A Great Gold Rush Book

Two Questions:

1) Do you teach about the Gold Rush?

2) Have you read this book?  

It's a nonfiction book that is full of interesting facts that keep the kids engaged while learning.  Last year was the first year that I brought it into my classroom, and this year I picked up a class set of the books from Scholastic.

My very smart teammate came up with this paper bag book activity for the kids, full of hidden compartments and secret flaps for kids to write on.  

It takes 4 white or brown lunch size paper bags - they are crisscrossed back and forth, always with the bottom of the bag facing up (plain front, flat side down).  Just layer them and then fold/staple to form a book.

First paper bag - bottom of bag on right side, facing up

Second bag - bottom of bag on left side, facing up

Third bag - bottom of bag on right side, facing up

Fourth bag - bottom of bag on left side, facing up

Then fold in half.  I stapled.  My friend hole punched and tied with yarn.

The pages go along with the pages in the book.  It's a lot of summarizing and adding different interesting facts to the pages.  My kids actually BEGGED to do this every day!   

Hope you had a great day!  Hopefully this helps someone.  :)

P.S. - Need some Gold Rush Resources?

Gold Rush Bundle: Famous Men of the Gold Rush Reading Passages and Mining Journal

Gold Rush File Folder Dioramas

We wrapped up our Gold Rush Unit before the end of the trimester, and the kids created file folder dioramas.  They were huge, but made the perfect size to get all the details inside. 

Basically how we created them were the same as when we usually make the smaller versions.  Here are my pictures from a past post.


Step 1: Lay horizontal


Step 2: Fold the right top corner down (Yes, you want that extra flap for the mountains.)


Step 3: Open it back up, and fold the left top corner down.


Step 4:  Open it up and see the gigantic X.


Step 5:  Cut one little fold of the X.


Step 6: Gently fold the paper in to the center until you get to the fold.  Secure (tape or staple - glue will take forever to dry).


Step 7: Flip it around to have 2 mountains on the back.

I had my kids add details to the dioramas.  In the past I had my kids draw everything... which usually ends up taking a really long time... and I didn't have that kind of time to give them this year.  They were able to glue in a clip art miner, and some chose to use a Gold Rush Bingo board clip art as their details (after we played Bingo during workshop).  Since it was just a fun wrap up to the unit, my main objective was for them to identify through their diorama (and their Gold Rush Mining Journal) what life was life during the Gold Rush.
  

Love how they came out even if they were huge!  One pushpin was all that was needed to hold them up on the wall.  

Hope you had a great day!