The California Gold Rush rewrote the history of the American West, but especially that of San Francisco. After analyzing images of the city and primary sources, such as a diary entry, scholars discuss these changes. Scaffolded questions...

Students analyze data and form a mental picture of the make up of a gold rush town. They explain social life in a gold rush town. They use online sources to see paintings of camp life and read accounts of miners' lives.

There is a lot to learn from art. This teacher's guide provides you with extensive background information, activities, and a scripted commentary to accompany a slide show on French artists in California during the Gold Rush Period. The...

Students discover the people who lived in California before and after the gold rush. They use primary source documents to identify how the finding of gold changed the area. They also discover the discrimation that was present during the...

Students take a quiz about the Gold Rush that happened in California. In this Gold Rush lesson plan, students complete 8 multiple choice questions.

For this Gold Rush worksheet, students answer multiple choice questions about the Gold Rush. Students answer 20 questions total.

Fourth graders research a famous person from the Gold Rush era. Using the Internet, they take notes from creditable websites and write their rough drafts of their paper. They use peer editing to check for spelling and grammar errors. ...

Fourth graders research the experiences the people who traveled to California during the Gold Rush by land and sea. They create a map showing the various routes that individuals took to get to California. Students explain the...

An ambitious and engaging lesson on the Westward Movement for your students to enjoy! Groups of learners rotate between learning tasks such as learning about the Chislom Trail, Lewis and Clark, and the Gold Rush. A WebQuest is also...

Fifth graders explore the California Gold Rush. They explore the lure of gold and the Wild West, how pioneers traveled to the West, and the hardships and people they encountered along the way. Activities be authentic, hands-on, and...

In this Gold Rush worksheet, students fill out a chart for the job or business, the products or services provided, what we have today, and the services it provides. Students complete this for 14 jobs during the Gold Rush.

Seventh graders explore the background information for the book, Call of the Wild. They use electronic and video resources to establish the background. Students discuss the poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and the Yukon Gold Rush.

Students determine how Spanish-speaking blacks and English speaking blacks were treated differently. In this emancipation lesson plan, students compare the Mexican and American rules regarding slavery.     

In this mystery state worksheet, students answer five clues to identify the state in question. They then locate that state on a map.

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

Students study the concept of the westward expansion. In this exploration of the western U.S. instructional activity, students participate in different activities that explain economic hardships, jobs, and land opportunities. Students...

Identify the author's organizational pattern for expressing ideas. After reading an article on the California Gold Rush, middle schoolers determine the author's purpose for writing a passage of informational text. A full list of...

Investigate life along the Old Spanish Trail! They visit websites and identify the history and environment. They create journals, dramatic enactments, and maps to discover the role individuals played in society. They also explore the...

Students examine the impact that John Brown had on American history. In this human rights lesson, students discover details about the raid on Harpers Ferry and the implications it held for the American Civil...

Students focus on what it means to be a citizen of the United States and why the Chinese Exclusion Act is important when considering the concept of racism.

Fourth graders examine the beliefs of Manifest Destiny and its role in the California Gold Rush. They analyze a painting to gather information about Manifest Destiny.

Here is a nice set of worksheets that your kids can use while studying the fascinating period of Westward Expansion in the United States. Types of worksheets include a vocabulary quiz, acrostic poem handout, reading comprehension,...

Make connections with past history and current events with this critical thinking exercise. Kids read background information relating to Alaska's statehood as well as information on oil drilling and Alaska's economy. They put it all...

Grab the popcorn and take a seat for a Hollywood premier! Eighth graders grasp the concepts behind Westward Expansion and create engaging videos by working through a set of 18 engaging tasks. They also hone their technology, social...