Myth & Reality: The California Gold Rush and Its Legacy-Grade 8

Grade 8: 424-page curriculum focuses on the effects on California as the world rushed in. Students examine California’s role in the Compromise of 1850 as well as the technology of the Gold Rush and its implications for the environment and people of California. Three separate units challenge students to examine the social diversity and values brought to California and how they are now reflected in the state’s laws.
• Present-day simulation asks students to take a stand on approving a mining development in their community
• Excerpts from the 1849 California Constitutional Convention are provided to engage students in a process of inquiry

Gold Rush Curricula: The Oakland Museum of California offers Gold Rush curricula for grades 4, 8, and 11 based on primary resources, with an emphasis on visual literacy.
• Curriculum packages explore the daily life, cultural diversity, environmental impact, and legacy of the Gold Rush
• Lessons are based on primary source materials from museum and library collections, including daguerreotypes, journals, letters, and songs
• Includes Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) teaching strategies
• Each binder offers approximately four weeks of daily teaching materials, including transparencies