Mascil Project
Chocolate Chip Mining
Canada mines more minerals than any other country in the world. Scholars with a sample must determine how to get the mineral out while preserving as much of the rock as possible. They analyze the data and compare methodology while...
Curated OER
Chile's Trapped Miners
Young scholars read an article on trapped miners in Chile. In this social awareness ELL lesson, students read the details about how 33 miners had to be rescued in Chile when they got trapped underground. Activities that reinforce the...
Curated OER
Working Where The Sun Never Shines
Students analyze documents of miners and identify their working conditions. In this industrial revolution instructional activity students view documents and photographs of miners and discuss their conditions and what some possible...
Curated OER
How is Gold Found in the Ground?
Fourth graders participate in a series of activities designed to simulate mining for gold. They pan for "gold" and create a safe tunnel.
Curated OER
Is there a Doctor in the Treehouse?
Pupils investigate the afflictions of trees and compare the health of a human to that tree. In this tree lesson students complete an activity and create and present a report.
Curated OER
Comstock Calamity
Students study the life of miners and complete activities showing what they have learned. In this miners lesson plan, students read about the life of miners and complete writings, posters, quotes, and other activities about the times.
Curated OER
The Progressive Era
Students explore The Progressive Era, and discuss labor unions, coal mining, employee rights, and strikes. Unit of lessons all on one page.
Curated OER
Tommyknockers
Students explore the folklore of Tommyknockers. They discuss why the Tommyknockers were important to miners. Students make a favorite snack of the Tommyknockers, Cornish pastries.
Curated OER
History Matters: Ideas in Conflict: Opposing Views of the Cripple Creek Strike
The violent strike in Cripple Creek, Colorado, pitted the Western Federation of Miners against the mine owners. Read these statements by the two organizations giving their views of what happened in that conflict.
Duke University
California Gold: The Diary and Letters of James M. Burr
Wonderful primary resource on the California Gold Rush. Read actual letters and a diary--with explanatory annotations--by a prospector from 1850-1853.
Oakland Museum of California
California's Untold Stories: Gold Fever
A comprehensive site that offers a look at the "Gold Fever" of the California Gold Rush, with photos.
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Western Federation of Miners
A good review of the Western Federation of Miners and its actions in Colorado in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Find out why the organization was seen to have socialist leanings.
Other
The Plight of Women's Work in the Early Industrial Revolution
This lesson examines the effects of the Industrial Revolution on women. It includes testimonies from England and Wales collected by Parliamentary commissions who investigated the industrial employment of women and children in the early...
Other
U.s. Mine Safety and Health Adm: Mine Safety and Health Administration
As a regulatory agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) provides safety information to coal miners.
Other
Wake Forest University: The Industrial Revolution
Two primary source readings on the effects of the Industrial Revolution on families in England and Germany plus some good background information on the Industrial Revolution itself.
Other
Interview With Melissa Fay Greene
Melissa Fay Greene is the author of "Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster" a book published in 2004 about the 1958 Springhill Mine Disaster. Ms. Greene is an accomplished American author and National Book Award...
Careers New Zealand
Kiwi Careers: Quarry Worker
Complete description of the occupation of quarry worker including working conditions, preparation, skills and knowledge, wages and outlook (in New Zealand.) Profile of a working quarry equipment operator is featured.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: Early Days of Coal Mining in Northern Illinois
Explore the coal boom of the late 1860s and learn about the difficult lives of the miners and their families.
Ancestry
Wise County Hist. Society: Coal Camps of Sw Virginia
Excellent site devoted to the coal camps of southwestern Virginia. Great pictures, historic text, and personal narratives make this a wonderful resource for information on mining communities.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush
A rich site on the California gold rush, 1848-1858. An online exhibit traces the gold rush using primary sources, a teacher page gives lesson plans from 4-12 and a kid's page offers further online adventures. Takes a long time to load.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Gold Discovery
This site contains information on the dramatic impact of the California Gold Rush. From "The History of California," published in 1897.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Postwar Labor Tensions
[Free Registration/Login Required] A brief look at the growth of unions in the early 20th century. Read about the strikes in 1919 and their consequences.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: The Gilded Age
This is a collection of 8 Grade-Leveled texts (5-12) on the topic "The Gilded Age." Mark Twain named 1870-1900 "The Gilded Age" in hopes of capturing how the era of serious social problems was veiled by a thin layer of gold. While robber...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Workers' Rights
As America grew, so did its production of agriculture and manufacturing, leading to a rise in workers and their demands. Study the history of worker's rights in America from the Industrial Revolution to today. This collection includes 13...