Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha

cia Olgin & Martha Gunter

STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS

Unit Title: The California Gold Rush

Students will be able to develop chronological thinking and understanding of events by creating and
utilizing timelines, pictures as primary sources, and maps that document events and developments that
changed the course of California history such as pre-Columbian settlements, European settlement, the
mission period, the Mexican-American War, the Bear Flag Republic, the Gold Rush, California’s
admission to statehood in 1850, and the state’s rapid growth in the twentieth century.

Established Goals: (Copy & Paste Standards here)

SS.4.3.1 Identify the locations of Mexican settlements in California and those other settlements,
including Fort Ross and Sutter’s Fort.

SS.4.4.2 Explain how the Gold Rush transformed the economy of California, including the types of
products produced and consumed, changes in towns (egg., Sacramento, San Francisco), and economic
conflicts between diverse groups of people.

SS.4.4.3 Discuss immigration and migration to California between 1850 and 1900, including the diverse
composition of those who came; the countries of origin and their relative locations; and conflicts and
accords among the diverse groups (e.g., the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act).

SS.4.4.4 Describe rapid American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and the growth of towns
and cities (egg. Los Angeles).

Understandings: Students will understand that… Essential Questions (2-5 max):

 Why do people move? How can peoples’ desire for
• Peoples’ desire for wealth can lead to the exploit of a better life lead them to greed?
environments and people?
 Why were some setter’s successful while others
weren’t?
 Who were the 49ers?
 What groups of immigrants traveled to California
during the Gold Rush?
 How did California’s geography affect the settlers
ability to get to California?

Knowledge:
Students will know:
 Students will know that the Gold Rush transformed
California’s landscape, people and economy.
 Mass immigration to the state during the Gold Rush.
 Students will also know that Native Americans were
displaced and immigrants and African Americans
were discriminated against.
Skills:
 Explain the chronological events that led to the Gold
Rush.
 Explain how cities changed after mass immigration
during the Gold Rush.
 Students will use research skills and map skills to find out
about the Gold Rush and California’s landscape.
 Express their findings orally and in writing.

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies
STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Performance Tasks (Think about G. R. A. S. P. S.):
Your goal is to create a museum gallery walk with
pictures of the settlers, slaves, immigrants, and boom
towns during the Gold Rush with index cards that
provide the “visitors” information about the
transformation of California.
G- Our goal is for our students to understand that
different people traveled to California in search of
Gold which thus changed the landscape and
R- You are a museum curator and need to select
images that illustrate life and people during the
Gold Rush.
A- The audience will be the other students and the
teacher.
S- You have been asked to create a gallery walk
that illustrates different groups of people during
the Gold Rush and life during that period.
P- Students will work independently to create a
gallery walk with pictures from the Gold Rush and
written information about each picture.
S-A successful result will be an array of 6 to 10
pictures with well thought descriptions of when,
where, why, who and what of each image.
Students will be able to identify the importance of
each image and illustrate understanding of the
people and landscape of the Gold Rush.
Key Criteria (e.g., rubric for Performance Task):
Museum Gallery Walk Rubric
4 6-10 pictures of the Gold Rush
Detailed paragraphs included for each
picture on index card describing how?,
why?, where? and when?.
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter
Other Evidence (e.g., texts, quizzes, prompts, work
samples, observations, self-assessments, reflections):
Vocabulary tests (unit vocab)
Exit Ticket- Name five groups of immigrants that
came to California.
Journal Reflections- Why do you think some
settlers didn’t find fortune?
How do you think black laborers felt working in
the mines and panning for Gold?
How do you think Native Americans felt about
gold and “gold fever?”
Letter Readings and Interpretations- Students
will read letters from the Gold Rush sent back
home by settlers and women and write about how
they think these people were feeling.
Book Response (By the Great Horn Spoon)
As you read the book write about what you read
and what it made you wonder about and what you
learned.
Observation – teacher will observe student
presentations.
Prompt- Discuss the reasons why immigrants
traveled to the Gold Rush.
All sentences begin with
a capital letter and end
with a period.
All proper nouns are
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Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

capitalized.

3 5 pictures of the Gold Rush All sentences begin with

Detailed paragraphs included for each a capital letter and end
picture. with a period.
one of the “W” questions not answered on Some proper nouns are
one of the pictures. not capitalized.

2 5 pictures of the Gold Rush. All sentences begin with

Detailed paragraphs included for each a capital letter and end
picture. with a period.
Two of the “W” questions not answered Most proper nouns are
not capitalized.
1 5 pictures of the Gold Rush. Some sentences do not
Three of the “W” questions not answered. begin with a capital letter
or are missing a period.
Most or all proper nouns
lack capitalization.

STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN

Summary of Learning Activities (Think about WHERETO):

1. We will engage students by asking “What would you do with the possibility of finding money on the the school
grounds?” “Would you pursue trying to get it?” “How would you do this? “ We would than relate this real life
situation to how other immigrants felt at that time. We would “act out” this activity by placing fake gold around the
school and having the children figure out how to find it.
2. Key Vocabulary will be intouduced and will be assessed throughout the unit.
3. We will give students a questionaire about prior knowledge of Gold Rush. We will guide our lessons according to
our findings.
4. Present lesson plan on why immigrants chose different routes to get to California and the hardships they faced
along the way.
5. Students will fill out blank maps illustrating what they learned about the different routes leading to California.
6. Students will create a timeline to identify the important events during the California Gold Rush from 1848-1858.
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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

7. Students will read Great Horn Spoon and have to write in their journal what are the main ideas discussed in the
book.
8. Students will read letters sent back from settlers of the Gold Rush and write about how these people may have
been feeling about their experiences in California.
(empathy)

UNIT COMPONENT 4
Here’s where your weekly plan, session by session, is mapped out briefly. Make sure to include when
you’ll administer the assessments throughout the unit. (Expand boxes as necessary).

Unit designers: Martha Gunter & Marcia Gunter Unit Name: California Gold Rush

LEARNING EXPERIENCES PLAN

WEEK 1

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

Monday Wednesday Thursday

KWL Chart Close Reading of Popcorn Reading

a Primary Source
Hook students with Read the first
a KWL Chart to Have students log into chapter of
assess students’ prior the Library of By the Great Horn
knowledge on: Congress and read the Spoon and
Knowledge about Treaty of Guadalupe use as a Segway to
events that happened Hidalgo. introduce migration
in California before Using this primary to California during
the Gold Rush that source have students the Gold Rush.
changed the everyday analyze the content Have students
lives of people. and discuss what discuss what the
 Missions makes this document characters are
experiencing as they
 Ranchos a primary source.
 Mexican Have a discussion on journey to California
American War what implications this in an overcrowded
document had on boat.
California and its
people.
WEEK 2
Monday Wednesday Thursday

VOCAB QUIZ Self-Reflective Map Activity

Journal
Vocabulary quiz on Have students draw
unit’s vocabulary Have students reflect a map that shows the
 Settlers on what they think the three main routes the
 49rs experience of 49ers used to reach
 territory traveling to California California.
 Gold Rush was like.
 Californios
 Isthmus
 Clipper ships
 Cape
 Claim
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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

WEEK 3
Monday Wednesday Thursday

Brochure Feedback Think Pair Share

Students will create a Assess and give Students will create

brochure enticing feedback on brochure. a list of valuable
people to come to Students will be natural resources in
California during the allowed to self-assess California (gold, oil,
Gold Rush. Students using the rubric soil) and discuss
will conduct research provided for the how mining, drilling
on California’s assignment. for oil, and
geography and natural harvesting a forest
resources. can change a place
and the part it played
in displacing people.

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

WEEK 4 Wednesday Thursday

Monday
Graphic Unit Exam
Quick Write Organizer
Students will take a
Have students write a Have students unit exam based on
“letter back home” complete a Venn understandings of
about their diagram using two the unit.
experiences during different perspectives
the Gold Rush. of the Gold Rush
(women, settler,
slaves, immigrant,
store keeper).

WEEK 5 Wednesday Thursday

Monday
Self-Assessment Presentations

Timeline Students will self - Students will present

assess their timelines their finished
Students will create a based on the rubric timelines to the class
timeline of the provided for all the and teacher
California Gold Rush students. (audience).
after viewing a Power
Point presentation of
a specific time span
1848-1858 using
pictures (primary
resources).

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
 Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

WEEK 6 Wednesday Thursday

Monday
Performance
Performance Task
Performance Task
Task Students will create a
museum gallery walk Students will
Students will create a with 6-10 pictures of conduct their
museum gallery walk the Gold Rush. gallery walks and
with 6-10 pictures of Including detailed will leave
the Gold Rush. paragraphs using the 5 feedback on Post-
Including detailed W’s ( Who?, What?, Its (peer
paragraphs using the When?, Why?,
5 W’s ( Who?, Where?).
assessment) based
What?, When?, on rubric.
Why?, Where?).
*see rubric

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
Design Topic: Gold Rush and Settlers Subject(s) Social Studies Grade(s) 4 Designer(s) Marcia Olgin & Martha Gunter

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Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)