Lesson Two: The Act of Possession
FOUNDATION FOR THE PLAN
Subject Matter Area: Social Science
Grade Level: Fourth
Focus Questions: Did the Spaniards have the right to claim and take possession of Alta
California?
California Missions: A Blessing or a Curse?
In the previous lesson students investigated the various reasons for the Spanish exploration of
the Alta California region. In this lesson students will examine the ways in which Alta
California was claimed by explorers and missionaries. The learners will consider whether the
Spaniards had the right to take possession of the land and whether it was justified. This
lesson serves as a bridge to lesson three because it builds the foundation for how the Native
Americans would have reacted to the Spanish on their land.
Standards:
2.3 Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships
among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola).
Evidence of Practicing Multicultural Education
This lesson was influenced by the “Knowledge Construction” domain of multicultural
education. In this lesson I aimed to deconstruct misconceptions that have been taught in the
classroom about the exploration and settlement of Alta California. In third grade the students
are taught that the Spanish came into Alta California and claimed the land in the name of the
Spanish King. My activities aim to have students critically think about whether it was
possible to take possession of a land that is already inhabited by a people living there
hundreds of years. I am having the student challenge and analyze the information that is
presented to them. They need to learn not to take any source of information at face value,
especially when it come to historical knowledge since it is usually biased and influenced by
the “victors.” In this case, it has been those who were able to leave a written account of their
experiences.
Materials:
 The “Act of Possession” (Appendix A).
 “A Recount of the Day Monterrey Bay was Claimed” (Appendix B)
 Map of California (Appendix C)
 White paper to use for a storyboard.
Objectives:
 Students will be able to sequentially list the events that occurred during de Portola’s act
of possession by completing a storyboard with six actions, having five of the six events
listed in order.

Students will take a position on whether the act of possession conducted in Monterrey
Bay was justified by completing a quick-write that has a minimum of three supporting
statements related to the readings with 75% accuracy.
THE PROGRESSION OF THE PLAN
Accessing Prior Knowledge (5 minutes)
The teacher will ask students to name Spanish explorers that entered into Alta California
before 1770 as well as what the consequences were to the region. The students are expected
to name individuals such as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Francis Drake, Sebastian Rodriguez
Cermeno, and Sebastian Vizcaino. They should also respond that the Spaniards did not settle
the land, thus the lives of the Native Americans were not significantly impacted during the
early explorations of the Alta California coast. Since the Spaniards did not find the gold or
silver they desired nor did they find a shortcut to Asia they claimed the land in the name of
Spain and it went forgotten for more than 150 years. It was not until King Carlos III learned
that the Russians wanted to explore the lands of Alta California that he sent Jose de Galvez
and four expeditions to settle the land. The ships landed in San Diego Bay 110 days after
they set sail from Mexico.
*Introduction (5 minutes)
The teacher will stand at the back of the classroom (next to the door) then introduce herself
as Gaspar de Portola, an explorer from Galvez’s expedition that led Father Junipero Serra on
an overland expedition from San Diego to Monterey Bay. She will state that she has now
entered the land of Monterey Bay. The teacher will then move across the room until she is
standing in front of the classroom. When she reaches the front, she will read de Portola’s
speech from the “Act of Possession” (Appendix A) while acting out the actions in the event
(tossing dirt and rocks in the air, tearing up plants, etc).
Task One (15 minutes)
Step One:
The teacher will tell the students that their first task of the day will be to discuss, in their
table groups, what they believe they just witnessed the teacher re-enact. She will remind the
students that she was playing the part of a Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer that has
arrived at Monterey Bay. The teacher will then track de Portola’s journey from San Diego to
Monterey Bay on the California map. She will also display de Portola’s speech on the dot
cam, reviewing and conducting a TPR of key terms that students may be unfamiliar with,
such as: proclaim, triumphal, Lord Inspector General, etc. She will give the students five
minutes to discuss among their groups, emphasizing that every person must be ready to
present since they can be called randomly. At the end of the five minutes she will ask for
volunteers from every group to present to the class, if there are no volunteers she will
randomly call students from each group (choosing students who speak up the least in class
since there is no one correct answer). After each presentation, the teacher will probe
members in the group to justify their responses using evidence from de Portola’s speech.
Task Two (45 minutes)
Step One:
The teacher will tell the student that their second task will be to create a story board of the
events that occurred in the claiming of Monterrey Bay. Then she will post “The Act of
Possession*” reading passage on the dot cam. She will ask the students to skim the passage,
looking for unfamiliar words clarifying their meaning in the context of the passage. Then, she
will conduct a read-aloud of the entire passage telling students to pay close attention to the
sequence of events and the people involved since it is critical for the creation of their story
boards. She will then read the entire passage (including de Portola’s speech). Next, the
teacher will read “A Recount of the Day Monterrey Bay was Claimed” (Appendix B)
focusing more on the details such as the sounding of the muskets, the planting of the flag, etc.
The teacher will have the students verbally retell parts of the story in chronological order,
listing the events on the board.
Step Two:
The teacher will have a five to ten minute mini-lesson on story boards. She will explain how
the students need to set their paper up for the story boards (by folding the paper into eight
boxes) and that in each box an illustration with a sentence or two is put to show the order of
events in chronological order. The teacher will then explain that only the first six boxes are to
be used for the “Act of Possession” passage, the other two will be used in lesson three. The
teacher will model how to create the first box of the storyboard, then the class will work
together to create the second box. Every student will be responsible for creating the last four
boxes of the story board on their own. The students will have approximately 20 minutes to
work on their storyboards, after which they will set them aside for a continuation in lesson
three.
Task Three (25 minutes)
Step One
The teacher will then move onto a whole-class discussion asking whether someone has had
an experience where someone has taken one of their belongings and claimed it to be theirs
because they “found” it. Ask students to give examples of such events [Contextualizing].
Continue by asking how they would feel if someone took possession of their bedroom and
moved things around without permission. Move the discussion forward by asking: “Should
saying it was yours make it yours? Why or why not?” Have students justify their answers. If
a student says yes, ask them how they would feel if I took their backpacks (located along the
wall of the classroom) and said it was now mine since I “found” it. Then, ask “how do you
think the Native Americans felt when the Spanish stood on their land and said they were
taking it?”
Step Two
Finally, refer back to the focus question written on the board: “Did the Spaniards have the
right to claim and take possession of Alta California?” Give students the opportunity to
discuss the question with a partner, asking them to justify their answers with how they would
have felt if they were watching the intruders take over their land. Then, have the pairs share
with their thoughts with others at the table. Continue the discussion as a whole class.
Depending on student answers, you may be able to come to a consensus that the Spanish did
not have the right to settle in Alta California because there were already people who lived
there. Some responses may be geared in the opposite direction, stating that the Spaniards did
have the right to claim the land because the king of Spain sent them, and they were only
doing their job. Likewise, they had the right to settle on the land for that reason and because
there was room to do so.
Step Three:
As an exit slip, students will do a quick-write answering the focus question. Students are
required to include at least three supporting details, including their own opinions of how they
would have felt. In this manner the teacher is able to assess what the students learned that
day.
Learner’s Potential Responses to the Task
Since students are asked to interpret an event there may be a variation in responses to the
focus question, as described above in step four. Students may encounter difficulties when
asked to abstract information from the readings and put the events in chronological order to
create a storyboard.
Differentiation of Instruction for Special Needs Learners.
There are three students who are in the beginning and early intermediate stage of language
development. These students, as well as the two with IEPs, will have a small group
instructional opportunity with the teacher where they will get extra help extracting the
important information on the “Act of Possession.” The teacher will re-read the passage,
having students underline important events such as “the Spanish started a mission in San
Diego,” “two groups have set to Monterey,” etc. She will work with the students to extract
the six important events, write a sentence about each event in the box, and then send them
back to do the drawing in each box. During the quick-write, the teacher will again meet with
the students to provide sentence frames that will aid the students in their writing. For
example, “I think that the Spanish (did / did not) have the right to claim the Natives land. I
think this because ___________.
If the finish with the story board early, the two “higher achieving” students and three GATE
students will write a letter as de Portola to the King of Spain describing the day he reclaimed the land for him. They will describe the event, his feelings, and his plans for the
future.
Closure (10 minutes)
The teacher will have students summarize what they learned that day. If need be, she will
provide probing questions such as: “What did de Portola do at Monterey Bay?” “What
reasons did he have for doing what he did?” “Was this act justified? Why or Why Not?”
Tell the students that in the next lesson they will learn about the early encounters among the
Spanish and Natives’ and how each group viewed each other (which will address the second
part of the standard, describing the relationships among the groups).
ASSESSMENT
Informal
The teacher will monitor student learning through the student’s participation in the wholeclass and small group discussions, making sure to speak with students who seem off task.
The teacher will also evaluate the students’ storyboard for accuracy, taking a few minutes
the next day to review with students who did not complete their story boards with 75%
accuracy.
Formal
The teacher will score the quick-writes on a 4 point scale.
4 Points: The students took a position and supported their position with a minimum of three
supporting statements.
3 Points: The students took a position but supported their position with only two statements.
2 Points: The students’ position is unclear/contradictory based on their supporting
statements OR the students supported their position with only one statement.
1 Point: The students’ position is unclear OR the students state their positions but do not
have any supporting statements.
Appendix One
Act of Possession
During the time of European explorers, people believed that if they "found" land they did not know
about before, they could claim it, or "take possession" of it— even if other people were already living
there! So, rulers sent out explorers to claim land in their name. The explorers believed it was enough
to say "I claim this land in the name of the king!" and the land would belong to their king.
As part of claiming land on behalf of a ruler, the explorers had to perform an "act of possession"
ceremony on any part of that land— beach, hill, or even in a village of the native people already
living there. They would then do various things that they believed showed that the land was theirs.
These actions were things a person should only do on their own property, such as mark a tree with a
sword, move stones around, pour water on the land, and pull up grass or plants and throw them into
the air.
The year was 1770. Although the Spanish had explored upper California, they had not tried to settle
there. First, the Spanish started the mission in San Diego. Then they implemented their plan to
formally claim all of upper California, staking their claim at Monterey. I will tell you that story.
Two groups have set out to arrive at Monterey and claim it for the king of Spain. One group, led by
Governor Gaspar de Portola with Father Juan Crespi, has gone by land. The other group is sailing in
a ship, the San Antonio, led by Captain Perez, who is accompanied by Father Junipero Serra. The
land crew arrives first! On May 31 st, 1770, after 45 days of difficult travel, the San Antonio arrives at
the port of Monterey and puts down its anchor.
On June Third, 1770, they begin the ceremony. The Franciscans wait on land, continuously ringing a
bell they have hung on an old tree. Father Serra is dressed in the full priest's vestments and everyone
is kneeling facing the Pacific Ocean and singing a hymn. A group from the San Antonio comes closer
to the shore to the beat of oars. On shore they raise up a cross and the sailors still on the ship cheer
and fire the cannons as a salute!! The priests say mass and then the ceremony of possession begins.
Portola's men are lined up in full dress uniform. They unfurl the royal flag. Portola comes forward
and begins to speak in a loud voice:
“The orders from Lord Inspector General Sir Jose de Galvez named me the Chief Commander
of this expedition. I have ordered all of this army to be here in full uniform and lined up. I take
possession in the name of His Majesty just the way it is written in my orders. I toss both dirt
and rocks to the four winds, and tear up plants and cast them in the air!! I proclaim possession
in the royal name of His Catholic Majesty Lord Carlos III whom God keep, for whom this
Monterey Port must be recognized, along with all other lands connected to this one. I fix here
the triumphal standard of the Holy Cross. Long live the Faith! Long live the King!1”
'Fernando Boneu Companys (Alan K. Brown, trans.), Gaspar de Portola, Explorer and Founder of California (Lerida, Spain:
Institute de Estudios Ilerdenses, 1983), 326-7; Gaspar de Portola, "Testimonio de la Toma de Posesion de Monterey," in
Fernando Boneu Companys, Documentos Secretos de la Expedicion de Portola a California (Lerida, Spain: Graficas Larrosa,
1973), 149 [Translation, Marian Olivas].
Handout taken from New Perspectives on the California Missions
Appendix B
“A Recount of the Day Monterrey Bay was Claimed”
From here [Monterrey Bay], with the pleasure of knowing they have reached their harbor, the
survey the bay with its silent peaceful waters. Two leagues from the outer coast, they set up their
camp upon the Point of Pines, and settle down to await the sea expedition’s coming. Soon the
ship is sighted.
On June 3rd, Portola and his men, wearing their best uniforms and full dress trappings, bear the
royal standard unfurled to the spot chosen for taking possession of California in the name of his
Majesty King Charles III. A party from the ship draws slowly toward shore to the beat of oars,
while aboard the San Antonio the guns are loaded and trained for firing salutes.
Ashore, under an ancient tree, where a church bell has been hanging an is being tirelessly
chimed, the Franciscans are standing in wait. Fray Junipero Serra vests himself I alb and stole,
and, everyone kneeling and facing the Pacific Ocean, they sing the Veni Creator. Close by lies
on the ground a large cross which they will next raise and set up over the grave of a common
seaman from the San Antonio who just died; from the ship come echoing cannon salutes and the
cheers of the mariners left aboard. Solemn Mass is then celebrated, and immediately afterward
commences the ceremony in which the first Governor of all the Californias, Don Gaspar de
Portola y de Rovira, illustrious son of Balaguer, nobleman of the Spanish military, repeats aloud,
in a manner so as to be heard by all present, that he, the Commander in Chief of the Expedition,
takes possession of these lands in the name of the King of Spain, for the greater Glory of God,
the Safety of the Realm, and the good of the heathens population.
Loud salvos from the troops’ muskets, and the soldier’s cheers echoing from the calm waters of
the Monterey shore. Fray Junipero blesses the land in the direction of the four winds, and the
shore at hand, while Governor Portola and his officials tear up plants from the ground and cast
them in the air, gather stones and throw them toward the shore, crying “Long live the Faith, Long
live the King!” Planted next to the old oak and flapping in the breeze, the flag symbolizes to all,
present or distant, that Spain has increased by another empire her immense possessions in the
Realm of New Spain.
A few days afterward and everyone was hard at work beginning to build the Presidio and
Mission, to be christened with the name of San Carlos, the second settlement to be founded in
Upper California.
Appendix C
California Map of de Portola’s Journey to Monterrey Bay