Curated OER
California's Golden History: 1848-1880
Using a variety of online resources, learners study life and society in California during the gold rush. They use a map to identify area where gold was located, explore pre-selected websites, describe mining practices, and create an...
Curated OER
How is Gold Found in the Ground?
Fourth graders participate in a series of activities designed to simulate mining for gold. They pan for "gold" and create a safe tunnel.
Curated OER
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.
PBS
Baker's Gold
Learners examine art of the California Gold Rush. In this visual arts lesson, students analyze the photography and art of Isaac Wallace Baker. Learners also conduct further research about the miners of the era in order to create...
Eastconn
Women of the California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was not just an opportunity for the male gold miners sifting for shiny nuggets. Small groups read accounts of the ways women took advantage of the influx of workers to run hotels, bake pies, and wading out into...
Curated OER
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Students view and discuss historical documents regarding Native Americans and Californians prior to the gold rush in the 1940's. They complete a variety of activities designed to show what they have learned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...
Curated OER
Metaphorical Gold: Mining the Gold Rush for Stories
Young scholars complete a history and research lesson about the Gold Rush using selections from Jack London. In this Gold rush research lesson, students research the Klondike/Alaska Gold Rush and use details from the history in their own...
Curated OER
Gold Rush -- Lesson 4
Middle schoolers continue their examination of the Gold Rush in California. In groups, they use a map to examine the original sites of the towns and what happened to them. They work together to create a brochure for one of the towns...
Curated OER
History of the American West
Ninth graders research early mining in California. They study the "placer method" for mining gold, which is surface mining that does not involve tunneling. They examine what it was like for the early miners to pan for gold with...
K12 Reader
Missing Nouns
Scholars use nouns from a word bank to complete sentences in a fill-in-the-blank learning exercise that tells a tale about the California Gold Rush.
Curated OER
Gold Rush Quiz
Young scholars take a quiz about the Gold Rush that happened in California. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, students complete 8 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Klondike Fever
Middle schoolers consider the geographical aspects of the gold rush. In this gold lesson plan, students research just what gold is and where it has been found. Middle schoolers create maps that highlight the regions of the world where...
Curated OER
Gold Production
Middle schoolers compare information on "California Gold Production". They participate in class discussion. They write a summary regarding gold production in California over time.
Curated OER
Gold Rush Quiz
In this Gold Rush worksheet, students answer multiple choice questions about the Gold Rush. Students answer 20 questions total.
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
Hydraulic Mining
Students explore reasons for supporting and opposing hydraulic mining. It was the most efficient and used mining method until 1884. A simulated court hearing is held where a decision is made whether to allow the continued use of this...
Curated OER
Documenting the Great Depression
Students compare and contrast two photographs from the Great Depression, and identify the ways in which the photographers depicted the hardships of everyday life during this period. They hypothesize about the story behind each photograph...
Curated OER
Legacies of El Dorado
High schoolers 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 instructional...
Stanford University
Chinese Immigration and Exclusion
The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first race-based restriction on immigration in American history. Why was the act passed after Chinese immigrants helped build the Transcontinental Railroad? A series of documents, including speeches and...
Central Bucks School District
Making Generalizations
Being able to recognize patterns, craft generalizations, and draw conclusions based on information in a text passage are essential critical thinking skills. Encourage learners to hone these skills with a worksheet that asks them to read...
Curated OER
Hydraulic Mining Offline Lesson
Students utilize a variety of source materials to explore reasons for supporting or opposing hydraulic mining. A mock court hearing is held where a decision to allow the continued use of hydraulic mining is made.
Curated OER
San Francisco Explodes
Learners investigate why San Francisco grew so quickly during the Gold Rush. They
Curated OER
Oh My Darling
Students discuss human interaction with the environment and sing "Clementine" with historical fiction lyrics. They create a map or model of a mining camp in which Clementine may have lived. They discuss what might happen to their...
Curated OER
Those Golden Jeans - Demand Schedule
Students build a demand schedule, and analyze a supply schedule for slices of cheese pizza, and then determine the market clearing price. They analyze the market if prices are set above or below the market clearing price.