Grade 4 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 6, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Oh, California

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 6, Lesson 2: The Thirty-first State (pp. 141-145)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Change California delegates meet at the California Convention and Congress makes California the thirty-first state.

Locate California's boundaries on a current map of the United States. Using the map on page 142, compare California today with the boundary formed by the Mexican Cession. Why didn't this whole area become part of California? What were the pros and cons of such a large area? Why did it change?

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students imagine that they are delegates at the California constitutional convention. Invite them to write short speeches in favor of letting Indians, women, and African Americans vote.
Have students make a picture map of California. They should show the boundary as decided by the delegates as well as symbols that represent other parts of the California constitution, such as being a free state.

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