1. Butcher Paper (to make the Fraser River) – about 10 feet long

2. Paint (to make the Fraser River)

3. Gold Nuggets (we just used paper in small squares with a nugget of sparkling gold drawn on it) Need about 250 of them!

4. 3 buckets filled with sand and placed in a box to lessen spillage

5. A rock painted Gold or yellow to hide in one of the buckets

6. Questions about the gold rush with answers provided and a certain number of
Gold Nuggets to be given to the group who answers the question correctly

7. Activity cards. (Ex. Swim five laps down the Fraser River and earn 5 Gold Nuggets)- Everyone in the Group is to do this. Another example: Your canoe
tips in the Fraser and you must buy more mining equipment. Loose 3 Gold Nuggets. I also used, Give 2 Gold Nuggets to the group sitting to your left.
Be Creative!

8. Chocolate Gold Coins for the winning team and one Gold Chocolate Coin for
each person in the class who participated.

9. Handouts – 1. Instructions and 2. Rubric (included on this page)

10. Costume

Grade 8 Gold Rush

Specific Expectations:

– Students will learn about the importance of the Gold Rush which established British Columbia in 1871.

– Students will learn about the Geography of B.C (Fraser River).

– Students will demonstrate knowledge of mining and the hardships that were present during this time.

– Students will learn to work as a group.

– Students will demonstrate knowledge of Canadian History and Confederation.

Task:

– After discussing the Gold Rush and its importance to B.C.’s Confederation to Canada in 1871, students will form groups of 4 or 5 and create a “mining claim name.”

– Students will be given a rubric outlining that proper dress (mining gear) and the demonstration of their knowledge will be assessed.

– The Fraser River (painted on Butcher Paper) is placed accordingly in the room (in this case we used two classrooms; thus, it was placed in the hall between the two classrooms).

– Students sit in their groups and each group is asked a question which the teacher pulls out of a bucket (Questions created by Barbara Brockmann and myself). Each question is worth a certain amount of Gold Nuggets if answered correctly. If not answered correctly, another group gets to respond.

– In the bucket are a number of “PAYDIRT” cards. If this is pulled out on the groups turn, their group receives 1 minute to search both rooms for hidden Gold Nuggets (on paper and hid throughout the classroom). At the same time, one student from the group goes to the teacher to dig in one of three (or more) buckets filled with sand in which one gold rock is hid (in only one bucket). If the student finds a gold rock, he or she receives 15 Gold Nuggets.

– Some cards are ACTIVITY cards and require students to do things such as: swim front crawl three times down the Fraser River and earn 8 Gold Nuggets.

– At the end, the groups count their gold nuggets. The winning group wins a bag of Gold Chocolate coins. Every person in every group receives one Gold Chocolate Coin for participation.

Follow-Up:

Next day, discuss the activity with the students and ask them questions about the Gold Rush!

GOLD RUSH ACTIVITY

Activity Description:

1) In groups of four you are to stake a claim. Create a name for your claim.

2) You will, in your groups, be required to obtain (through 10 minutes of question period and through 10 minutes of gold hunting) a number of gold
Coins. Each claim will be given an opportunity to dig for gold in the bucket
of sand which will be provided.

3) Dress the part! We are going to turn back time and become miners seeking for gold on the Pacific Coast (B.C) along the Fraser Valley. Be sure to bring your gold mining equipment as some may be hard to extract.

Purpose:

To simulate the Gold rush in British Columbia during the 1860′s which was an extremely important event in Canadian History as this was the time period that saw a huge rise in population growth and; thus, economic growth basically overnight.

Claim Registration

Claim Name:________________________________________________

Names of Participants:_________________________________________

Amount of Gold Found: _______________________________________

Assessment

Behavior:

• Running around the room.
• Speaking loudly.
• Disturbing other gold miners and the territory President.
• Acting somewhat silly, running around at times and speaking loudly at times.
• Showing proper respect for other gold miners.
• Not talking loudly and not running around.
• Seriously answering questions asked and having fun.
• Never asked to settle down by the territory Presidents ONCE!
• You are a true example to other gold miners who enter our territory.

Clothing

• No effort.
• Not appropriately dressed for the mines.
• A few things brought in to wear.
• Somewhat appropriate for mining.
• Dressed up for the mines.
• Equipment and dress are extremely mine appropriate.

Knowledge

• Demonstrate little knowledge of Gold Rush Era and other key events in Pacific Coast history.
• Demonstrate some knowledge of Gold Rush Era and other key events in Pacific Coast History.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Gold Rush and other key events in Pacific Coast History.
• Demonstrate expert knowledge of the Gold Rush and key events in Pacific Coast history.

Comments:

E-Mail

Lisa Allen

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