Few have heard of Dolores Huerta and her part in organizing the California farm workers, establishing the United Farm Workers union and orchestrating the Delano Grape strike. High schoolers consider why this powerful woman has been...

Fourth graders consider the role that baskets play in the traditional lives of Native Americans in California. Students investigate types of baskets and their various uses and then weave their own baskets.

How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...

After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the...

In this historical reading comprehension learning exercise, students read a factual account of the Gold Rush. Students answer 14 questions about the passage.

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.

Students study the history and importance of the Triborough Bridge in New York City, and then research different bridges and prepare presentations about them. They, in groups, research a bridge and prepare a poster about it.

Third graders look into certain environmental problems. The governmental branches are investigated and how government takes care to solve problems of the environment.

Using the presidential election of 1960 as background information, learners consider the push of electoral reform. They read about the events and issues surrounding President Kennedy's win in 1960 and compare them to the same issues...

Students participate in class discussion to investigate how media affects the ideas of Americans (specifically in politics) and then research events in political history to analyze how the media may have influenced the government's...

What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...

As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...

Where do anti-immigrants myths come from, and how can they be refuted? Learners critically analyze media reports and how to identify reliable sources. After studying a timeline that details the history of US nativism, groups research the...

In this mystery state activity, students answer five clues to identify the state in question. They then locate that state on a map.

Learners explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power, tracing the transformation of the California economy and its development since the 1850's.

Learners explore California's authors and their lives. In this author study, students research different authors from California. They create podcasts about their authors, walking the audience through the author's life and points of...

Students 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.

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.

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 activity.

Learners identify the routes involved in the Gold Rush on a map. In this map skills lesson, students use a United States map to locate the routes used to travel to California during the Gold Rush. Learners demonstrate how to use the map...

Students read writings by Ralph Waldo Emerson to analyze transcendentalism and analyze photographic essays depicting environmental issues. In this art and history instructional activity, students read excerpts of Nature by Emerson to...

In this online interactive computing and Internet history quiz learning exercise, students respond to 10 questions. Students may check their answers to checked for accuracy.

Students discover the history of San Francisco. For this San Francisco history lesson, students collaborate to research historical eras of the city and then perform mini-dramas based on their findings.

In this US History worksheet, students complete the crossword puzzle using the clues at the bottom of the page. There are 34 clues in total on this worksheet.