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The Gam Saan Adventure- Are You Willing to Risk it?
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.
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You Can Depend on Me
Students identify how they depend on others, and examine and discuss the images on the California Quarter Reverse. They view and discuss images of various habitats, complete a Habitat Research worksheet, and create a habitat diorama.
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The Adventure Begins: "Boys I Believe I Have Found a Gold Mine!"
Students view and discuss historical documents regarding Native Americans and Californians prior to the gold rush in the 1940's. They complete a variety of activities designed to show what they have learned from these sources and class...
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Getting There: "Do You Want To Go To California?"
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...
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Days of '49: "I've Been Toiling Hard for the Last Two And a Half Years"
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.
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the World Rushed In: "Who Are These People? And How Came They Here?"
Students discuss the struggles Californians dealt with regarding diversity brought about by the Gold Rush. They participate in a variety of creative, original activities and projects designed to reinforce the idea of historical diversity...
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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 They study historical documents and participate in a variety of hands-on activities designed to reinforce the concept of the lesson.
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California Here We Come!
Pupils, in groups, explore the impac the Gold Rush immigration had on the culture of California. They write a newspaper article from the 1850s identifying immigrant groups to California during the Gold Rush era.
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Narrative History - Hypertext Dialogues
Students create scripts about California settlers. The document reflects the settlers' fears, expectations, and realizations.
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Cariboo Gold Rush Adventure
Pupils play the online game Cariboo Gold Rush, in which students make decisions like the original gold miners did.
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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.
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California Regions
Fourth graders explore the four regions of California and compare and contrast them, and use pictures and research information to describe how regions vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife and climate.
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The State Seal Online Lesson
Fourth graders investigate the Seal of the State of California and the meaning of its parts.
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California Regions
Students explore and compare and contrast the four main regions of California: mountains, coast, central valley, and desert. students use pictures and research to describe how regions vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife and climate.
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50 States Word Search
In this fifty states worksheet, students identify and locate all fifty states of the United States of America. There are 50 states located in the word search.
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Words In The News: Beverly Hills Smoking Ban
Students read news articles about the proposed smoking ban in California restaurants. After discussing the news report, they role-play scenarios about nonsmoking situations. In groups, they brainstorm the pros and cons of smoking bans...
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VAcations in Northern California
Students explore the natural resources and National Parks of Northern California that are commonly visited by people traveling in the United States. They use maps to locate various sites, plan a highway travel route and use the internet...
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The Cycle of Restoration
Students describe what is meant by restoration cycle. In groups, they create a poster to show the cycle of restoration work. After presenting their poster, they discuss the actions that can be done for each season. To end the lesson,...
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Applying For The Mission
Students participate in a live simulation of traveling through space as part of a large science unit. They are encouraged to go into the community and ask for participation from parents and relatives. Students reflect upon their own...
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Decision-Making Scenerios
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...
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Follow a Bill!
Students participate in an activity to discover how a bill becomes law in California. In groups, they create a school program based on their own ideas for change. They develop and conduct a survey within their community and present their...
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Savvy in Sacramento
Young scholars take a field trip to the state capital, Sacramento. Using the Internet, they explain the physical and human geographic features of the area and discuss interactions between the people of California between the time of...
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Debate: Whose Land Is It?
Students identify the main factors involved in determining who was able to claim the land of California as their own. They determine the factors of unjustness in the Gold Rush times. Students reflect on what they learned from the debate...
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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.