Curated OER
The Industrial Revolution
Eighth graders examine the time period of the Industrial revolution in American history. In this American History lesson, 8th graders read the chapter on this time period. Students create a presentation on this time period to...
Curated OER
Sail Through History: American West and History of Medicine
In these reading strategies worksheets, students learn reading hints, tips and the S.A.I.L. reading strategy. Students use the methods to learn about American history and the history of medicine.
Curated OER
Grew to the West
In this westward growth activity, learners use lyrics given to follow along with the song "Grew to the West," filling in blanks to answer simple questions throughout. Students then answer 10 additional questions about the song. Song link...
Curated OER
4 and 5 Digit Dividends
In this dividend worksheet, students divide to solve 6 word problems. All problems have 4 or 5 digit dividends. Problems 1 and 2 have been started for students.
Curated OER
Westward Expansion
Eighth graders explore the components of the Westward Movement in the United States. Understanding the past and the linkages it has to the present is the intended goal of this seventeen day unit.
Curated OER
Planning a Railroad
Learners use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.
Curated OER
Lesson 6: Native Americans in the West
Students recall their knowledge of Native American people who lived in the West and reflect on how their perspectives differed from pioneers and argonauts of the 19th century.
Curated OER
Prune Boom
Students explore the process of harvesting and canning prunes. They discover the benefits of prunes to the Santa Clara Valley. Students investigate prunes at designated websites.
Curated OER
San Francisco, Ahoy!
Fifth graders analyze paintings that share a common theme of San Francisco as seen by some of the first travelers who arrived there. In this art history lesson plan, 5th graders consider the experiences involved with the arrival to a new...
Curated OER
The American West-Knowledge Test
In this American West worksheet, students complete a 24 questions test about the American West. Answers are included beneath questions on worksheet.
Harvard University
Harvard Univ.: Immigration to Us, 1789 1930: California Gold Rush (1848 1858)
Describes the California Gold Rush and the impact it had on immigration to the United States and to the future demographics of California. Includes a high-resolution map of the gold region of California in 1851.
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Everyday Life and People
A collection of primary source photos from 19th-century California which portray what everyday life was like during the California Gold Rush.
Other
California State Parks: Gold Rush
The California State Parks presents a brief unit on the California Gold Rush including three lessons which begin with the westward movement to California for gold, the actual process of mining for gold, then the effects of the rush on...
Read Works
Read Works: Westward Expansion the California Gold Rush
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the discovery of gold along the West Coast. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era, 1848 1865: Disasters
A collection of primary source materials that highlight the risks of natural disasters associated with the California Gold Rush as people rushed in to seek their fortunes.
The History Cat
The History Cat: The California Gold Rush
Describes the events that led to the California Gold Rush, the lives of the miners, the discrimination faced by Chinese immigrant miners and African Americans, the women who mostly stayed behind when their husbands went west as well as...
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.
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Environmental Impact
Original photographs depicting scenes from California during the Gold Rush. Illustrations of mines, miners at work, and the tools they used as well as the effect of the mining industry on California's landscape.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: Staking Claims: The Gold Rush in Nineteenth Century America
This exhibition explores the Gold Rush, a group of related gold rushes to Western territories in the second half of the nineteenth century, and its impact on American history and culture.
Kidport
Kidport: The California Gold Rush (1848 to 1859)
From here, access simple write-ups on the San Francisco Gold Rush. Topics covered include: "Life of a 49er," "Foreign Miners," "Law and Order," and "After the Gold Rush."
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era, 1848 1865: Growth of Cities
Primary source images depicting the rapid growth of small settlements into big cities as people continued to come to California from all over the world during the Gold Rush.
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Murder and Mayhem
A collection of primary source materials and informational text that looks at law and order in the "wild west" of California, identifying changing ethnicity in a growing population seeking gold and other resources.
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.
Sacramento Bee
Gold Rush: Mother Lode Now Strikes Gold in Tourism
This CalGoldRush.com site contains an article on the effects that the California gold rush has on California's tourism. Many people still come from far lands to get a glimpse of what is was like to be a gold miner.