California Gold Rush Learning Stations, Activities, and Hands-On Project
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Description
This resource contains five California Gold Rush learning stations that students can rotate through in small groups. Each learning station (or center) is designed to give students engaging and exciting learning experiences to practice, enrich, review, and enhance their learning. Students will visit each station with a small group and complete tasks and assignments.
Check this out! Students will create a 3-D miner’s cart with an expandable book filled with their learning. They’ll add information to the expandable book as they progress through the stations. Working both independently and with their small groups, students will have multiple opportunities to develop their understanding of the California Gold Rush as they investigate key players, significant events, causes and effects, and critical information about the period.
Then, they'll assemble the expandable notes and 3D miner’s cart display on their desks, around the classroom, or even slip into their folders to refer to throughout the school year.
ABOUT THE LEARNING STATIONS:
- STATION 1: KEY PEOPLE - At this station students will learn about some of the key people associated with the California Gold Rush. These include James W. Marshall, John Sutter, Sam Brennan, the Forty-Niners, and prospectors.
- STATION 2: CAUSE & EFFECT - At this station students will learn about major events associated with the California Gold Rush. The station focuses and how certain events impacted places, people, and the environment.
- STATION 3: SIGNIFICANT EVENTS - At this station students will learn where the Gold Rush occurred as well as significant events associated with the Gold Rush. They’ll add their learning to guided notes and the events section of their expandable notes.
- STATION 4: GETTING THERE - At this station students will learn how people from around the world made their way to California during the Gold Rush. They’ll answer critical questions in their expandable notes.
- STATION 5: CRITICAL INFORMATION - At this station students will read mini-passages on task cards. They’ll investigate the positive and negative impacts of the California Gold Rush before adding information and doodles to their expandable notes.
- ALL STATIONS: VOCABULARY - Students will collect vocabulary definitions at each learning station. They’ll add the definitions onto the miner’s cart shape.
- DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - Each station includes a set of discussion questions based on the station’s activity. These are designed for fast finishers during station work. The discussion questions can also be used as a whole-class activity.
ABOUT THE EXPANDABLE BOOK
- Students will complete different elements of the expandable book while working at the stations.
- The worksheets will be glued and folded to make a book that fits inside the miner’s cart.
ABOUT THE MINER’S CART
- Students will be creating a 3-D miner’s cart filled with vocabulary.
- Assembling the 3-D miner’s cart is simple. It requires cutting and gluing parts together. Detailed directions for assembly are included in this resource.
- When put together, it easily holds students’ expandable books filled with their learning.
- Their work can be displayed on their desks and then easily stored in their folders.
Both are super easy to create, and the “wow factor” can’t be beat!
INCLUDED IN THIS DETAILED RESOURCE:
- This resource is absolutely turn-key! Everything you need is included!
- Station Implementation Guide
- Station Grade Tracker
- Station Vocabulary Worksheet
- Station Table Labels (5)
- Teacher Resources - Detailed Station Overview and Set-Up Guides (5)
- Station Materials (reading passages, directions, reading cards, discussion questions, student directions, expandable book worksheets)
- Expandable Book Note Pages (2)
- Step-by-Step guide for make the 3-D miner’s cart
- Keys (for all station activities)
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