Once again, history references show up in popular culture. Put the picture to the right on your board at the start of class the day after you talk about the 1849 Gold Rush, and see if you can get a laugh out of your students. (It’s also a reference to the Kanye West song Gold Digger. Don’t ask me how I know that…I’m not even sure myself.)
While we are on the topic of the Gold Rush, I thought I’d mention this. This letter is an interesting primary source about the California Gold Rush written by a gold miner in 1850.
You could:
- Read it and highlight portions to read aloud to your students (make them do Window Notes to encourage active listening).
- Copy and paste the best portions for your students to read. Have students write a reflection about whether they would have enjoyed participating in the Gold Rush based on what they read in the letter.
If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, read a summary of the best parts of the letter here. (Scroll down to “Getting the Gold” for most relevant material.)