Gold Rush Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & NewsletterJanuary 24, 2008

History

On this day in 1848, gold was found in California at Sutter’s Mill by John Marshall. Read more about it here: http://www.historyonthenet.com/American_West/gold_rush.htm

Writing Prompt

Gold prospectors led a difficult life, traveling thousands of miles alone into unknown country. When they arrived at their destination — whether it was California or the Canadian Rockies — they often spent a great deal of time searching for gold, and many never found it. They faced danger from the wilderness as well as other miners. What other hardships can you imagine they endured?

Reading

Read more about the gold rush here: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/programs/pdf/cal_gold_rush.pdf

Language Arts

Practice your editing skills here: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/edit/pdfs/edit0117.pdf

Vocabulary

Create an illustrated dictionary of the following gold mining terms: The dictionary should
be colorful and imaginative, but show what each term means.
prospector sluice box mother lode
placer panning orebody
rocker Forty-niners Klondike
Eureka vein arrastra


Don’t Forget the Math Challenge!

http://homeschoolingthemiddleyears.blogspot.com/2008/01/homeschool-math-challenge-january-24.html

For more Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeschoolteacherlessonplansKto3/ (k-3)


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolteacherlessonplans/ (4-8)