go To California?"

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students, in groups, participate in a variety of activities regarding the rise of Anglo-American immigration in the 1840s and its impact upon California. They discuss immigration from the West and the East as it influenced the culture of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heritage: Seeking Land or Gold

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers write a persuasive letter home defending their decision either to settle in Utah and farm the land, or to go on to California to seek gold. They analyze a problem, make a decision, and write a letter defending their choice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"All We Want Is an Equal Chance, an Open Field, and a Fair Fight"

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate the California Gold Rush. For this California history lesson, students analyze images, letters, and documents from the era to discover information about the events and social conditions spurred by the Gold Rush....
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Complete with maps, photographs, and historical documents, this presentation would be a great resource throughout a unit about mid-19th century America.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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Legacies of El Dorado

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the development of urban California as it was driven by the Gold Rush boom. They study historical documents and participate in a variety of hands-on activities designed to reinforce the concept of the lesson.
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 lesson, 11th graders examine the reasons for ethnic diversity in the west. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heading West

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students 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. Students describe...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How is Gold Found in the Ground?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a series of activities designed to simulate mining for gold. They pan for "gold" and create a safe tunnel.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Days of '49: "I've Been Toiling Hard for the Last Two And a Half Years"

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students trace the stages of gold mining in California. They discuss the life of a gold miner and how the discovery of gold influenced towns and cities in California during the 1949 Gold Rush.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveling/Mapping

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine routes to gold. In this California gold rush lesson, students map land and water routes to California. Students use maps to copy the routes that they want to market to gold diggers.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Grade 6 Reading and Writing Assessment

For Students 5th - 6th
In this grade 6 reading and writing activity, students complete an assessment. Students read the poems and essays about the Gold Rush and complete the essay questions on the lines provided.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rancho San Pedro

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Learners perform 15 different activities in order to investigate what life on a rancho in California was like in the 1800's.
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.
Writing
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Oklahoma State Department of Education

Narrative Prompt

For Students 8th Standards
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THE GAM SAAN ADVENTURE ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK IT?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction. They explore the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

California-Becoming an Agricultural and Insustrial Power

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power. They trace the transformation of the California economy in its political and cultural development since the 1850's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gam Saan Adventure- Are You Willing to Risk it?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its development since the 1850's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative History - Hypertext Dialogues

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students create scripts about California settlers. The document reflects the settlers' fears, expectations, and realizations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Foreign Miners

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine primary source documents from miners who went to California in the search of gold. They compare and contrast the letters they read and discuss what types of discrimination still exists today.
Worksheet
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Hetch Hetchy: The Story of San Francisco's Water

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
How did San Francisco supply enough water for its residents over the last two centuries? Learn about droughts and water conservation in California, as well as specific historical events that led to the water system today. Kids read...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go West Young Man#148

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students determine the difference between immigration and emigration. They read and listen to books about emigration westward during the Gold Rush years. They examine life in Gold Rush towns while determining why gold is so valuable....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

San Francisco Explodes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate why San Francisco grew so quickly during the Gold Rush. They
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decision-Making Scenerios

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders review what they have gathered on the Gold Rush and how the Native Americans lived in the Plains. Using a worksheet, they choose one scenerio they would have liked to be a part of and write their opionions about it...
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

By the Great Horn Spoon!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
By The Great Horn Spoon is a fantastic novel for introducing learners to life during the California Gold Rush. First, kids research and analyze American folk songs, then they connect to the text as they listen to symphonic pieces written...

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