Mexican
California
Support
Pack
Supporting materials to aid you
and your students in your study
of Mexican California’s time
period. Includes writing
projects, art, fluency practice,
point of view, compare and
contrast, and more!
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Thank You For Your
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© 2016 The Elementary Professor
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Thank you so much for purchasing this unit. I hope it brings you
great joy and HUGE results. I love teaching through engaging
activities and connections.
This material is protected by copyright. Any copying or
distributing elsewhere is in violation of my copyright. You are
free to make copies for your class only.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
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How to Use This Product and Directions for Projects
This pack of supporting materials is intended to
enhance your curriculum, not replace it. Simply read
through the projects included and decide which ones you
would like to include in your classroom. Below is a brief
description of each item.
Fluency Practice – The fluency passage has lines pre
numbered with the amount of words per line. Teach
students how to count the amount of words they reach
while reading for 1 minute. You can either set the timer 1
time for the whole class, or have students time each
other in pairs. There is a recording sheet included so that
this can be done once or twice per day over several days.
The purpose of this passage is to integrate the study of
Mexican California with the strengthening of student
fluency. Remind students that they are trying to “better
their best”, they are not competing against each other.
Understanding Note Pages- This can either serve as a
page to record relevant data while reading text, or it can
be a writing planner for items students want to include in
their writing project. There is one note page each for
organizing learning for presidios, missions, ranchos, and
pueblos.
Branding Iron Art Project- This is a unique art project
where students create their own ranch names and
branding irons and then ‘brand a hide’ (paint their brand
onto aged brown paper).
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Point of View Diary Entry – A writing rubric and final draft
paper are provided for students to write a diary entry
from the point of view of a Native American who lived at
a mission. Of course, you could have students write a
point of view diary entry from any person at a mission,
rancho, presidio, or pueblo and use the same final draft
paper. The rubric would barely need any amending. The
final draft stationery looks great copied onto tan paper
for that aged look.
Rancho Pueblo Compare and Contrast – Students are
given a Venn diagram and final draft half sheets that fit a
folded piece of construction paper for a pop up writing
assignment. Students can layer the papers if they need
multiple sheets.
inside
front
Layer writing
pages for more
space
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Relationship Visual – This is a quicker cut and paste and write a
few sentences assignment that has students exploring how the
missions, presidios, and pueblos relied on each other. Students
plan a few sentences describing, then write on the folding tabs
to create the flow chart.
What does it describe? – Answer key is given. Students write
one word to tell what the sentence, phrase, or person
describes. This makes a great review, homework assignment, or
quickie quiz.
Timeline – The main events leading to and through the Mexican
California stage in history are listed on a cut apart sheet.
Students should research to find the year for each event, then
cut and paste them in order for a timeline. I like to had students
glue these on a 6x18 piece of construction paper. Answer key
for years is given.
Free Choice Menu – These can be homework choices, extra
credit, activities you choose, or even for early finishers.
Students should be able to do these independently. They can
choose from items given or you could assign a tic tac toe
pattern.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Point of View Diary Entry
Your mission – to write a diary entry from the perspective of a native American
who lived in a mission. It should have at least two paragraphs and tell what daily
life is like for you. The more detailed you are, the better. Things to think about
are: who you are, where your mission is, how long you have lived there, why you
live there, what you do all day, what you eat, whether you like your life, etc…
This is how your diary entry will be graded:
4
-You have all the qualifications for a 3 plus:
-Journal entry is creative and shows a detailed
idea of your life at the mission.
-The entry has little to no spelling mistakes,
grammar errors or punctuation problems.
3
-Journal entry is written from the perspective of a
Native American living in a mission and gives
details that truly describe life for such a person.
It may lack creativity but meets the prompt.
-There are little to no errors in the structure of
the writing (such as grammar, spelling, etc…)
2
-The journal entry is “bare bones” and leaves out
a lot of detail. Or it may be detailed but not from
the right point of view.
-There are quite a few mistakes in the writing.
1
-You didn’t address the prompt or
-There are so many mistakes it is difficult to read.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
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© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
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ranchos
pueblos
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© 2016 The Elementary Professor
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© 2016 The Elementary Professor
Rancho and Pueblo
Compare and Contrast
Using the Venn diagram, compare and contrast ranchos and pueblos. You should
have at least three ways they are each different, and three ways they are the
same. You will use this to write two paragraphs about the ranchos and pueblos.
One paragraph should tell how they are similar, and one paragraph should tell how
they are different. Remember proper paragraph form!
Scoring Rubric:
4
-You have all the qualifications of a 3 plus:
-You have specific details that enhance the writing.
-The writing is creative and interesting.
3
-You have written two complete paragraphs about ranchos
and pueblos in proper paragraph format.
-One paragraph compares and one contrasts.
-The information in your paragraph is all true and correct.
-You have little to no writing mistakes (spelling and grammar)
2
-You have correct information but it may not be long enough
or have proper paragraph format.
-There are many writing mistakes (grammar, spelling, etc…)
1
-Your writing does not follow the prompt or has so many
writing mistakes that it is difficult to read.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Pueblos
© 2016 The Elementary Professor
Presidios
Missions
Name_____________
Name_____________
Mission, Presidio, Pueblo
Relationships
These three things had a relationship that was
interdependent. That means they needed each
other. Write approximately 2 sentences about each
place and use the foldables to show what they
provided for each other.
Missions:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Presidios:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
Pueblos:
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Name_____________
What Does it Describe?
Use the words rancho, presidio, pueblo, or mission to describe the sentence.
Write the word that best describes it on the line preceding each description.
__________San Diego de Alcala
__________built mostly to protect padres and colonists
from Native Americans
__________towns started near the missions for settlers
from Mexico
__________Father Junipero Serra
__________Native Americans made olive oil
__________vaquero
__________mayors were called alcades
__________El Camino Real
__________had a two day cattle round up called a rodeo
__________a few hundred adobe houses grouped around
a wide plaza
__________saddlers, blacksmiths, innkeepers and
laborers of other types lived and worked there.
__________Religious places where catholic priests tried
to convert nearby native Americans.
__________raised cattle for hide and tallow trade
__________Spanish forts
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Name_____________
What Does it Describe?
Use the words rancho, presidio, pueblo, or mission to describe the sentence.
Write the word that best describes it on the line preceding each description.
KEY
______mission____San Diego de Alcala
_____presidio_____built mostly to protect padres and
colonists from Native Americans
______pueblo____towns started near the missions for
settlers from Mexico
____mission______Father Junipero Serra
_____mission_____Native Americans made olive oil
______rancho____vaquero
______pueblo____mayors were called alcades
___mission_______El Camino Real
____pueblo______had a two day cattle round up called a
rodeo
__pueblo_____a few hundred adobe houses grouped
around a wide plaza
____pueblo______saddlers, blacksmiths, innkeepers and
laborers of other types lived and worked there.
____mission______Religious places where catholic
priests tried to convert nearby native Americans.
_____ranchos_____raised cattle for hide and tallow trade
_____presidio_____Spanish forts
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
European Settlers in California
Priests and soldiers from Spain began to settle
California in the late 1700’s. They were especially
concerned with starting missions and forts near the
harbors, where ships could bring supplies more easily than
crossing deserts and large stretches of land. When one
expedition arrived in San Diego, Father Serra erected a
large cross in a spot that would later become the first
mission in California, Mission San Diego de Alcala.
The main purpose of the missions was to convert
the Native Americans to the catholic faith. The Native
Americans came to the missions for many reasons. Some
were captured and brought there. Others came willingly
for food, iron pots, and clothing. Some came to escape
diseases in their villages. Some of those diseases were
brought to California by the Spanish explorers. While at
the missions they had to work hard for their food and
provisions. They built things, farmed, and tanned hides.
The missions were connected by a long road
called El Camino Real, which means The Royal Road. Along
El Camino Real you would also find presidios. Presidios were
forts for the Spanish soldiers. The soldiers protected the
missions and the missions provided food for the presidios.
Little towns, called pueblos, were also
established near the missions and presidios. The Spanish
settlers to these pueblos in California called themselves
Californios. People in pueblos lived in adobe houses that
were grouped around a plaza. They had a church, a town
hall, and a town council with an alcade who was a mayor and
judge.
The alcalde also helped new land owners measure
land for cattle ranches that were called ranchos. During
this time, people in Mexico were in a war against Spain,
fighting for independence. The new Mexican leaders tried
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
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to get rid of everything that reminded them of the
old Spanish government. They closed missions and
divided the mission lands among Native Americans,
Californios, and new Mexican settlers.
The division of land wasn’t fair and many
Native Americans lost their way of life. Very few
Native Americans were able to become land owners
and the ranchos were now on the land where the
native Americans used to live. Many of them found
work on these ranches.
The ranchos were very large cattle ranches.
Many of the men and boys who worked with horses at
the missions found work on the ranchos working with
more horses and cattle. They were called vaqueros.
Today we call vaqueros cowboys. Vaqueros moved the
cattle around to graze and made sure they stayed on
the right rancho. They also branded the cows at
events called rodeos.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
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311
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323
331
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348
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367
371
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398
406
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424
433
436
Name _____________________
Spanish and Mexican California Fluency Record
Read the Spanish and Mexican California passage aloud while a
partner or the teacher is timing you for 1 minute. Don’t rush
through it, but try to read it correctly and at a natural pace.
Once your minute is complete, record the number of words you
have read below. You will do this a few times over several days.
Reading 1: Date ______________
Reading 2: Date ______________
Reading 3: Date ______________
Reading 4: Date ______________
Reading 5: Date ______________
Reading 6: Date ______________
Reading 7: Date ______________
Reading 8: Date ______________
Reading 9: Date ______________
Reading 10: Date ______________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
# of words _____________
What was your best # of words? ________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Important People:
Understanding
Missions Note Page
Student Name:
_______________________
Daily Life:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Purpose of missions:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Problems:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Important People:
Understanding
Presidios Note
Page
Student Name:
_______________________
Daily Life:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Purpose of presidios:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Problems:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Important People:
Understanding
Ranchos Note Page
Student Name:
_______________________
Daily Life:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Purpose of ranchos:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Problems:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Important People:
Understanding
Pueblos Note Page
Student Name:
_______________________
Daily Life:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Purpose of ranchos:
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Person:
___________________________________
was important because ________________
___________________________________
Problems:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Timeline
Year: __________________
Spain learned Russia wanted
to build a colony in the
California region. They
moved quickly to establish a
presence in the area.
Year: __________________
Juan Bautista de Anza
arrived in Monterey after
making a new land route
through the desert.
Year: __________________
In January, Gaspar de Portola
sent 3 ships to San Diego to
start settlements.
Year: __________________
Father Serra starts the first
mission in San Diego.
Year: __________________
The Mexican War for
Independence is launched.
Year: __________________
In May, a land expedition led
by Fages and Rivera arrived
in San Diego.
Year: __________________
Portola left San Diego in
search of the Monterey Bay.
Year: __________________
Mexico won its war for
independence and became
California’s new ruler.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Timeline
Year:
_______1768___________
Spain learned Russia wanted
to build a colony in the
California region. They
moved quickly to establish a
presence in the area.
Year:
_____1776_____________
Juan Bautista de Anza
arrived in Monterey after
making a new land route
through the desert.
Year:
___1769_______________
In January, Gaspar de Portola
sent 3 ships to San Diego to
start settlements.
Year:
______1769____________
Father Serra starts the first
mission in San Diego.
Year:
___1810_______________
The Mexican War for
Independence is launched.
Year:
__1769________________
In May, a land expedition led
by Fages and Rivera arrived
in San Diego.
Year:
______1770____________
Portola left San Diego in
search of the Monterey Bay.
Year:
_______1821___________
Mexico won its war for
independence and became
California’s new ruler.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Name_____________
Free Choice Menu
Use the portion of your Social Studies textbook that
covers the missions, ranchos, pueblos and presidios
to do one or more of the following activities
Choose a person from
this period in history.
Make a mind map
with 5-10 words or
phrases to describe
them. Write a
paragraph using 3 of
the words or phrases.
If Spain had stayed in
control of California,
what do you think life
here today would be
like? Write a paragraph
describing it and use
evidence from their time
period.
Write three questions
that can be answered by
looking in this part of
your textbook. These
should be higher level
questions that require a
few sentences to answer,
not questions that can
be answered with a yes
or no or 1-2 words.
Compare and contrast
the life of a Native
American and a Padre at
the missions.
Write 5 words from this
unit that were new to
you or that were
interesting. Write your
own definition of each.
Draw a scene from this
time period. Label at
least 5 items that were
unique to this time and
place.
What do you think is the
most important thing to
learn about the
missions? Why?
If you could give advice
to a Spanish settler
about to go to California
and become a Californio,
what would you tell
them and why?
Write a paragraph that
tells about a pueblo. It
should tell who lived
there, what they did,
when they lived there,
where they were, and
why they were there.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Ranchero Brand Art Project
For this art project, students make their own ranch brand. Then they make faux leather with
brown paper bags and use paint to ‘brand’ their ‘hide’.
Materials:
-brown paper sacks (you need about a 6”x6” square for each student
-wire coat hangers or jewelry wire
-wire pliers for bending wire (1 per group is nice)
-planning sheets (1 per student)
-black paint (tempera, poster, acrylic, any thicker black paint or very dark brown.)
Process:
Remember when you were little and you’d crumple paper and rub the sides together to make is
soft and worn? That’s what we’re doing here for the hide.
-have students use the planning sheet to name their rancho and create a brand that shows it.
Remind them that brands are very simple designs.
-After approving their design, have students bend their wire into the brand shape with a handle .
If you have extra parent help for this it will go faster.
-Put black or very dark brown paint on plates. It needs to be in a thick enough puddle for the
brand to get paint on the surface. The brands tend to be not completely flat so you want to
make sure there is enough paint to touch the whole front side.
-Students them stamp their brand onto their hide to look like it has been burned into the leather.
Again, these student made brands tend to be a bit uneven, so when they place the brand on the
paper, have them hold it still (don’t slide it or smear it) with one hand, then push on the back of
the brand parts with the other hand so the whole painted surface touches the hide paper. Let it
dry.
-Have students take their piece of brown paper bags and scrunch and rub it into a soft hide.
Now students have a branded hide from their ranch as well as their own personal branding iron!
This displays well with one of their writing assignments from this unit.
© 2016 The Elementary Professor
Name_____________
Ranchero Branding
Planner
When rancheros owned cattle, they would ‘brand’ the cows with their
own mark so everyone would know whose cow it was. They would do
this by making a branding iron out of metal. A ranchero or vaquero
would heat up the branding iron in the fire and then stamp it on a cow’s
hide. It stayed there permanently, like a tattoo. Then if a cow wandered
across fence lines, or someone tried to steal a cow, one could easily tell
who the cow belonged to.
Examples:
C was the brand for the Convington ranch in 1916
was the brand for the Warren ranch in 1876
Imagine you are a ranchero on a ranch. What is your ranch
name?_________________________________
Use the box below to design a brand for your ranch. Brands were very
simple designs that somehow showed the ranch name.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
branded hide sample
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor
Thank you to…
Sonya Dehart Design for the
woodgrain digital paper
Lovin Lit for the chevron on the
front cover.
Hidsey’s Clipart for the antique
paper outline.
© 2016 The Elementary
Professor