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Library Lesson Plans

Lessons from Library Hall Programs

Treasures of the Library • Papers, Pens & Prose

Online Lessons Only
Teaching American History • George Washington

Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush Decade

Treasures of the Library

Vocabulary
Lesson Plans	Grades
Using Primary Sources in the Classroom	4-12
Document Analysis Worksheet	4-12
The lesson plans below are made possible through a generous grant from The Los Angeles Times/Times Mirror Foundation.
The Widening World of Books and Readers World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times	7
The Literature of Upheaval United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict	8
A Nation Conceived in Liberty Advanced Placement United States History	11
A Literature of Democracy American Literature	11
Shakespeare's Universalism British Literature	11-12

Papers, Pens, and Prose

Vocabulary
The lesson plans below are made possible through a generous grant from The Los Angeles Times/Times Mirror Foundation.
Lesson Plans	Grades
The Development of Writing & Books, Part I History and Geography	4-8
The Development of Writing & Books, Part II History and Geography	4-8
Coming to California: Juan Bautista de Anza Establishes a Land Route California History	4
Washington's Rise Begins: A Journal of a Noteworthy Journey United States History and Geography	5
The Latin Legacy: Language as a Cultural Marker World History and Geography	6
A Changing Society: Chaucer and the Medieval World World History and Geography	7

Teaching American History

Lesson Plans	Grades
American Biography: Six Important People from our Nation’s History United States History and Geography	5
Cooperation and Conflict: American Indians and English Settlers in Colonial America United States History and Geography	5
Early English Exploration and Settlement of the Colony of Virginia United States History and Geography	5
The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition United States History and Geography	5
Pennsylvania Colony: The Holy Experiment United States History and Geography	5
Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies of New England United States History and Geography	5
Religious Dissent (A Supplement to Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies of New England) United States History and Geography	5
Slavery: A Crisis in the Making United States History and Geography	5
Causes of the American Revolution: Soldiers and Civilians at War United States History and Geography	5
Causes of the American Revolution: The Stamp Act Crisis United States History and Geography	5
Causes of the American Revolution: Trouble in Boston United States History and Geography	5
Triangular Trade United States History and Geography	5
Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist United States History and Geography	5
The Bill of Rights United States History and Geography	5
Freedom of the Press: The Trial of Peter Zenger United States History and Geography	5
Created Equal: Inventing the American Republic United States History and Geography	8
A New Birth of Freedom: Lincoln's Presidency and the Civil War United States History and Geography	8
A House Divided: Slavery and the Civil War United States History and Geography	8
The Constitution on Trial: the Internment of the Japanese During World War II United States History and Geography	11
"Will you let Jim Crow hold me back?" The Poetry and Prose of Langston Hughes United States History and Geography	11
Lampooning Injustice: Paul Conrad's Perspective on Civil Rights United States History and Geography	11

The Great Experiment:
George Washington and the American Republic

Lesson Plans - Grades 8-11

Introduction to lesson plans

Simple Truth ... Can Render His Fame Immortal

Columbia's First and Greatest Son

The Colony of Virginia as Far as the Mississippi

The Horse America Throwing His Master

The Flood Gates of Civil Disorder

No Evil Greater than Disunion

North and South Will Hang Together if They Have You to Hang On

My First Wishes To See ... Slavery in this Country Abolished by Slow, Sure, and Imperceptible Degrees

Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush Decade
1848-1858

The Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush Decade, 1848-1858
Units of study were made possible by the generous support of Dr. and Mrs. Peter S. Bing and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Munger. Additional funding was provided by Wells Fargo; Institute of Museum and Library Services, Library Services and Technology Act; the Times Mirror Foundation; Mrs. Helen Smetz; the GenCorp Foundation—Aerojet; and the Dorothy Clune Trask Murray Foundation.

Lesson Plans - Grades 4-5

The Adventure Begins: "Boys I believe I have found a gold mine!"

Getting There: "So you want to go to California?"

The Days of '49: "I've been toiling hard for the last two and one-half years"

The World Rushed In: "Who are these people...and how came they here?"

Legacies of El Dorado: "Here you can step out of your house and see the whole world spread out."

Lesson Plans — Grades 7-12

"The march of civilization" (Manifest Destiny)

"The march of emigration is to the West, and naught will arrest its advance but the mighty ocean" (routes to California)

"...Down torrent and through the valley, ever rushes on the muddy sediment from the thousand busy rockers" (mining)

"If enny one wished to send out goods think I could sell them as well as enny man in California" (Gold Rush towns)

"All we want is an equal chance, an open field, and a fair fight" (racial diversity)