Lesson Four - Gold is found; US will never be the same
Participate in the frenzy and the rush to discover gold. How did this discovery
change the entire country and California, respectively? Write essay detailing how
the country would be different if no gold had been discovered.
I. General Information:
Grade Level: 8
Discipline: Social Studies
Unit Topic: To Go or Not To Go West: Westward Expansion of the United States
Time Frame: Mid 1800s
Text: John Sutter, Walton Colton, and William Reynolds entries detailing Gold Rush
Other Materials: Laptop, Projector, Packets of text, Paper, Pencils
II. Essential Understanding/Questions:
How did the discovery of gold change the entire country?
How did the discovery of gold change California?
How would the country be different if no gold had been discovered?
III. Standards/Indicators
Topic B. Emergence, Expansion and Changes in Nations and Empires
Indicator 1. Analyze the growth and development of the United States
Objective b. Evaluate Manifest Destiny and its impact on territorial expansion of the
nation
Indicator 3. Evaluate westward movement in the United States before 1877
Objective a. Explain the political, economic, and social factors that motivated
people to move west
Indicator 4. Analyze patterns of immigration to the United States before 1877
Objective b. Analyze the consequences of the rapid settlement of California and
Oregon
RH R1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to
make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence to support
conclusions
RH R6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style
of a text
RH R7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words
CC. 6-8.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
CC. 6-8.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,
and audience.
IV. Lesson Objectives
Students will read and study primary source documents that narrate the California
Gold Rush in order to determine how California and the country were changing as a
result.
V. Evaluation/Assessment:
Assessment of Objectives
Primary Source Document Analyzer and Photo Analysis worksheet will be used to
compile critical information on various artifacts to connect facts into broader
argument
Write essay detailing how the country would be different if no gold had been
discovered.
VI. Procedures:
Introduction:
What are the potential negative effects to a person winning the lottery?
Teaching/Activities:
Examine and discuss the statement that Gold is Natures Lottery
What is the modern-day equivalent to discovering gold?
Continue to write in learning logs. Imagine you lived on the frontier and had a hard
life. What would be your reaction if you heard there was gold in California? Now
imagine you were among the few who discovered the gold in California, what would
be your reaction to those who were rushing to California?
Watch the PBS Gold Rush special. Write down things you learn or new questions that
emerge.
Review proper analysis approach to primary source artifacts. Small groups will use
Primary Source Document Analyzer to review and evaluate Documents 5, 6, and 7
(Sutters discovery, leaving Monterey, the secret/prices skyrocket) and answer
questions included on that page.
Complete Gold Rush Info2 sheet.
Students create a 1 minute concept web to brainstorm ideas for the subsequent
writing prompt: how would the country be different if no gold had been discovered.
Closure: Predict what is the impact that the Gold Rush will have on Native
Americans in the region? Write any unanswered questions that exist from the study
of Westward Expansion.
Have students record on an exit slip
