Process for Students

Preview | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3

Preview: Would you go?

In the early 1800s, many Americans heard stories about the fortune to be made in California. Click on the song below to read the lyrics of a song called "Dig! Dig! Dig!".

According to the song, what could you gain by going to California to look for gold?

What do you think you could lose by going?

Explain why you would or would not seek your fortune in the gold fields.

Extension: What is going on in the United States today that is as exciting to ordinary people as the gold rush was in the 1850s?

Step 1: What's going on out there?

You and your partner will view images and text from the chart below. The information you find will help you understand what was happening in California in the early 1850s. Use the graphic organizer provided by your teacher to record the information you find.

Evaluation: Now that you have more information on life in the gold fields, look at the answer you gave in the preview. Do you want to change your mind about going to California? Write a five sentence response explaining why you want to stick with your original decision or change your mind.

Step 2: Meet a Miner

Welcome to the gold fields of California. You have the opportunity to meet a miner who has spent some time searching for gold. He has much to tell you about the realities of life in the mining camps.

You will work with one or two partners to gather information on one miner's experience. (Your teacher will help you choose a miner.) Some groups will read diaries, and others will read letters written by the miner to his family. As you read, collect information on the collection sheet your teacher will give you.

Sixteen months at the gold diggings. By Daniel B. Woods

Choose at least two of the following dates to collect information.
1849: June 25, July 2, July 5, July 6, July 7, July 10, September 8

California gold rush merchant; the journal of Stephen Chapin David.

Choose at least three of the following dates to collect information.
1850: September 19, September 21-October, October 28, November 22*, December 12. 1851: January 20, January 25, March 8, March 11.

* This is a list of prices from a general store.

The diary of Johann August Sutter

Choose at least three of the following dates to collect information.
1848: January 28, February 1, April 2, May 19, May 21

Edmund Booth (1810-1905) forty-niner

Choose at least two of the following dates to collect information.
1850: September 1, Nonvember 3.
1851: January 20, January 24

Visual Dictionary

Step 3: Tell me a story.

Now that you know what happened in California, you are prepared to create your book. Look at the choices below and choose the one that is most appealing to you.

Choice 1: An ABC book

This is a beginner book for very young children. If you choose this book you must remember that your readers may be learning about the gold rush for the first time. You will write a word or sentence for each letter of the alphabet and and an illustration for it. You will may need to look at the visual dictionary or check an encyclopedia to see pieces of mining equipment.Good illustrations will be important in this work.

Choice 2: A day in the life of a miner

This is a book for young elementary children who may know a little about the gold rush. You will tell the story of a typical miner's daily routine. You will follow his day from waking in the morning to going to sleep at night. You may want to look at some of the links in Meet a Miner to record some actual experiences. There will be about an equal mix of illustrations and text in your book.

Choice 3: The truth about the gold rush

This is a book for older elementary or middle school children. You may construct this work as a picture book or a chapter book.You may design this book in any way that you wish as long as you include the real experiences of miners. A picture book will require an illustration on every other page, but a chapter book may only have one or two. You may need to refer to the sites on the web quest again to gain more information prior to beginning.