2016 History-Social Science Framework - Chapter 7, Grade 4 "California: A Changing State" pp. 77-83 or linked here: History-Social Science Framework for "The Gold Rush and Statehood"

1998 History-Social Science Content Standards, grade 4 pp. 12-15

California Common Core State Standards

• How did the discovery of gold change California?

• How did California become part of the United States?

• Why did people come to California?

• Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

• Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

• 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.

• Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided.

• Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

• By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Engage:

Download and Print: Extended Anticipatory Guide for Gold Rush

Contextualization of Imagery

• Place small collections of maps and pictures from the Gold Rush Images at tables; let groups of children look at the pictures and note what they see.

• Quickly tape pictures and maps up on a chart. Bring students together (whole group) and have them share out what they noticed about the people, places and things in the pictures. Jot comments on stickies and add them to the chart.

• This chart can be used throughout the unit as a reference.

Task One

• Reflections Ch. 6 Lesson 2 "The Effects of the Gold Rush" pp. 236-43

• "The Effects of the Gold Rush" Note-Taker

Task Two

• Students Watch "The Rush for Gold" (link takes you to Safari Montage, log in with district user name/password - you may need to type in the title of the video)

• Students complete "The Rush for Gold" Video Note-Taker

Task Five

California Department of Parks and Recreation unit and PORTS.

Three in-class lessons during which students will examine the economic and environmental influence of the gold rush. The fourth lesson is a live, interactive video conference with a State Park Interpreter. The Interpreter will talk directly to your students about the gold rush in the context of the historic mining town of Columbia.

Extending Understanding - Assessment

Put yourself in the position of living in California before the discovery of gold. What changes in California have you noticed since the discovery of gold?

• Journal Writing Activity - The Gold Rush Extending Understanding

• Narrative Writing Checklist - Structure

SDSU students unearth life and legend of black pioneer Nate Harrison

Archaeological Myth Busting at Palomar Mountain's Nate Harrison Site, By Seth Mallios, SDSU

Unit designed by Rosina Guerra-Lunceford, Alma Ponder, and Juliana Liebke