Day 9         

Teacher: Rick Kiefer

        

Subject Area: Social Studies: U.S. History

        

Grade Level: 8

        

Unit Title: Expansion and Conflict

        

Lesson Title: The Rush to California: "Gold Fever"

        

 

Objectives (Write 2-5 objectives stating expected learner outcomes.):

 

SWBAT - Identify who the forty-niners were and explain how most reached California.

SWBAT - Describe what life was like in the gold mining camps.

SWBAT - Analyze how the gold rush changed California society.

SWBAT – Make a comparison between then and now.

 

Anticipatory Set (List specific statements or activities you will use to focus students on the lesson for the day.): Who knows what the California gold rush is and how it came about? Has anyone here ever traveled to California? If so, how did you get there? How many of you would be willing to pack up everything you own, (or sell your possessions) and leave your family to seek your fortune like the forty-niners did? Can you think of a possible scenario in the 20th century that could cause a similar event like the gold rush? What do you think your feelings would be if you discovered gold or some other rare commodity on your property? How would you react if a bunch of people as a result of that find started setting up camp and looking for it?

        

Objective/Purpose (For the student's benefit, explain what students will be able to do by the end of the lesson and why these objectives are important to accomplish.): We are going to go over the terms, people and events you read about in the text. (pp 323 - 327). We will discuss whom the forty - niners were, how they got to California, who some of the prominent people are, and what California was like before and after the gold rush. We will try to make

a connection between 1849 and 1999.

        

Input (What information is essential for the student to know before beginning and how will this skill be communicated to students?): (15 - 20 mins.) Lecture over the above stated objectives.

        

Model (If you will be demonstrating the skill or competence, how will this be done?): Write terms and concepts on the chalkboard or overhead and discuss.       

 

Check for Understanding (Identify strategies to be used to determine if students have learned the objectives.): (15 - 20 mins.) Handout crossword and have students complete.

        

Guided Practice (List activities which will be used to guide student practice and provide a time frame for completing this practice.): Move around room to assist as needed. When time is up, show crossword blank on overhead and as a class complete. Clarify any confusion on definitions.

        

Closure (What method of review and evaluation will be used to complete the lesson?): Hand out Daily quiz, section 4, Chapter 10 as a worksheet, to be completed by the end of class.

        

Independent Practice (List homework/seatwork assignment to be given to students to ensure they have mastered the skill without teacher guidance.): Handout two readings, Sketch of a Three Years Travel in South America, California and Mexico, and The Discovery of Gold in California. Students will write an essay on the impressions they get from these two men, on how the Gold Rush affected their lives.