Name: Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder

Lesson # 1 of 10
Duration of Lesson: 60 minutes Grade Level(s): 4th Subject(s): The Gold Rush
Central Focus of Unit: The central focus should support students in developing an essential literacy strategy and the requisite skills for
comprehending or composing text in meaningful contexts. The content focus addresses what you want your students to learn about the topic
(content knowledge). All your lesson plans should address this central focus. Consider: What do you want your students to learn? What are
the important understandings and core concepts you want students to develop?

Essential Literacy Strategy Focus: Students will be able to write narratives from a fictional characters point of view
about imagined experiences using factual details from history. Students will also be able write in the perspective of
someone during the Gold Rush in an organized sequence that unfolds naturally.

Content Focus: Students will learn about the Gold Rush, how and why people traveled to CA and the various routes
they took. Students will understand the routes taken from the East Coast to the West Coast and how the travelers
reached their destinations. Students will learn about the real journeys people embarked on in history.

Standards:

CA History-Social Science: 4.3.2 Compare how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled
(e.g., James Beckwourth, John Bidwell, John C. Fremont, Pio Pico).

CCSS ELA: 4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

CCSS Math: 4.MD.2 Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid
volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that
require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities
using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale.

Instructional Learning Objectives: Objectives are what students will
be able to do as a result of this lesson. These objectives will directly
support and align to the Central Focus. They should also align with
standards, instructional activities, and assessments. Write objectives
using clear, measureable terminology.
Assessments: How will students demonstrate their learning? List the
formal/informal assessments used to monitor student learning of each
objective.

Students will be able to write narratives from the They will write weekly entries in their journals about
perspective of a person during the time of the Gold Rush. their experience in the first person, as their assigned
character.

Students will be able to budget a sum of money. Students will be given a lump sum of money and will
have to appropriately purchase necessary goods while

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

 staying within their budget.

Students will be able to compare various routes to
California and how they vary in difficulty, time and mode.
When students are assigned their fictional character they
will uncover their location. When journaling, the students
will note the (general) times it took to reach various
points in the country (i.e. cannot travel from New York
to Texas in one week).

Language Function and Demands: Consider the importance of speaking/listening/reading and/or writing as a part of all learning. Make sure you
provide students with opportunities to practice using the language function in ways that support the essential strategy.

Language Function: Identify at least one language function essential for Additional Language Demands: Identify additional language demands
students to develop and practice the literacy strategy within your central required to a chieve the objectives. Address vocabulary or key phrases.
focus. This language function should be derived from the objectives. Also, address syntax or discourse.

Writing narratives Narrative

Using descriptive details Identity
Using clear sequence of events Perspective
Gold Rush
Budget

Syntax: event sequence writing

Resources and Materials: List all resources and materials necessary to complete this lesson. Submit key instructional materials (no more than 5
additional pages per lesson plan).

- 1 composition notebook (journal) per student

- 1 Half sheet of paper of a newspaper clipping announcing that gold was discovered per student
- The Rush for Gold (reading) per student
- Pencil per student
- $300 per student
- Budget sheet
- Map displaying various routes West

Student Prior Knowledge: Describe the knowledge, skills, personal/cultural assets your students already have related to the instructional
learning objectives, language expectations, and activities of this lesson. What do they know? What can they do? What are they still learning to do?
Make clear connections to their skills and knowledge.

Students will have no formal prior knowledge of The Gold Rush. However, the information reading will be provided at
the start of the lesson to introduce the topic.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks to Support Student Learning: Describe lesson procedure in sequential and detailed steps. Design
instructional strategies, learning tasks, and assessments that will support student learning and language use. Consider how your teaching is supported by
research and theory.

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

 Introduction/Anticipatory Set: How will you introduce the lesson to students? How will you build on their prior learning or knowledge?

Transition from Previous Activity: How
will you transition students from the prior
activity/learning to this lesson? How will you
incorporate or build on students prior
knowledge? (Review.)
Prior to this lesson, the class will have learned about the Geography of
California. The students will be very familiar with the cities of California and
the growing population of the West Coast. The topic of The Gold Rush will not
have been introduced in depth at this point. However, knowledge of the ways
of life during the 1800s will have been introduced.

Hook/Purpose for Learning: What
experiences/backgrounds and/or interests do
students bring that could be used to excite
students to the activity? How will you set
learning expectations for your students?
(Introduce)
Good morning class! I have some very exciting news this morning! (in a VERY
dramatic whisper) Yesterday, in Lake Poway there was a discovery. a
MAJOR discovery that will change the history of Poway forever. I have found
gold! It is a HUGE secret and I am only going to tell you (and my dog). Open
the journals on your desk and take 5 minutes to Quick Write the steps you
would take right now after hearing about this.

d Instruction (Modeling): How will you present/teach the content and skills to your students?

- So, unfortunately this did not actually happen in Poway last night; however this did happen in San Francisco, CA in
1848 (point to map). In 1848, a man by the name of John Sutter (picture) found gold in the American River (point to
map). What was supposed to be a secret ended up getting out (like most secrets do, so dont tell secrets!!) spread all
across the United States and eventually to other countries.

-Take, 15 minutes to read The Rush for Gold, to get some more background.
-Now meet with your elbow partner to discuss the following questions:
1. What was the Gold Rush and what did it mean to the United States and the world?
2. Why do you think John Sutter wanted to keep his discovery a secret?
3. Forty-niners were said to have gold fever. Why do you think the word fever was used?

After gathering the class and discussing some answers as a whole group, I will now introduce the journal entries. I will
then put on a hat as I enter the character of Annie Tomlinson (appropriate to the time period, to create dramatic
effect). I will pull up my previously prepared journal entry and present it on the DocuCam to read to the class.

Dear Journal...(reference attached resources)

Differentiating/Scaffolds Refer to Context for Learning. How will you further support students who need more instruction beyond what you just provided? How
will you differentiate instruction for specific groups or individuals? (IEPs/504 plans/English Learners/Struggling Readers/Underperforming Students/Gifted Students)

EL learners- reference CA map and point to San Francisco, identify picture of John Sutter, and reference map of
American River
-sentence starters for the discussion questions (to be posted on the projector if needed)

Guided Instruction/Practice: How will you provide student opportunities to practice what you taught in a supportive and collaborative learning
environment?

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

 After I have demonstrated the journal entry from my character, the students will receive their own identity in the form
of a half sheet of paper with a fictional character and their corresponding biography.

Now, I have a bowl full of names of actual people that were living in the United States when word spread
about the discovery of gold. Please pick your character that you will be pretending to be for the next few
weeks.

Students then pick their character and read the biography. The biographies will include the persons age, location,
family size, occupation and any other information to make the story interesting. After the students have been
assigned their character, I will say

Each of you are now going to pretend you are that person on the day gold was discovered! You are going to
journal your journey each week with detailed entries about different victories and challenges you face and your
feelings throughout your trip.

I will also pass out a grocery list with many different items they may need for their journey (see attached resources).
Each item will have the corresponding price listed next to it (comparable to the time period). The students will then
decipher what items they feel are crucial for their journey and buy them with their given budget.

I am also going to pass out a list of necessary goods (food, transportation, tools etc.) you are going to need for
your long journey across the country! You will also see their prices for the time period are listed as well. Each
of you will begin your journey with $300. In your journals, you will write your initial feeling to the discovery
of gold, what your plan will be to travel to San Francisco, and a list of items you will need to buy (while staying
within your budget).

Each week, the students will add to their journals until they complete their journey to San Francisco!
Differentiating/Scaffolds Refer to Context for Learning. How will you further support students who need more instruction beyond what you just provided? How
will you differentiate instruction for specific groups or individuals? (IEPs/504 plans/English Learners/Struggling Readers/Underperforming Students/Gifted Students)

- Sentence frames for the journal entries (can be written on an anchor chart/white board/DocuCam and presented
in the front of the class to promote further thinking from all students as well)
- Clear map of the United States to visually represent the length of the journey they are beginning

Independent Practice: How will you provide students opportunities to master what you taught them?

For this first day, students will complete their first real journal entry based off their individual biographies. The
students will independently write about:
Their initial feelings of the news
Their plans on on traveling to California
When are they going to leave?
How are they going to get there?
Who is going with you?
What are you going to bring?
After 20-25 min of writing, students will walk around and share with at least 3 different people to discuss their entries.

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

 Differentiating/Scaffolds Refer to Context for Learning. How will you further support students who need more instruction beyond what you just provided? How
will you differentiate instruction for specific groups or individuals? (IEPs/504 plans/English Learners/Struggling Readers/Underperforming Students/Gifted Students)

EL learners- sentence starters for the journal entries

I am going to leave ______.
I am going to get to California by_______.
________ is going with me on the journey.
I am going to bring ______.

Closure: How will you bring closure to this activity/lesson? How will you transition students to the next activity?

Next class we will continue our journey to California!

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan
 PRICES - 1849

Salt Pork, per barrel 110.00 Butter, per pound 1.00

Salt Beef, per barrel 75.00 Board, per week 12.00
Salt Salmon per bar 50.00 Tent 12.00
Sugar, per barrel 50.00 Wood, per cord 20.00
Flour, per barrel 18.00 Brick, per thousand 50.00
Rice, per barrel 25.00 Lumber, per thousand 150.00
Butter, per pound .27 Mining Cradles 20.00
Coffee, per pound .16 Mining Pans 8.00
Teas, per pound .60 Shovel, each .90
Molasses, per gallon 4.00 Boots, per pair 20.00
Beans, per barrel 24.00 Blankets 40.00
Bread, per loaf 4.00 Wagons 40.00
Potatoes, per barrel 29.00 Oxen, per yoke 50.00
Cheese, per pound 1.50 Mules, each 90.00

You have $100 dollars. You need to make sure you have a mode of transportation

(including any animals needed), a place to sleep and food. In order for you to survive a week,

list your purchases and the total below. You may use portions of the amounts listed (i.e. a

half of a barrel of beans = $24 divided by 2)

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan

 Thomas Turnpike

My name is Thomas Turnpike, I was born on March 18th, 1832 and I am the son of a

banker here in St. Louis, Missouri. Ive lived my whole life here in Missouri with my mother,

father, and 3 brothers. As the children of a banker, my younger brothers and I spend our days

with our private tutor who teaches us such subjects as arithmetic, literacy, and geography. We

just received word of the discovery of gold out in the California hills. My parents are skeptical

and do not want to endure the treacherous journey for the promise of gold, while my brothers

and I are intrigued and would like to see what is out there in California.

Courtney McCandless and Hannah Broder Social Studies Lesson Plan