The California Gold Rush (A Unit Overview)
From 1849 through most of the 1850’s, San Francisco was one of the most rip-roaring cities
on Earth. Each day San Francisco built an average of 30 new houses and witnessed two murders
and one fire. Its young, heavily armed, largely male populace drank at more than 500 bars and
placed bets at more than 1000 gambling dens. Eggs went for six dollars a dozen and landlords
collected windfall of mother lode of rentals for canvas shanties, abandoned ship hulls, and rooms
in tinderbox houses. Fed on a diet of gold from the Sierra mines, San Francisco burgeoned into a
major seaport in one year, bringing a wealth of both population and cargo that is still evident
today. The students will spend time researching and learning about this period of time in our
state’s history. They will gain a greater understanding of what caused the great migration west
and will learn to appreciate the trials and tribulations of those who sought to make a better life
for themselves. They will have an opportunity to learn the vocabulary of this era while they are
playing fun and informative games. Through the integration of visuals such as bulletin boards
and game boards, as well as partaking in research and discussions the students will develop an
integrated understanding of what this time period was like.
These are the California Standards that will be covered in the unit
•
Subject : History & Social Science
•
Grade : Grade Four
•
Area : California: A Changing State
Students learn the story of their home state, unique in American history in terms of its vast and varied
geography, its many waves of immigration beginning with pre-Columbian societies, its continuous diversity,
economic energy, and rapid growth. In addition to the specific treatment of milestones in California history,
students examine the state in the context of the rest of the nation, with an emphasis on the U.S. Constitution and the relationship between state and federal government.
•
Sub-Strand 4.3: Students explain the economic, social, and political life in California from the
establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush, and the
granting of statehood.
Standard 1: Identify the locations of Mexican settlements in California and those of other
settle-ments, including Fort Ross and Sutter’s Fort.
Standard 3: Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics,
and the physi-cal environment (e.g., using biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
Standard 4: Study the lives of women who helped build early California (e.g., Biddy
Mason).
CA- California K-12 Academic Content Standards
•
Subject : English Language Arts
•
Grade : Grade Four
•
Area : Writing
•
Sub-Strand 1.0: Writing Strategies
Students write clear, coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing
shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing
process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).
•
Concept : Organization and Focus
Standard 1.1: Select a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based
upon purpose, audience, length, and format requirements.
Standard 1.2: Create multiple-paragraph compositions:
a. Provide an introductory paragraph. b. Establish and support a central idea with a
topic sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph. c. Include supporting
paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations. d. Conclude with a
paragraph that summarizes the points. e. Use correct indention.
Standard 1.3: Use traditional structures for conveying information (e.g.,
chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and
answering a question).
•
Sub-Strand 2.0: Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and
experiences. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the
drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.
•
Concept : Using the writing strategies of grade four outlined in Writing Standard 1.0,
students:
Standard 2.1: Write narratives:
a. Relate ideas, observations, or recollections of an event or experience. b. Provide a
context to enable the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience. c. Use
concrete sensory details. d. Provide insight into why the selected event or experience
is memorable.
Standard 2.2: Write responses to literature:
a. Demonstrate an understanding of the literary work. b. Support judgments through
references to both the text and prior knowledge.
Standard 2.3: Write information reports:
a. Frame a central question about an issue or situation. b. Include facts and details
for focus. c. Draw from more than one source of information (e.g., speakers, books,
newspapers, other media sources).
Standard 2.4 : Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading
selection and the most significant details.
Unit Calendar
Summary
Day 1
SS:Background and Introduction to California and the Gold Rush Years- This will be a
whole Group Presentation to the Gold Rush. That includes clips from historychanel.com, images
and writings that will give the students background into the unit. We will also visit a website
called Goldvisitvirtualtour.com that walks us through the beginning of the gold rush and the lust
for gold.
Day 2
SS:Where is California?
Introduce Bulletin Board: Name the Missions. Also includes an art project where the students
will learn about the geography of California and then create California map out of salt and flour.
They will be responsible in including landmarks and painting rivers. This will give them a feel
for the land.
Day 3
SS:California Flag (Bulletin Board): In this lesson the students will learn where the California
flag originated from and the meaning of the symbols on the map. They will then learn how the
flag has changed over the years. This will be followed by an activity of coloring the flag.
Day 4
SS:The Mexican and American War: Through video and whole class discussion the students
will learn about the Mexican American War and why it is important to California History. They
will do this through reading the letters of miners and creating their own letters. This is one of the
large lesson plans.
Day 5
SS:Gold Rush Vocabulary: In this lesson we will review the vocabulary they may have heard
so far and will hear as we enter the time of the gold rush. This will complete the preparation for
the students to begin the gold rush education throughout the next two weeks.
Other: PE Kickball: A fun twist to your normal kickball where students will learn and be
introduced to concept of 49ers and Tommy knockers.
Day 6
SS: Gold at Sutter’s Mill/Assign Mining Groups: The students will be put into mining groups
where the students will be responsible for controlling and maintaining a mining camp. Every
Day this will include a different activity. The will also do the Sutter’s Mill Bulletin Board
activity where they will learn where gold was first found and the Gold Rush all started.
(Bulletin Board)
Other: Language Arts: Begin reading The Great Horn Spoon
Day 7
SS: Gold Rush Migration: Here the students will begin a five day journal about the hardships
travelers faced going to California. This includes move across America and by sea. They will
read from miners journals about the struggles they faced from the beginning.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
Day 8
SS: Life in the Gold Fields: The students will be introduced through images and power points
what life was like in the gold fields. Then they will be put into their groups and discuss what they
can do to survive the hardships that they know they will face.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
Day 9
SS:Hydraulic Mining(Bulletin Board) : They will read with their groups information from the
bulletin board about Hydraulic Mining. They will also have to complete the bulletin board
activity with their groups. They will then discuss how their mining group will mine for gold.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
Day 10
SS:Gold Rush Prices: We will have a whole class discussion of how the merchants increased
their prices because they could. They will receive a worksheet that will give them their wages
and how much gold their mining group has found and then they will be given the prices of the
tools they will need to keep their camp going. They will have to come up with total price to
survive.
Other: P.E.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
Day 11
SS: The People who changed California: The mining groups will be assigned a specific person
who helped shape California and or the Gold Rush. They will be asked to do their own research
either from the library or internet and find out what they can about their person. Then they will
be asked to present their information to the class.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
Day 12
SS:The Women who changed California: This will be a whole class discussion of what role
Gold Rush women play. How they helped shape California. This will bring them into the other
diversity in California gold rush.
Other: Language Arts-Writing about the diversity in the California Gold Rush
Day 13
SS: Life on the Homestead: In a whole class discussion we will discuss life as a homestead or
in mining camps. We will watch video from history channel .com where they shoe the hardships
that miners faced in that most of them did not find gold.
Read Aloud: The Great Horn Spoon
/Day 14
SS: Finish reading The Great Horn Spoon, the students will then be asked in their mining
groups to fill out the comprehension worksheets. They will also write a reflective paper on what
they have learned from The Great Horn Spoon and throughout the lesson.
Test Review
Day 15
SS:Unit Test
Lesson Plans
The unit is to get the students to know and understand the Gold Rush. In this particular lesson
the students need to understand the rush to California. What started it and how it was like for
the travelers in this time to travel the students will learn and have a concept for. This will have
to take place in the beginning of the unit after the student learn about the discovery of the gold
and what starts the gold and rush and the migration to California.
This lesson will teach students all about the Mexican-American War. The lesson will
explain how the Mexican War for Independence affected California and how it changed
history. Important dates and historical figures from the war will be discussed. Students will
learn about independence, equality, and how the government works.
The Gold Rush is one of the most important eras in California's history. The state of
California was transformed during this period. Prior to the Gold Rush, California was
mainly a sparsely settled Mexican frontier territory made up of a handful of seaport towns,
dozens of Native American tribes, sll farms and large ranches. The Gold Rush turned this
state into the prime destination it is today and was bombarded with adventurous, goldseeking people from all over the world. Before the end of this period California had joined
the Union, hundreds of thousands of emigrants had arrived, gold worth millions of dollars
was found.
This created the ethnic and racial diversity that exists in California today. The pouring in of
racial and ethnic groups created a tremendously diverse population and with that diversity
came many challenges. We have been studying all about the Gold Rush for weeks now and
this lesson is towards the end of the unit and asks students to consider the challenges that
many were presented with due to the huge influx of people entering the state and seeking
to make their fortune.
Students will play a game of Kickball on the school playground. Students will be divided
into two teams. The teams will be called the Forty-Niners and the Tommyknockers
The task: Committees will be formed from each of the four towns surrounding the
Trout River in California. The towns are Sleepyville, Deer Valley, Pinetown, and Quiet
Gulch. It will be each committee's job to come up with a plan that will successfully
solve the problems of the last gold Rush. In order to do this, they must first find out
answers to the following questions regarding the Gold Rush of 1849:
1) How did the miners reach the gold fields? What problems did this trip cause?
2) What did the miners do once they reached the fields?
3) What kind of equipment did they need for mining? What other goods did they need?
4) Were there any problems caused by these needs? How did they get the supplies that
they needed?
5) Did any of the mining cause harm to the environment?
6) What kind of problems arose in the mining towns before there were laws? What laws
were needed?
Once the answers to these questions have been answered, they will come up with
solutions to each of the problems.
Literature Ties
The first literature tie-in is the book “Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush
California”, by Jerry Stanley. This book gives students an opportunity to understand
the growing diversity that was taking place in California during this particular time in
our nation’s history. It tells the story of the African-American forty-niners who went
west to seek fortunes and freedom in the California Gold Rush. The plight is recounted
through the personal experiences of Mifflin Gibbs and Peter Lester. Prejudice was
running rampant and life was not easy. These two men persevered and were able to
succeed where many had failed. Their efforts included support from the Underground
Railroad and behind the scenes lobbying to make life a better for African-Americans in
California.
The next piece of literature we have selected to extend the impact of these lessons is the
book “Precious Gold, Precious Jade”, by Sharon E. Heisel. It takes place during the
waning days of the California Gold Rush and deals with the clashes between the white
settlers and the Chinese immigrants. It is based on the friendship of a young woman
who befriends a Chinese family despite the racism and fear that overwhelm the
residents of her small western mining town.
Lastly, we have chosen the classic, “By the Great Horn Spoon”, by Sid Fleischman.
This is wonderful historical fiction with endearing characters that teaches kids about sea
travel in the mid-1800s and a taste of what San Francisco and the gold camps of the
1849-50s might have been like--without them even knowing that they're learning
something.
The story of the boy Jack and his Butler named Praiseworthy takes them from Boston
on a ship to San Francisco and the gold fields of northern California. Praiseworthy is
like a male Mary Poppins who always manages to find just the right solution to
situations. His "magic," however, is his careful observation of people, kind heart, and
keen understanding of human nature.
Synthesis Task Project
The students will put on a play that tells the story of their mining groups that they have
been working on throughout the entire gold rush unit. The students were required to
create step by step their own experience as miner during this time. Their play will have
to correlate with all the projects they have completed and tell their story of their
experience as miners during this time. For example one of their first assignments was to
keep a five day journal of how they traveled to California and why. So their play will
start here acting out what they have written. The rest of their lessons were also given to
them in a time line that will correlate with writing a play in the correct order. This is a
fun way to tie together this unit for the students. It gives them a chance to show what
they have learned and include some of everything they did in the unit. A synthesis
project is something that ties a lot of different pieces together and this play will do just
that. The play also allows the unit to include some performing arts in this gold rush
unit. So the last day as what would be the unit test will be each mining group
performing their play for the class.
Internet Links
PBS Kids
PBS Kids has a wide variety of short clips on The Gold Rush and sub-contents such as
The Mexican-American War, Mining, and missions. This site provides informative and
educational videos that you can watch online. This site can be used for teaching a
lesson and also for students to use to research information.
How Stuff Works
How Stuff Works is a subsidiary website owned by Discovery. This site provides
articles and video clips on many topics. The link provided focuses on information about
The California Gold Rush. This site can be used as a tool for teaching and a tool for
students to explore.
Malakoff
The Malakoff website is a compilation of links to different facts of The California Gold
Rush. It provides links to general and specific information. This site can be used as a
tool for teaching and a tool for students to explore.
Fun Trivia
Fun trivia provides an online quiz that student can take and receive their results with an
explanation of the answer for each question. There are four quizzes to choose from.
This site is a tool that can be used to assess students’ knowledge. It is a site that
students can go on to test their knowledge
History on the Net
History on the Net provides facts about the Gold Rush and printable worksheets the
teachers can provide to the students. There is also a true/false interactive quiz that
students can take.
File Folder
There are four file folder games for the students to play at the interactive bulletin board.
The first game is a bingo game that has vocabulary words related to the California Gold
Rush era. The second game is called Race to the Gold!!!”
As the gold miners raced to California for the gold so will the students. To advance
through the board game the students need to answer the trivia questions to move across
America. This is a fast paced game made to review and familiarize you with the facts of
the California Gold Rush. Next, we have a game called “Eureka Gold”
In this game; you must advance your miner to the GOLD. You can do this by beginning
at start and move forward by answering the trivia questions correctly. Be careful
because some cards might contain more than a question that can make you move
backwards or lose a turn. To advance your player make sure you know your Gold Rush
facts! Lastly, like any good Gold Rush game the point here is to win the GOLD! You
can do this by first like any miner has to do count on chance. Roll the dice and if you
get the higher number you get to pull a card. Once you have pulled the card make sure
that you answer the trivia questions correctly so that you can be the miner to get the
gold first!
Bulletin Board Tie-In
1. Name the missions (Day 2): In order for students to get their mining cart on the board
the must write at least three missions on the California white board.
2. Wave your flag (Day 3): Students will read about the history of the California State
Flag. They will then color their own state flag.
3. Sutter's Mill (Day 6): John Sutter was a man in search for gold. Students will work
on a Sutter's Mill word search.
4. Hydraulics (Day 9): As mining for gold became a popular profession, technology
was advancing everyday. Students will read letters from miners during the Gold Rush
era and see what changes hydraulic mining had on the environment. Students will then
write a letter summarizing and explaining the occurrences and affects hydraulic mining
had on the environment.
5. Go 49's (Day 10: The Forty-niner's were not just a football team, they were among
the first miners to find gold. Students will create an annotated map about the travel that
the forty-niner's had to do.
6. Eureka!!!: Students have struck it rich and completed every required activity on the
board. They can now pan for gold and become wealthy in classroom riches.
7. Strike More: There are a extra activities that students can do for extra credit. There is
a mining terms crossword puzzle, panning for gold worksheet, and gold rush word
search with a picture search for each starred word.
735f3446c8379b
Assessment and Remediation Plan