Curated OER
Mystery State #26
In this mystery state worksheet, students answer five clues to identify the state in question. They then locate that state on a map.
Curated OER
Days of '49: "I've Been Toiling Hard for the Last Two And a Half Years"
Young scholars 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.
Curated OER
Rancho San Pedro
Students perform 15 different activities in order to investigate what life on a rancho in California was like in the 1800's.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Hetch Hetchy: The Story of San Francisco's Water
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 two...
Curated OER
Gold Fever
In this reading worksheet, students answer 10 multiple-choice questions about the book. For example, "Why did John Sutter ask James Marshall to keep the gold a secret?"
California Academy of Science
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Before Google, before Sillicon Valley, before the Gold Rush, the San Francisco landscape was a biome filled with grizzly bears, mule deer, tule elk, coyotes, gray fox, gophers, and moles. To explore the early days of yesteryear, kids...
Curated OER
Motivational Introduction to the California Gold Rush
Fourth graders download pictures and write script for narration as they create a KidPix slide show to introduce the study of the California Gold Rush.
Curated OER
Yukon Gold Rush
Seventh graders explore the background information for the book, Call of the Wild. They use electronic and video resources to establish the background. Students discuss the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and the Yukon Gold Rush.
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Renewing the Sectional Struggle
A panorama of the mid-19th century in America, this series of images present several issues that were prevalent before the Civil War. Territorial and social conflicts were heated during this time, and one map in particular shows a...
Curated OER
Gold Fever
Students read the story Gold Fever about the Gold Rush and write journal entries as if they were miners. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, students also pull out rocks from a back, and if they pick a gold one, they have struck it rich!
Curated OER
Getting There: "Do You Want To Go To California?"
Young scholars, 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...
Curated OER
Heritage: Seeking Land or Gold
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.
Curated OER
Chinese Immigration in the Mid-19th Century
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Chinese immigration lesson, students research the Chinese immigration between 1850 and 1882.
Curated OER
Manifest Destiny
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...
Curated OER
Legacies of El Dorado
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.
Curated OER
Ethnic Family Life
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.
Curated OER
Heading West
Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. instructional activity, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students...
Curated OER
Traveling/Mapping
Pupils examine routes to gold. In this California gold rush lesson, students map land and water routes to California. Pupils use maps to copy the routes that they want to market to gold diggers.
Curated OER
Grade 6 Reading and Writing Assessment
In this grade 6 reading and writing learning exercise, students complete an assessment. Students read the poems and essays about the Gold Rush and complete the essay questions on the lines provided.
University of Richmond
The Overland Trails 1840-1860
What led Americans to head west in the 1800s? Using an interactive map and journals from those who traveled, pupils explore the stories of those who migrated. In addition, they see how the numbers fluctuated in response to the push-pull...
Annenberg Foundation
Masculine Heroes
What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...
Curated OER
A Dollar Goes A Long Way
Investigate life along the Old Spanish Trail! They visit websites and identify the history and environment. They create journals, dramatic enactments, and maps to discover the role individuals played in society. They also explore the...
Curated OER
THE GAM SAAN ADVENTURE ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK IT?
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...
Curated OER
California-Becoming an Agricultural and Insustrial Power
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.