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Introduction

This lesson was developed as part of the Oak Lawn - Hometown School District 123 Millennium Technology Mini-Grant Engaged Learning Project 2000.  Completion of this web-based lesson took place in May, 2000.

Students will explore the California Gold Rush through traditional and electronic research, and audio/visual media. They will gain an understanding of the motivations for Western Expansion, the trials of the journey, and the lifestyle of the Forty-niners.

Content Area and Grade Level

Grade Level: 4th

Content Area: This lesson involves social studies and language arts strongly.  Math and science are also connected to a lesser extent.  This lesson could easily be adapted to grades 5 - 7 by enhancing the historical and biographical aspects of this topic.

Curriculum Standards - Illinois State Standards

Social Studies:
Benchmark 15.C.2a Describe the relationship between price and quantity supplied of a good or service (supply and demand).

Benchmark 16.D.2b (US) describe the ways in which participation in the westward movement affected families and communities.

Benchmark 17.C.2a Describe how natural events in the physical environment affect human activities (discovery of gold in California).

Reading / Language Arts:
Benchmark 5.C.2b Prepare and deliver oral presentations based on inquiry or research.

Benchmark 3.C.2b Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology.

Math:
State Goal 7.C.2a Objective: The student should find the distance between two points on a map using a given scale.

Science:
Benchmark 12.E.2a Identify and explain natural cycles of the Earths land, water, and atmospheric systems (e.g. rock cycle).

Implementation Overview

Entry Level Skills and Knowledge

This lesson should involve two to three weeks of social studies class time.  It is organized for students who have already acquired knowledge about the progress of westward expansion from colonization through the early 1840s.  The lesson begins with students reading an overview of the California Gold Rush in their social studies textbooks.  It progresses to a multidisciplinary level as students choose a partner and begin other activities in their quest for California gold.  Students will learn about the methods people used to travel west beginning in late 1848. They will be able to trace the journey by land or by sea on a map. They will understand what mining life was like. Finally, the student will learn about the social diversity that was a result of the growth of California during the Gold Rush.

Resources Needed

4th grade social studies textbooks

The Oregon Trail II by Learning Company (2-3 copies)

Maps and Globes by  (2-3 copies)

A disk for each student

Claris Works installed on 4-5 computers

"Bullwhip", a videotaped movie by Disney

Glitter and gold pens for an art activity

A small pool, stones (some painted gold), and water

Related Internet Sites (URLS):

Lewis and Clark http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/

California Wagon Trail http://www.californiawagontrail.com/

The Emigrant Road http://www.emigrantroad.com/contents.html

Gold Rush 1849 http://www.goldrush1849.com/thewaywest.html

Gold Rush http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/

Online Gold Rush Quiz
http://www.lightspan.com/common/pages/linkOut5.asp?_prod=LS&loc=www.museummania.com%2Ftreasure4.htm

Evaluation

The students trip journals will be evaluated for depth of research content from texts and many URLs visited. Also, journals will be evaluated for proper grammatical / mechanical writing with a rubric.

The students oral presentation passage of a selected aspect of the California gold rush will be evaluated through a performance rubric.

Travel maps will be evaluated based on the students ability to find the distance between two points on a map using a given scale and draw this information accurately.  The scale must be written in a map key.

The student will be evaluated on the ability to verbally explain how gold is formed.

The student will be evaluated on the ability to explain supply and demand as it pertains to gold.

The student will be evaluated with an online quiz!

Conclusion

Students will gain an understanding of the importance of the California Gold Rush through traditional and electronic research, and audio/visual media. They will gain an understanding of the motivations for Western Expansion, the trials of the journey, and the lifestyle of the Forty-niners.

Last updated on May, 2000 by

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