Matt Barton, Sandra Valadez, Deanna Llanos
Social Studies Unit
Dr. Mary Soto & Dr. Maria Sudduth
EDTE 570
California State University, Chico
Gold Rush Concept Map
Big Idea: Life in the Boom Town
Essential Question: What was life like during the California gold rush?
Enduring Understanding: Students will have an understanding of life in the times of the
California gold Rush and its impact on California.
Road:
● Literature from that time
● Field trip to gold mines
● Parents act like a character from the gold rush
● Music lesson
● Research a person that lived during that time
● Townhall meeting
Impact on Nature:
How did the gold
rush affect the
environment?
•Mining/panning for gold
•Population growth
Boomtown Politics:
How did their
politics affect every
day life?
•Cultural effects
Literature:
What does literature
of the time period
tell us about daily
life?
California Gold Rush
4th Grade
Boom Town
Science:
How were they
able to tell other
minerals from
gold?
Daily Life:
How does life
during the gold
rush compare to
now?
• Family life in the gold
rush
•Density of gold
and other
minerals
•Specific
people/cultures
of the time
Standard:
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.
2. Compare how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled (e.g., James Beckwourth, John
Bidwell, John C. Fremont, Pio Pico).
3. Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the physi-cal
using biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
4. Study the lives of women who helped build early California (e.g., Biddy Mason).
environment
(e.g.,
Unit Rationale:
This will be a unit that will focus on the California Gold Rush, specifically focusing on
the daily life of people who lived and settled in California during this era. The students will be
able to demonstrate the content comprehension by the end of this unit through the use of various
assessments. This unit will target multiple intellectual areas of learning. We will help foster this
environment through many different teaching strategies such as, pair share, journaling, guided
reading, posters, role playing, and direct instruction, as well as research.
This lesson will focus on the students understanding of the California Gold Rush. This
unit will target the following content standards:
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.
2. Compare how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled
(e.g., James Beckwourth, John Bidwell, John C. Fremont, Pio Pico).
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).
4. Study the lives of women who helped build early California (e.g., Biddy Mason).
The students that we will be working with for this unit is a classroom of twenty-eight fourth
grade students. There are fourteen male students and fourteen female students. Out of the twentyeight students, fourteen of them are English Learners.
Throughout our lesson students will be able to understand, apply, and analyze
information they acquire through the unit. With understanding students will be able to interpret
information and explain it in their own words. Through applying students will be able to use the
information they have learned in their lessons to help them succeed in the Boom Town Lesson at
the end of the unit. Students will analyze through Gold Rush Era Politics comparing the different
cultures and techniques that affected the environment.
We are using constructivism throughout our unit by having students take control of their
own learning. “First, constructivist teachers seek and value students' points of view. Knowing
what students think about concepts helps teachers formulate classroom lessons and differentiate
instruction on the basis of students' needs and interests” (Brooks). With journals used
throughout the lessons students are able to write down their own ideas and questions to try and
figure out what is going on. Students are able to express their own points of view by discussion
and pair and share, which is valued in a constructivist classroom. We are also creating a lesson
in which students are able to learn about different cultures during this era and how they
coexisted, they will be able to relate this information to their own personal experiences by
writing in their journals and comparing it to life now. We chose to use journals because we
understand that, “When (we) help ELLs make connections between the language of the text
they’re reading and the language they’re using in their own writing, ELLs become more aware
of how they can use this language to express their ideas in writing,” (Celic 95).
For our students who are English Learners and students with Special Needs, they will
have the opportunity to draw pictures as well as writing sentences to practice their writing. They
will also have the opportunity to discuss to other classmates with their ideas. Modifications for
English Learners and students with Special Needs include strategic seating, peer support, visual
representations for words and ideas. Another modification is pairing up our students, in which
the “...partner will be a linguistic and academic support for the beginning ELLs… and continue
developing higher-order thinking skills and content knowledge,” (Celic 33). We want our
students to succeed in the classroom and pairing up the students will give our ELs a chance to
develop language with their partners.
Block Plans:
Preview
Lesson 1: (Deanna)
Introduction: Read various
Books on Gold Rush- By the
Great Horn Spoon! By: Sid
Fleischman, Anisett
Lundberg: American Diaries
#3: California 1851 By:
Kathleen Duey, Bandit's
Moon By: Sid Fleischman,
Ishi: Last of His Tribe By:
Theodora Kroeber
Objective- After reading one
of the various books in a
group, students will explain
the daily life during the
California Gold Rush by
writing in their journals or a
visual poster presentation
Focused-Learning
Lesson 2:
Objective: Students will be
able to describe the
environmental effects of gold
mining by writing three
concrete effects of the gold
rush in California.
Lang. Obj.: Students will be
able to use complete
sentences with proper use of
nouns/verbs when writing
down the effects of the
California gold rush on the
environment.
ELD Standards:
A. Collaborative
1. Exchange information and
ideas with others through oral
collaborative discussions on a
range of social and academic
Closure/Extension
Lesson 4:
(Gold Mine Field Trip)
Objective: After the gold mine
field trip, students will be able
to list three highlights from the
field trip writing a paragraph
of their experience.
Lang. Obj.: Ask questions and
list highlights
Strategies: Think-Pair-Share,
Direct instruction
Content Standards:
Social Studies
4.3.3 Analyze the effects of the
Gold Rush on settlements,
daily life, politics, and the
physical environment (e.g.,
using at least three academic
terms
Lang. Obj.- Communicating
in their groups and as a whole
class. Through TPS and
posters
Strategies: TPS- Sharing
Journal entries with others,
Journaling- Throughout their
time reading the books,
Guided Reading QuestionsGuiding questions that will
help students think beyond the
box
ELD Standards:
10. Writing
Productive
b) Write clear and coherent
summaries of texts and
experiences using complete
and concise sentences and key
words (e.g., from notes or
graphic organizers).
C. Productive
9. Expressing information and
ideas in formal oral
presentations on academic
topics
Content Standard:
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.
3. Analyze the effects of the
Gold Rush on settlements,
daily life, politics, and the
physical environment
Assessments: Journaling
topics
C. Productive
9. Expressing information and
ideas in formal oral
presentations on academic
topics
12. Selecting and applying
varied and precise vocabulary
and other language resources
to effectively covey ideas
Content Standards:
Social Studies
4.3.3 Analyze the effects of
the Gold Rush on settlements,
daily life, politics, and the
physical environment (e.g.,
using biographies of John
Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
Strategies: KWL-what do
you know about the
environmental impact of
mining in the times of the
gold rush?, Think-PairShare, scaffolding
Assessments: Journal write
and class discussion
Lesson 3: (Science Lab)
Objective- Students will be
able to differentiate between
different minerals.
ELD Standards:
A. Collaborative
1. Exchanging information a
nd ideas with others through o
ral collaborative discussions o
n a range of social and acade
mic topics
C. Productive
11. Supporting own opinions
and evaluating others’ opinion
s in speaking and writing
Content Standard:
using biographies of John
Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
Assessment: Students will
write down three highlights
from the trip and use the
academic language learned
from previous lessons.
Lesson 5:
Boomtown
Objective: After being a part of
a pretend boomtown, students
will be able to write about their
experience from the point of
view of an actual person living
during the Gold Rush. They
will then be able to connect
these ideas with present day
trends and situations.
Language Objective:
Communicate with parent
volunteers and fellow students,
exchange “gold” for fake
money, write about their
experience
Assessment: A journal entry
about their experience form the
point of view of a person from
the Gold Rush Era and then
make connection to today’s
world.
(Formative Assessment),
Poster (Summative)
4.The properties of rocks and
minerals reflect the processes
that formed them. As a
basis for understanding this
concept:
b. Students know how to
identify common rockforming minerals (including
quartz, calcite, feldspar, mica,
and hornblende) and ore
minerals by using a table of
diagnostic properties.
Strategies: Hand On- through
panning for gold and seeing
real gold and pyrite.
Cooperative learning groupsThey will be placed in groups
of 4-5 and students will work
together to discuss different
minerals.
Assessment: Students will be
able to identify different
minerals in different rocks
such as pyrite and have a
conversation with their
cooperative learning groups
Individual Lesson Plans:
Deanna Llanos
BILINGUAL PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION PROGRAM
BASIC INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL (BIM)
A MULTIPLE STRATEGY LESSON PLAN
GUIDE
The Basic Instructional Model (BIM) is a general format for planning lessons. It includes the major components of
good lesson plans. It is a format adaptable to several instructional strategies. Whether the teacher is intending to
use a direct instruction strategy, discovery strategy, or other strategy, these are the components of an effective lesson
plan.
CANDIDATE NAME: Deanna Llanos
DATE/TIME: 05/12/14
ESTIMATED LESSON LENGTH: 3 Weeks
GRADE LEVEL: 4th Grade
SETTING (general, special education, or RtI group): 28 Students, 14 male & 14 female, 14 EL
PUPILS: [ x ] WHOLE CLASS
[ x ] SMALL GROUP
[ x ] INDIVIDUAL
TOPIC/TEMA
A brief and clear statement of the themes, ideas, attitudes and/or skills students will learn about in this
lesson.
RATIONALE /JUSTIFICACION:
This lesson is important for students because they are able to learn and understand different cultures during
the Gold Rush Era that will tie into future activities and lessons. Through reading the various books the
students are able to see the different daily lives of people who experienced the Gold Rush and relate this to
other cultures and lives today. Students will be asked to keep a journal in which they will elaborate on ideas
that have been discussed in the various books.
CONTENT STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DEL CONTENIDO
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.
3.
Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the physi
cal environment
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMAND
In this lesson, students will keep journals throughout their time reading the book. Students will have the
opportunity to discuss and share with their group members as well as their classmates on the information
they have discovered or leaned. Throughout the lesson students will be given prompts for what they could
write about daily. Their journals will be a great tool to keep notes about what is going on in the story and
they will be able to elaborate on different characters in the story.
CONTENT VOCABULARY/ VOCABULARIO DEL CONTENIDO:
Gold Rush, Gold Rush Era, Culture, nugget, gold fever, foreigners, forty-niners, placer gold,
coyote mining, profitable
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS/FUNCIONES DE LENGUAJE
The students will be able to describe the different cultures and will be able to inform their
classmates about different people’s daily life. They will also be able to compare and contrast
different cultures experiences.
LANGUAGE FORMS (GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES/ESTRUCTURAS GRAMATICALES)
Using their journals students will be able to practice different types of writing, such as sentences,
paragraphs, essays. This will also be able to use questioning about he book.
ELD STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DE INGLES COMO SEGUNDO IDIOMA
One or two K-12 ELD and/or ELA standards being addressed by the language objective(s) of the
lesson.
10. Writing
Productive
b) Write clear and coherent summaries of texts and experiences using complete and concise
sentences and key words (e.g., from notes or graphic organizers).
C. Productive
9. Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on academic topics
STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:
Given the identified academic language demand, how is this lesson being adapted, and scaffolded
for the targeted language proficiency level of your students (in your lesson)?
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
For our students who are English Learners and students with Special Needs, they will have the opportunity
to draw pictures as well as writing sentences to practice their writing. They will also have the opportunity
to discuss to other classmates with their ideas.
OBJECTIVE(S)/ OBJETIVO: (Content and Language)
After reading one of the various books in a group, students will explain the daily life during the California
Gold Rush by writing in their journals or a visual poster presentation using at least three academic terms
ASSESSMENT(S)/EVALUACION
Students will keep a journal in which they will be able to jot down notes of the book they are reading. At
the end of reading their books they will create a poster in which shows different elements of the story as a
group providing accurate information of their understanding of the books.
STRATEGY/TECHNIQUE/ ESTRATEGIA/TECNICA:
Students will be able to journal throughout their reading of the book; they will also be able to think-pair-share while
working in their cooperative learning groups. Throughout the lesson we will also uses guided reading techniques to
help them with their understanding of the books.
REQUIRED TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The required background for this lessons is to be
able to understand and know the four different books that discuss the California Gold Rush. I should try and
familiarize myself with the different cultures and try to have a further understanding of what they went through and
how this relates to the daily life.
TASK ANALYSIS: Students should be familiar to journaling, Think-pair-share, and guided reading.
PROCEDURES/ PROCEDIMIENTO:
Introduction/Introducción
Begin by captivating students interest about the Gold Rush, by explaining that because of the Gold Rush
California became California we know today.
1.
Students will be placed in four different groups, depending on who I feel like would work best together to
make this lesson as successful as possible. Each group will have about seven students in them, which will
help them work in cooperative learning groups.
2.
Once the students are placed in their groups, each group will be assigned to read one of the books listed
below:
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.
By the Great Horn Spoon! By: Sid Fleischman
Anisett Lundberg: American Diaries #3: California 1851 By: Kathleen Duey
Bandit's Moon By: Sid Fleischman
Ishi: Last of His Tribe By: Theodora Kroeber.
Throughout each day student will have the opportunity to work with their group and read one chapter of
their book. Throughout their time reading I will post questions on the board such as guided reading
questions that they will be able to discuss as a group such as:
1. Does the text remind you of something you know or believe?
2. What is going to happen next? How do you know?
3. What does the author want you to learn at this point?
4. What did the author mean by his last paragraph?
5. What questions do you have about the text?
6. Which parts of the text are the most important?
7. Which image stood out as you read?
8. If you could only use a few sentences to describe the test, what would they be?
(Witter)
I would give groups 2-3 guided questions while they are reading and they can use the strategy of thinkpair-share.
4.
After they have completed their chapter reading they will take time, individually to write down in their
journals the 1-2 guided questions that were given to them. Students will also be asked to draw images they
see while they are reading, poems, or paragraphs about the story or different characters. Whenever I feel
like a group is not on task with their journals I will take turns everyday sitting with a different group during
their reading time.
5.
I can use their journals every 3 days to look at how they are doing and use as a formative assessment to
make sure they understand their reading.
6.
Once complete with their book they will be able to work as a group to create a poster about their whole
book.
Closure/Clausura:
After they complete their poster they will present to the class their understanding.
MATERIALS/ MATERIALES:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
By the Great Horn Spoon! By: Sid Fleischman
Anisett Lundberg: American Diaries #3: California 1851 By: Kathleen Duey
Bandit's Moon By: Sid Fleischman
Ishi: Last of His Tribe By: Theodora Kroeber.
Guided Questions
Journals
Rubric for poster.
Poster paper
Scissors
Glue Stick
Markers
Computer
Printer
Pens/Pencils
PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
I want to create a lesson that students are engaged in and interested in learning about the material
by using different strategies that will keep them interested. I want to create a lesson that students are able
to remember for a long time.
ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES
I will be able to assess my goal if students will learn about the California Gold Rush and different
culture groups that were affected and the daily life of different cultures by reading various books in
groups. Students will be able to identify the different groups and elaborate through writing in journals.
Students will comprehend what they read by creating a group poster of their specific book.
Sandra Valadez
BILINGUAL PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION PROGRAM
BASIC INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL (BIM)
A MULTIPLE STRATEGY LESSON PLAN GUIDE
The Basic Instructional Model (BIM) is a general format for planning lessons. It includes the
major components of good lesson plans. It is a format adaptable to several instructional
strategies. Whether the teacher is intending to use a direct instruction strategy, discovery
strategy, or other strategy, these are the components of an effective lesson plan.
CANDIDATE NAME: Sandra Valadez-Garcia
DATE/TIME: May 11, 2014
ESTIMATED LESSON LENGTH: 45 minutes
GRADE LEVEL: 4th grade
SETTING: In a classroom with twenty-eight 4th grade students. Out of the class there are 14
boys and 14 girls. 14 students are EL.
PUPILS: [ X ] WHOLE CLASS
[ X] SMALL GROUP
[ ] INDIVIDUAL
TOPIC/TEMA
Students will be able to identify the environmental effects of the California Gold Rush.
RATIONALE /JUSTIFICACION:
This lesson is important because the students need to understand the techniques that were
used to obtain gold and their impacts on the environment. This lesson will teach the
students that as humans we have a great impact on the environment. This lesson
addresses the content standard in the sense that the students will be seeing the different
techniques miners in the Gold Rush used and their impact on the environment.
CONTENT STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DEL CONTENIDO
Social Studies
4.3.3 Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the
physical environment (e.g., using biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMAND
In applying academic language demand the students will be given the opportunity to
describe the pros and the cons of the different mining techniques used by the miners in
the California Gold Rush.
CONTENT VOCABULARY/ VOCABULARIO DEL CONTENIDO:
Hydraulic mining
Debris
Pollution
Denuding forest
Mercury
Longtom
Panning
Strike
Placer
Rocker
Gold
Mine
technique
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS/FUNCIONES DE LENGUAJE
Students will be explaining and informing the class about their specific mining
technique.
LANGUAGE FORMS (GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES/ESTRUCTURAS
GRAMATICALES)
Students will be using noun and nouns phrases as well as adjectives to describe
the pros and cons of different types of gold mining techniques.
ELD STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DE INGLES COMO SEGUNDO IDIOMA
A. Collaborative
1. Exchange information and ideas with others through oral collaborative
discussions on a range of social and academic topics
C. Productive
9. Expressing information and ideas in formal oral presentations on
academic topics
12. Selecting and applying varied and precise vocabulary and other
language resources to effectively covey ideas
STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:
In this lesson I will first start with the KWL Chart which will help me access
background knowledge. I will
use this chart to add students’ responses and
scaffold
for the students by providing a visual f the discussion
and
brainstorm. As we read and watch the video, I will also scaffold by adding the academic
vocabulary to the
chart. This chart will be at the front of the room, hanging on the
wall, for students to have easy access
when needed.
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
Modifications for English Learners and students with Special Needs include strategic
seating, peer support, visual representations for words and ideas.
OBJECTIVE(S)/ OBJETIVO: (Content and Language)
Students will be able to describe the environmental effects of gold mining by writing
three concrete effects of the gold rush in California.
Students will be able to use complete sentences with proper use of nouns/verbs when
writing down the effects of the California gold rush on the environment.
ASSESSMENT(S)/EVALUACION
The students will do a journal write describing how the California gold rush effected the
environment. When explaining they will use complete sentences with subject agreement.
STRATEGY/TECHNIQUE/ ESTRATEGIA/TECNICA:
I will be using the strategies think-pair-share to activate background knowledge, KWL
chart to map out the students prior and acquired knowledge throughout the lesson. I also
will be using Guided Reading.
REQUIRED TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The required background knowledge that I must acquire in order to follow through with
the lesson, will include an understanding about the different mining techniques used
during the gold rush. Also I will need to have a great deal of knowledge of the lasting
effect of the gold rush today.
TASK ANALYSIS: Student should be familiar with the KWL Chart. Also the will need be
familiar with the guided reading procedure and the think-pair-share procedure.
PROCEDURES/ PROCEDIMIENTO:
Introduction/Introducción
For the introduction I will begin by accessing their current level of knowledge
based on the KWL Chart. I will pass around “gold” and ask the students to share
some of the ways the miners were able to obtain the gold from the land and the
rivers. Then I will ask them to think about the environment. I’ll ask them what
they would like to know about the effects on the environment.
Activity Sequence/ Secuencia de actividades
1. Students will help me fill out what they know about the techniques used
by the pioneers in the California gold rush.
2. Students will formulate question on the environmental effects of the gold
rush in California.
3. Student will continue with a guided reading of the effects of the mining
techniques in the California gold rush. As students take turns reading we
will define words as they come across them.
4. I will add the words and definitions to the KWL Chart.
5. The students will then watch a video that explains the effects of the
mining techniques that are present to this day. During this video students
will be talking note.
Closure/Clausura
When we are finished with the reading and the video for the lesson the students
will do a journal write. Student will write down three concrete effects of the California gold
rush on the environment. As a review of what we learned today we will have a class discussion
of the environmental impacts of the California gold rush. While we are discussing I will be
writing down what we learned on our KWL Chart.
MATERIALS/ MATERIALES:
o
o
o
o
Journals and pencil for each student
A Sheet of Chart Paper
Article: http://www.calgoldrush.com/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV547grgDL4
PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
My personal teaching objective is to keep the students interested and engaged
throughout the lesson.
ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES
I will know that I have met my teaching objective if I see that the students are
engaged with their learning, asking questions and participating in the discussion.
Matt Barton
BILINGUAL PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION PROGRAM
BASIC INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL (BIM)
A MULTIPLE STRATEGY LESSON PLAN GUIDE
The Basic Instructional Model (BIM) is a general format for planning lessons. It includes the major
components of good lesson plans. It is a format adaptable to several instructional strategies. Whether the
teacher is intending to use a direct instruction strategy, discovery strategy, or other strategy, these are the
components of an effective lesson plan.
CANDIDATE NAME: ___Matt Barton____________
DATE/TIME: __5/13/2014______
ESTIMATED LESSON LENGTH: __All Day (6 hours)_________________
GRADE LEVEL: ____4th___________
SETTING (general, special education, or RtI group): General
PUPILS: [x] WHOLE CLASS
[ ] SMALL GROUP
[ ] INDIVIDUAL
TOPIC/TEMA
Students will be a part of a “boomtown” from the Gold Rush Era.
RATIONALE /JUSTIFICACION:
This lesson will pull together all of the concepts from our unit on the gold rush. They will have already
gone over what daily life would have been like in the gold rush for different groups of people. Through this
they will have a more accurate picture of life during the Gold Rush Era. This will be a summative lesson
that ties the unit together. This lesson goes with the content standard because students will be able to
experience firsthand the daily life, politics, settlements, and the environment during this time.
CONTENT STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DEL CONTENIDO
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.
3. Analyze the effects of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the
physical environment (e.g., using biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe
Vallejo, Louise Clapp).
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEMAND

Students will be interacting with each other and parent volunteers to trade their “gold” for
food and goods, as well as make deals with each other. They will need to know the
vocabulary for basic gold panning terms as well as transactional terms.
CONTENT VOCABULARY/ VOCABULARIO DEL CONTENIDO:
-gold panning
-claim jump
-exchange
-Gold Rush
-Boom Town
-Nuggets
-settlement
-mining
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS/FUNCIONES DE LENGUAJE
Describing- Students will describe what they would like to exchange their “gold for
Explain- Students will explain to fellow classmates what they would like them to do (e.g.
watch their claim while they go exchange their gold)
LANGUAGE FORMS (GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES/ESTRUCTURAS
GRAMATICALES)
Question words (how much, what is, can you, etc.)
Past tense (I went, I did, my friend was…)
Comparing (This is similar to…)
ELD STANDARD/ ESTANDAR DE INGLES COMO SEGUNDO IDIOMA
1. Exchanging information/ideas
Contribute to class, group, and partner discussions, including sustained dialogue, by
following turn‐taking rules, asking relevant questions, affirming
others, and adding relevant information.
STRATEGIES/TECHNIQUES TO SUPPORT ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT:
We are giving them the freedom to talk to whoever they’d like so they are comfortable,
and they have a lot of context because they are role playing and are actually participating in the
gold panning and trading.
UNIVERSAL ACCESS
Students with limited language ability may ask questions in Spanish and get help from Spanish
speaking classmates
Students with special needs may partner up with another student or parent or do the activity on
their own, depending on the severity of their needs.
OBJECTIVE(S)/ OBJETIVO: (Content and Language)
After completing this activity, students will be able to write about their experience from the point of view
of an actual person living during the Gold Rush. They will then be able to connect these ideas with
present day trends and situations.
ASSESSMENT(S)/EVALUACION
Students will write a journal writing about their experience in the boomtown, describing what
their day consisted of and the struggles that they faced. They will connect their experience to
what they have been learning about the real people that were in the gold rush, and describe how
what they experienced can connect to current events and people.
STRATEGY/TECHNIQUE/ ESTRATEGIA/TECNICA:
Role Play
REQUIRED TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Knowledge of the different cultures
present in California during the gold rush, how people interacted with each other, and the different
struggles that people of the time faced.
TASK ANALYSIS: Task Analyze for Prerequisite Student Skills (i.e., what entry skills must students
possess in order to be successful with the lesson).
PROCEDURES/ PROCEDIMIENTO:
Introduction/Introducción
The activity will be first introduced at the beginning of the unit, as something to look forward to.
As the unit progresses, more and more information will be given out about it. At the beginning of
the lesson, the activity will be explained in full, including how to exchange gold, what students
may buy, laws of the town, and what the final assessment will be.
Activity Sequence/ Secuencia de actividades
1. This activity will require a lot of set up and many volunteers. We will need fake buildings to be made,
gold spray painted rocks to be put by the river for panning, and volunteers to run stations.
2. We will drive to the river where this fake boomtown will have been set-up earlier by parent volunteers
and teachers.
3. Students will be told about the rules of the town, which are:
-You may stake your claim at any spot, but once you leave that claim is up for grabs
-You may have someone watch your claim for you
-If you are caught stealing from someone’s person or claim, you will be put in jail for fifteen
minutes.
-You may exchange the gold you find for money at the bank
-You may buy food and other things at the general store.
4. They will be given the rest of the day to pan for gold and buy things, with parents and
teacher
watching and enforcing rules.
5. At the end of the day, parents will help clean up everything. Students will be given their assessment
assignment for homework.
Closure/Clausura
We will ask students a few questions about their experience and then give them their
journal prompt for homework.
MATERIALS/ MATERIALES:
Cardboard buildings and jail
Gold painted rocks
Food
Other prizes
Fake money
PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES:
My personal objective is to provide a fun and interesting activity for students that will stick with
them for a long time, and that will enhance their understanding of the content.
ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL TEACHING OBJECTIVES
I will observe the students during the lesson to see if they look like they are having fun. I will use
the assessment journals to see if the students are learning the content that they are supposed to.
Assessments:
Through assessments, we will use two different forms of assessments. In one lesson we will be
using formative and summative assessment. Through formative assessment we will take a look at
their journals every 2-3 days and check to make sure they are answering their guided questions
correctly. Whenever we feel like a group is not on task we will sit in with them and make sure
they are reading their chapter and answering their guided questions we will be able to assess
where they are in their reading. At the end of the various book readings, as a summative
assessment students will create a poster assignment in which they will be able to show the
different aspects of the book through elements of a story, such as characters, setting, rising
action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Students will be given a rubric in which shows
what I expect on their posters. To assess the students gained knowledge we will be having the
students write in their journals. This will help us as teachers see where the students are in their
writing and their understanding of the content area. We will also have the students participate in
class discussions which will provide us with feedback that we can reflect on. These discussions
will show us if the students obtained a full understanding of the lessons being taught and their
improvement in their language development. Our final (summative) assessment will be the
running journal that they will keep throughout the unit. The last entry will be their response to
the “Boomtown” activity where they will write about their experience as if they were really in
that time and then make connections to present day life.
Resource/ Reference Pages:
Brooks, Martin G., and Jacqueline Grennon Brooks. "Membership." Educational Leadership:The
Constructivist Classroom:The Courage to Be Constructivist. Educational Leadership, n.d. Web.
16 May 2014.
Celic, C. M. (2009). English language learners day by day, K-6: a complete guide to literacy,
content-area, and language instruction. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Witter, Maddie. "Questions to Ask During Guided Reading." Reading Without Limites (2013):
n. pag. Web. 14 May 2014.