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Introduction
Eureka! Gold Discovered in California!
The time? 1848. The place? Northern California. Gold has been discovered and gold fever is quickly spreading across the US. As a local resident of Boston, Massachusetts, you cannot wait to head west and try your luck in the gold fields. Fortune surely awaits, but you will have to risk your life on the quest to find it.
In this project, you will learn about what life was like for 49ers traveling to California on the hunt for gold. Do you have what it takes to survive this journey?
The Mission
You are heading west to search for gold. As a 49er, you will have to choose which route you will take. You will be keeping a journal of your travels. You will need to map out the journey, describe information about your journey there, and tell about experiences you have on the way.
How to Complete Your Mission
You will have six major check points, Gold Fever, By Land or By Sea, The Journey Begins, You Made it to California, Life as a 49er and The Journey Ends. At each check point, you will have websites to visit. You will have to take notes on historical information you find at each website. Using these facts, you will write a journal explaining how you, a 49er, experienced life in this time. (Think historical fiction like By the Great Horn Spoon) We will go over journal writing in class and will learn more about the historical fiction genre as we continue on this journey.
The time? 1848. The place? Northern California. Gold has been discovered and gold fever is quickly spreading across the US. As a local resident of Boston, Massachusetts, you cannot wait to head west and try your luck in the gold fields. Fortune surely awaits, but you will have to risk your life on the quest to find it.
In this project, you will learn about what life was like for 49ers traveling to California on the hunt for gold. Do you have what it takes to survive this journey?
The Mission
You are heading west to search for gold. As a 49er, you will have to choose which route you will take. You will be keeping a journal of your travels. You will need to map out the journey, describe information about your journey there, and tell about experiences you have on the way.
How to Complete Your Mission
You will have six major check points, Gold Fever, By Land or By Sea, The Journey Begins, You Made it to California, Life as a 49er and The Journey Ends. At each check point, you will have websites to visit. You will have to take notes on historical information you find at each website. Using these facts, you will write a journal explaining how you, a 49er, experienced life in this time. (Think historical fiction like By the Great Horn Spoon) We will go over journal writing in class and will learn more about the historical fiction genre as we continue on this journey.
Part 1: Gold Fever
Before you begin your journey, you must first read what all about the start of the Gold Rush. Do this by visiting:
First Hand Accounts
4. California Star News 1848
5. President James Polk Speaks
Journal Entry 1:
In your journal, write your first entry dated December 12, 1848. In this entry you will tell why you have Gold Fever and what you expect to find in California. Be sure to include information that you read! Remember, you have just heard about the gold discovery. In your journal, be sure to include information on gold's value, on how you heard about the gold rush, and on what you currently know about California.
**Remember, you are pretending like you are a living on the East Coast of the United States in 1848. Do not include any details other than what is asked in this journal.