Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 8, Lesson 4

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 8, Lesson 4: Surviving on the Frontier (pp. 241-247)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Change The movement of settlers into California changed both those who went there and those who were already living there.

Review the reasons why people were drawn to California in the 1850s. Present the lure of gold, land, and new opportunities offered by California along with the difficulties of getting there.

Discuss the impact of this rapid migration on both those who migrated and those who already live in California. Encourage students to understand both the positive and negative aspects for each group.

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

Divide students into nine groups and assign each one a descriptive box from the map on page 244. Have each group prepare a brief journal entry as V.E. Geiger, based on the information in their assigned box. Encourage students to expand on the information given in the map to create a vivid and personal sense of the journey. Have a spokesperson in each group read the entries in order aloud.
Ask each student to make a rough drawing copying the watercolor sketch shown on page 247. Then have students draw arrows on their papers pointing to items the settlers in this painting probably made themselves. Have them place a star next to each item they could have bought or brought with them.

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