Motivational Introduction to the California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush sparked many people to try for their fortunes and led to the formation of some well-known California cities. Have your class read about the changes that happened and then respond to the five included questions.

Immigration to the US has been a topic of discussion for many years. Inform your class about discrimination against immigrants during the Gold Rush with a short reading passage. After reading, class members answer five questions related...

Young historians travel back through time as they explore Colorado's gold rush in this social studies lesson. After reading a first hand account of a woman's experience in a smelting facility, students complete the included graphic...

How much water does it take to brush your teeth? How about to wash your clothes? Perform an experiment that measures water usage in everyday tasks and compares them to the days before indoor plumbing, specifically the California gold...

Learn about the California Gold Rush from an institution that has been in place since the early days of the American West: Wells Fargo History Museum. From domain-specific vocabulary review to group research projects, an expansive packet...

There's gold in them thar hills! A short cartoon introduces middle schoolers to the California Gold Rush of 1849. The video encourages viewers to dig deeper and mine for a lode of information about gold mining, the 49ers, and the...

Fourth graders read about the era in their history books, write in their journals revolving around the Gold Rush, making crafts such as newspapers, and also play the part of the Forty-niners.

Students analyze and compare the lyrics of two songs that reflect the personal experiences of miners during and after the Gold Rush. They compare the expectations of miners as they arrived in California with the realities of life in the...

Fourth graders explore the California Gold Rush. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, 4th graders investigate the reasons behind the settlement rush to California. Students research various wagon trails settlers traveled, daily life during the...

Eureka! Discover gold in this ELD history activity, which provides both instruction and a number of activities. Teachers first engage the class in a "call and response" activity about people who came to California during the Gold Rush,...