Unit 2: Life During the Gold Rush - Lesson 5: A Miners Life

Essential Question: What was a typical day in the life of a miner?

Objectives:

Background:

Students will analyze the harsh conditions in If a miner staked a claim, the miner was
which the miners lived.
entitled to use it as long as he kept working
the claim. Once he stopped, another miner
Students will write a descriptive account in
could take it.
the day of a miner with as much detail as
possible.
Lesson Overview:

Activities

Watch the Prezi presentation to introduce

what life was like for the miners.

Read and take notes on Who were the

miners.

Students will, as a class, read and take

notes on the three articles highlighting life as
a 49er. Within these articles students will
pull information to describe what a typical
day is like.

Read and take notes on Life of a miner.

Read Primary Source: Excerpt from

Shufelts Letter

Write a descriptive account in the day of a

miner explaining what he wore, what he did,
what he ate, what he felt, etc.

We will be going over the cost of gold back

in the 1800s and do a Math exercise related
to Gold Rush.

Gold Rush Math

Vocabulary:
stake
claims

Materials:

Analyze this picture of the miners and

discuss what we see.

Who were the miners?

Gold Rush Life
Life of a 49er