Manifest Destiny: The California Gold Rush
Author: Jesse Burnham
Date created: 04/01/2012 10:45 AM CDT ; Date modified: 04/01/2012 6:45 PM CDT
Basic Information
Summary
The lesson addresses the key people, events, and geographic areas within Chapter 13, Part 4, which focuses on the California
gold rush (1849-1852). The lesson begins with a student-led reading of a summary that covers the essential vocabulary and
content necessary for the completion of the cooperative activities. As the student-led reading progresses, essential
vocabulary and questions will be addressed and answered through class discussion. Following the student-led reading,
groups of 3-5 students will answer the guided questions necessary for completing a graphic organizer upon their whiteboard and request validation from the teacher. Upon receiving validation, the students will transfer their answers to the
Chapter 13, Part 4 Guided Reading/Graphic Organizer handout.
Grade/Level
Grade 8
Time Frame
1 Class Period; 50 Min. Subject(s)
History, Social Studies
Topic(s)
United States History, Manifest Destiny (1810-1853); The California Gold Rush
Notes
Standards And Key Concepts
Standards
TX- Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Subject / Chapter: 113 Social Studies, Beginning with the School Year 2011-2012
Subchapter : Middle School
Grade/Course: Grade 8
Standard:
(1) History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history through 1877. The student is expected to:
Student Expectation: (A) identify the major eras and events in U.S. history through 1877, including colonization, revolution, drafting of the
Declaration of Independence, creation and ratification of the Constitution, religious revivals such as the Second Great Awakening, early
republic, the Age of Jackson, westward expansion, reform movements, sectionalism, Civil War, and Reconstruction, and describe their
causes and effects;
Standard:
(6) History. The student understands westward expansion and its effects on the political, economic, and social development of the nation. The
student is expected to:
Student Expectation: (E) identify areas that were acquired to form the United States, including the Louisiana Purchase.
Standard:
(23) Culture. The student understands the relationships between and among people from various groups, including racial, ethnic, and religious
groups, during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The student is expected to:
Student Expectation: (A) identify selected racial, ethnic, and religious groups that settled in the United States and explain their reasons for
immigration;
Understandings
California Before the Rush
t​ he population of California consisted mainly of Native Americans and Californios before 1849
​Californios controlled immense ranches and raised mostly cattle
​James Marshall discovered gold while building and operating a sawmill for John Sutter
​Rush for Gold
​Miners found other gold deposits near the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Forty­niners traveled dangerous paths to California
​sailed around South America to Pacific coast
sailed to Panama and crossed overland to continue sailing to California
traveled the frontier trails of the West L
​ ife in the Mining Camps
​Camps started as neighborhoods of tents
most miners did not become rich
​camps contained many swindlers and supplies were costly
​Miners from Around the World
​The rush for gold attracted miners from other countries
Many Americans resented foreign participation In 1850, after California statehood, a law was passed that charged foreign miners $20 per month
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​Impact of the Gold Rush
M
​ igration to California, enabled the territory to become a state
Many Native Americans died from diseases imported from the East
Migration destroyed the land claims of the Californios
Essential Questions
On whose land was gold found in California in 1848?
​Who were the forty­niners?
​How did the forty­niners reach California?
​What happened after Marshall's discovery?
​Why was life difficult for miners?
W
​ hat was life like in the mining camps?
​Why did Americans resent Chinese miners?
​Where did miners come from?
​What happened to Native Americans as a result of the gold rush?
​How did the gold rush affect Californios?
Knowledge and Skills
Students must:
Understand that California's population consisted mainly of Spanish and Mexican settlers, in addition to Native Americans, before
1849
Recognize that James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill initiated the California gold rush
Understand that the majority of miners did not become rich and that life in the mining community was rough
Recognize that many foreigners found the prospects of California inviting and that the gold rush represented a pull factor within
global migration
Recognize and understand the effects that the gold rush had upon California
Recognize and understand essential vocabulary:
forty­niner
Californio
Mariano Vallejo
John Sutter
James Marshall
California gold rush
Performance Tasks And Assessment
Performance Task
Each group of 3­5 students will receive 1 white­board and 1 dry­erase marker. Each group will then cooperatively answer each of the
guiding questions and vocabulary and write their answers on the white­board.
After answering each question, the group will call on the teacher to approve of the answer.
When the teacher approves, the group moves on to the next question and repeats the progression.
When all questions have been answered and cleared with the teacher, the group will write the answers they have placed
upon the white­board onto their individual handouts.
Performance Prompt
What events contributed to the California gold rush and what were the subsequent effects?
What do you think was the most significant effect of the gold rush?
How did the California gold rush create major problems between Northern free states and Southern slave states?
Assessment/Rubrics
Formative:
Exit strategy­­students must demonstrate understanding and apply knowledge through analysis within answers written on the white­
boards; in order for students to be allowed to finish the cooperative activity and transfer answers onto the handout, the
educator must evaluate their answers and allow them to exit the cooperative assignment
Summative:
The lesson as a component of Chapter 13, Part 4 represents a section of the Chapter 13 unit and constitutes a part within the end of the
unit assessment. The unit exam, composed of multiple choice, true/false, and fill­in­the­blank questions, will encompass the content
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within Chapter 13, Parts 1­4.
Learning Experiences And Resources
Sequence of Activities
Monday
Unit Test:
The Age of Jackson and A New Spirit of Change; Chapters 11, 12, and 14
T
​ uesday
Chapter 13, Part 2
1​ 3­2 Cooperative Reading
13­2 Reading & Guided Questions handout
​Wednesday
Chapter 13, Part 3
1​ 3­3 Cooperative Reading 13­3 Reading & Guided Questions handout
T
​ hursday
Chapter 13, Part 4
1​ 3­4 Cooperative Reading
13­4 Graphic Organizer handout
F
​ riday
Good Friday­­No School
Differentiated Instruction
Pre­Advanced Placement Students
each group will answer all of the questions contained within the handout
in order for a group to be cleared by the teacher to write answers onto the handout, the group must
demonstrate understanding that examples analysis and comparison
G
​ rade­Level Students
each group will answer one of the questions contained within the handout
in order for a group to be cleared by the teacher to write answers onto the handout, the group must answer
one question correctly and then share that answer with the class.
​ESL Students
E
​ nglish­language learners (native Spanish­language speakers) are grouped with non­native Spanish­language
speakers
Inclusion aid can assist on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Resources
Materials and resources:
Textbook: Garcia, J., Ogle, D. M., Risinger, C. F., Stevos, J., & Jordan, W. D. (2003). Creating America: A history of the
United States, beginnings through Reconstruction. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell.
Chapter 13-4 Reading/Guided Questions handout
Chapter 13-4 Graphic Organizer handout
6-10 White-boards
6-10 dry-erase markers and erasers
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