American Democracy in Word and Deed
MDUSD/UCB H-SSP
4th Grade Lesson: “Bear Flag Revolt”
Developed by: Kimberly Leyden, Kay Lunine, Christi Hadley, and Marcy McCullah
Teaching American History Grant Focus Question:
How have the words and deeds of people and institutions shaped democracy in the U.S.?
Grant Yearly Theme: Cultural
History-Social Science Standard/s:
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.
Common Core Reading Standard/s:
RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text,
including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect,
problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
Common Core Writing Standard/s:
W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are
defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Unit Topic: The Road to Statehood
Lesson Focus Question:
Describe the main events of the Bear Flag Revolt.
Lesson Teaching Thesis:
U.S. settlers marched into Sonoma, arrested Vallejo, and claimed the territory as an independent
republic.
Reading and Writing Strategy/ies:
 READING Strategy:
o Chronology/Sequence
 WRITING Strategy:
o Summarize expository text.
Lesson Assessment:
The written summary
Suggested Amount of Time:
One class period
Textbook Citation:
California: A Changing State. Orlando, Florida: Reflection Series, Harcourt
School Publishers, 2007, Chapter 5, Lesson 3, p 210
Primary Source Citation:
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist6/fremont.html
http://www.militarymuseum.org/BFR2.html
Context of the lesson in the unit:
This lesson is taught after a series of lessons about the Westward Movement into California.
Subsequent lesson focuses on the Mexican-American War.
Lesson Procedure:
1. Introduction
 Pass out Bear Flag picture
 Students Pair/Share what they see
 Discuss what students observed.
 Teacher explains information from primary source
 As a whole class, use the “Fremont and The Bear Flag Revolt” map to remind students that this
occurred after Fremont was ordered to leave California
2. Reading Strategy
 Hand out the three pages either as packet or as needed
 Chorally read the first page
 To access prior knowledge - Review as a class how/why did the settlers become rebels (P207-209)
 Discuss how to use text to identify the order events happened
 Use highlighters, circles, or underlining to identify events within the text
 Complete the chart as a whole class (partners would also work then check as a class)
3. Writing Strategy
 Using the chronology worksheet complete the summary as a class or if students are ready to write
the summary on their own have them complete the page independently.
History-Social Science Content Standards:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/BE/ST/SS/documents/hssstandards.doc
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/BE/ST/SS/documents/hssstandards.doc
*Note: They are listed under K-5, grades 6-8, grades 9-12, and are embedded within
a larger document that also lists the individual grade level standards.
Common Core State Standards:
Reading: Informational Text
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/reading-informational-text/grade-4/
Writing:
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/writing/grade-4/
Speaking and Listening:
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/speaking-and-listening/grade-4/
Language
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/language-standards-k-5/grade-4/