Students compare contemporary cultural differences with historical differences based on population percentage. In this cross-curriculum Gold Rush/math lesson, students analyze aspects of California's Gold Rush population and diversity...

Take your class back to the New West and the times of the Gold Rush, with a great slide show. They'll find wonderful images and lots of easy-to-read informational text describing everything from boom towns to The Battle of Little Big...

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.

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...

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...

The California Gold Rush rewrote the history of the American West, but especially that of San Francisco. After analyzing images of the city and primary sources, such as a diary entry, scholars discuss these changes. Scaffolded questions...

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, learners complete the included graphic...

Eureka! Discover gold in this ELD history lesson, 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, and...

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...

Upon hearing of the gold discovery at Sutter's Mill in California in the 1840s, a flood of migrants went West in search of wealth and fame. Others, such as Chinese workers, came from farther away. Using video clips from historians and...

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...

Students create a virtual exhibit. In this gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush, view a virtual image of the gold nugget that started the gold rush and examine the sources. Students research and...

Students learn what it was like to be a gold miner. In this California gold rush activity, students watch a movie about the California gold rush and discuss what they learned. Students use the Internet to examine the gold nugget that...

Students analyze data and form a mental picture of the make up of a gold rush town. They explain social life in a gold rush town. They use online sources to see paintings of camp life and read accounts of miners' lives.

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

There is a lot to learn from art. This teacher's guide provides you with extensive background information, activities, and a scripted commentary to accompany a slide show on French artists in California during the Gold Rush Period. The...

Students study the history of the American Gold Rush and its effects on prospector's lives, indigenous peoples, western expansion, and the U.S. and Candian economy. They image life as a hopeful prospector during the Gold Rush. Students...

Inquiry, investigation, and research are the hallmarks of a lesson that asks class members to examine a variety of primary and secondary sources about the Alaskan gold rushes. Groups then present their findings in the form of a play, a...

Learners discover the people who lived in California before and after the gold rush. They use primary source documents to identify how the finding of gold changed the area. They also discover the discrimation that was present during the...

Jack London's novel The Call of the Wild is set during the Yukon Gold Rush and describes the harsh environment of the Klondike. Ask your class to describe the Klondike and consider the motivation needed to take a journey like the one so...

Eighth graders examine the economics of the California Gold Rush Era using factual and fictional biographies. Working in groups, a biographical sketch is analyzed in order to determine if their individual became rich or not, how or what...

Students develop and hone their historical inquiry and analytical abilities. They draw up a list of 20 essential items they would have to bring to survive one year as a Gold Rush stampeder.

Students examine historical images of the Alaskan Gold Rush and complete a worksheet to better explain this era. They create a PowerPoint related to the images.