california gold rush - district school board of collier...

California Gold Rush

What are the costs and benefits traveling Westward trails and participating in the

California Gold Rush?

Grade Level: 5th Extension Lesson- Social Studies/History/Civic

Sunshine State Standards FL Frameworks for K-12 Gifted Learners

Week #33 Learning Goal: I will know and be able to identify the perspectives of a westward traveler and identify the cost and benefits they endured. Big Ideas & Benchmarks: SS.5.A.6.6 Explain how Westward Expansion affected Native Americans SS.5.A.6.9 Describe the hardships of settlers along the overland trails to the West SS.5.G.1.4 Construct maps, charts and graphs to display geographic information Common Core: RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly

Goal 1 : Thinking Creatively Objective 1: the student identified as gifted will be able to critically examine the complexity of knowledge: the location, definition, and organization of a variety of fields of knowledge. Goal 3: Use and manipulate information sources Objective 1: The student identified as gifted will be able to conduct thoughtful research/exploration in multiple fields.

Subject(s): (To be used during Week 33 on the 5th Grade CCPS Social Studies Curriculum Map)

Description: The California Gold Rush was a mass migration of people flocking to northern California following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848. The sighting of a gold nugget at the sawmill owned by John Sutter was a closely guarded secret at first, but by mid-1848 word of the discovery was appearing on the east coast. Newspapers helped fan rumors, which were confirmed when President James Polk mentioned the California gold discovery in his annual address to Congress in December 1848. It was estimated that as many as 100,000 people arrived in California during 1849, at the height of the California Gold Rush. The would-be prospectors became known as "Forty-Niners". The students will write captions for pictures of the California Gold Rush using descriptive captivating narrations.

Closure: As you wrap up this lesson, have discussions on how the California Gold Rush helped to populate the

west with hopes and dreams of striking it rich. Most importantly reflect how learning about what other people went through helps us to respect and empathize with others during trials in life.


What are the costs and benefits traveling Westward trails and participating in the

California Gold Rush?

Teacher Activity Sheet

Goal:

The California Gold Rush was a mass migration of people flocking to northern California following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848. The sighting of a gold nugget at the sawmill owned by John Sutter was a closely guarded secret at first, but by mid-1848 word of the discovery was appearing on the east coast. Newspapers helped fan rumors, which were confirmed when President James Polk mentioned the California gold discovery in his annual address to Congress in December, 1848. It was estimated that as many as 100,000 people arrived in California during 1849, at the height of the California Gold Rush. The would-be prospectors became known as "Forty-Niners". The students will write captions for pictures of the California Gold Rush using descriptive captivating narrations.

Materials: Student Activity sheets printed for each student, highlighters, pencils, note book paper

Procedure-

1. Introduce the students to the California Gold Rush by watching on Angel Discovery Education

2. Have the students work in small cooperative groups to read the Student Activity text

Capt. Sutter's account of the first discovery of the Gold. As the students read the information they should use their In-Depth comprehension (see example shown in teacher resource section) to better understand and the selection of relevant information. (Common Core)

3. After open reflection of each text, have the students work together to write captions for pictures of the California Gold Rush using descriptive captivating narrations.

4. Have the students share their captions by having displaying them around the room. Students can rate the caption from a 1 to 5. The team with the highest scores should be recognized. Have the class discuss which caption captured the best description.

5. You may also use the Hot-Dok Higher Order questions (at the bottom of this document) to help with discussion starters and may want to watch Discovery Education tradition videos on Angel if needed.


What are the costs and benefits traveling Westward trails and participating

in the California Gold Rush?

Student Activity Sheet

Goal:

The California Gold Rush was a mass migration of people flocking to northern California following the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848. The sighting of a gold nugget at the sawmill owned by John Sutter was a closely guarded secret at first, but by mid-1848 word of the discovery was appearing on the east coast. Newspapers helped fan rumors, which were confirmed when President James Polk mentioned the California gold discovery in his annual address to Congress in December, 1848. It was estimated that as many as 100,000 people arrived in California during 1849, at the height of the California Gold Rush. The would-be prospectors became known as "Forty-Niners". The students will write captions for pictures of the California Gold Rush using descriptive captivating narrations.

Materials: Student Activity sheets printed for each student, highlighters, pencils, note book paper

Procedure-

1. Introduce the students to the California Gold Rush by watching on Angel Discovery Education

2. Have the students work in small cooperative groups to read the Student Activity text

Capt. Sutter's account of the first discovery of the Gold. As the students read the information they should use their In-Depth comprehension (see example shown in teacher resource section) to better understand and the selection of relevant information. (Common Core)

3. After open reflection of each text, have the students work together to write captions for pictures of the California Gold Rush using descriptive captivating narrations.

4. Have the students share their captions by having displaying them around the room. Students can rate the caption from a 1 to 5. The team with the highest scores should be recognized. Have the class discuss which caption captured the best description.

5. You may also use the Hot-Dok Higher Order questions (at the bottom of this document) to help with discussion starters and may want to watch Discovery Education tradition videos on Angel if needed.

Capt. Sutter's account of the first discovery of the Gold

"I was sitting one afternoon," said the Captain, "just after my siesta, engaged, by the bye, in writing a letter to a relation of mine at Lucern, when I was interrupted by Mr. [James]

Marshall, a gentleman with whom I had frequent business transactions – bursting hurriedly

into the room. From the unusual agitation in his manner I imagined that something serious had occurred, and, as we

involuntarily do in this part of the world, I at once glanced to see if my rifle was in its proper place. You should know that

the mere appearance of Mr. Marshall at that moment at the Fort, was quite enough to surprise me, as he had but two

days before left the place to make some alterations in a mill

for sawing pine planks, which he had just run up for me, some miles higher up the Americanos [American River].

When he had recovered himself a little, he told me that, however great my surprise might be at his unexpected

reappearance, it would be much greater when I heard the

intelligence he had come to bring me. 'Intelligence,' he added, 'which if properly profited by, would put both of us in

possession of unheard-of-wealth – millions and millions of dollars, in fact.' I frankly own, [words missing in typecript]

when I heard this that I though something had touched Marhsall's brain, when suddenly all my misgivings were put

at an end to by his flinging on the table a handful of scales of

pure gold. I was fairly thunderstruck and asked him to explain what all this meant, when he went on to say, that according to my instructions,

he had thrown the mill-wheel out of gear, to let the whole body of water in the dam find a passage

through the tail race, which was previously to

narrow to allow the water to run of in sufficient quantity, whereby the wheel was prevented from

efficiently performing its work. By this alteration the narrow channel was considerably enlarged,

and a mass of sand and gravel carried of[f] by the

force of the torrent. Early in the morning after this took place, Mr. Marshall was walking along the left

Bank of the stream when he perceived something which he at first took for a piece of opal, a dark

transparent stone, very common here – glittering on one of the spots laid bare by the suddenly

crumbling away of the bank. He paid not attention

to this, but while he was giving directions to the workmen, having observed several similar glittering fragments, his curiosity was so far

excited, that he stooped down and picked one of them up. 'Do you know,' said Mr. Marshall to me, 'I positively debated within myself two or three times whether I should take the

trouble to bend my back to pick up one of the pieces and had decided on not doing so when

farther on, another glittering morsel caught my eye – the largest of the pieces now before you. I condescended to pick it up, and to my astonishment found that it was a thin scale of

what appears to be pure gold.' He then gathered some twenty or thirty pieces which on examination convinced him that his suppositions were correct. His first impression was, that

this gold had been lost or buried there, by some early Indian tribe – perhaps some of those mysterious inhabitations of the west, of whom we have no account, but who dwelt on this

continent centuries ago, and built those cities and temples, the ruins of which are scattered

about these solidary wilds. On proceeding, however, to examine the neighboring soil, he discovered that it was more or less auriferous. This at once decided him. He mounted his

horse, and rode down to me as fast as it could carry him with the news.

"At the conclusion of Mr. Marshall's account, and when I had convinced myself, from the

specimens he had bought with him, that it was not exaggerated, I felt as much excited as himself. I eagerly inquired if he had shown the gold to the workpeople at the mill and was

glad to hear that he had not spoken to a single person about it. We agreed not to mention the circumstances to any one, and arranged to set off early the next day for the mill. On our

arrival, just before sundown, we poked the sand about in various places, and before long

succeeded in collecting between us more than an ounce of gold, mixed up with a good deal of sand. I stayed at Mr. Marshall's that night, and the next day we proceeded some little

distance up the south Fork and found that gold existed along the whole course, not only in the bed of the main stream, where the [water] had subsided but in every little dried-up

creek and ravine. Indeed, I think it is more plentiful in these latter places, for I myself, with nothing more than a small knife, picked out from [a] dry gorge, a little way up the mountain,

a solid lump of gold which weighted nearly an ounce and a half.

"Notwithstanding our precaution not to be observed, as soon as we came back to the mill we

noticed by the excitement of the working people that we had been dogged about, and to complete our disappointment, one of the Indians who had worked at the gold mine in the

neighborhood of La Paz cried out in showing us some specimens picked up by himself, – Oro!

– Oro – Oro!!! –"

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Teacher Resource

Classroom Formative Assessment

Generic Rubric Design

Scale Student

Language

4 In addition to exhibiting level 3

performance, the student

responses demonstrate in-depth

inferences and applications that

go beyond what was taught in

class.

“I know it better than my teacher taught it.”

3 The student’s responses indicate

no major errors or omissions

regarding any of the information

and/or processes taught in class.

“I know it just the way my teacher taught it.”

2 The student’s indicate errors or

incomplete knowledge of the

information and/or processes;

however they do not indicate

major errors or omissions

relative to simpler details and

processes.

“I know some of the simpler stuff, but can’t do the harder parts.”

1 The student provides responses

that indicate a distinct lack of

understanding of the knowledge.

However with help, the student

demonstrates partial

understanding of some of the

knowledge.

“With some help, I can do it.”

0

The student provides little or no

response. Even with help the

student does not exhibit a

partial understanding of the

knowledge.

“Even with help, I can’t do it.”

Source: Robert Marzano, Classroom Formative Assessment and Grading

Hot DOK Questions 1

• Can you recall______?

• When did ____ happen?

• Who was ____?

• How can you recognize____?

• What is____?

• How can you find the meaning of____?

• Can you recall____?

• Can you select____?

• How would you write___?

• What might you include on a list about___?

• Who discovered___?

• What is the formula for___?

• Can you identify___?

• How would you describe___?

Hot DOK Questions 2

• Can you explain how ____ affected ____?

• How would you apply what you learned to develop ____?

• How would you compare ____? Contrast_____?

• How would you classify____?

• How are____ alike? Different?

• How would you classify the type of____?

• What can you say about____?

• How would you summarize____?

• How would you summarize___?

• What steps are needed to edit___?

• When would you use an outline to ___?

• How would you estimate___?

• How could you organize___?

• What would you use to classify___?

• What do you notice about___?

Hot DOK Questions 3

• How is ____ related to ____?

• What conclusions can you draw _____?

• How would you adapt____ to create a different____?

• How would you test____?

• Can you predict the outcome if____?

• What is the best answer? Why?

• What conclusion can be drawn from these three texts?

• What is your interpretation of this text? Support your rationale.

• How would you describe the sequence of____?

• What facts would you select to support____?

• Can you elaborate on the reason____?

• What would happen if___?

• Can you formulate a theory for___?

• How would you test___?

• Can you elaborate on the reason___?

Hot DOK Questions 4

• Write a thesis, drawing conclusions from multiple sources.

• Design and conduct an experiment.

Gather information to develop alternative explanations for the results of an experiment.

• Write a research paper on a topic.

• Apply information from one text to another text to develop a persuasive argument.

• What information can you gather to support your idea about___?

• DOK 4 would most likely be the writing of a research paper or applying information from one text to

another text to develop a persuasive argument.

• DOK 4 requires time for extended thinking.

california gold rush - district school board of collier...

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