1. Based on the following passage, will please record:
Warm Up
In the half century after 1856, one of the greatest sagas in history took place: the expansion of the American nation into the western half of the continent. A dozen new states entered the Union. Mines poured their wealth of gold, silver, copper, and iron ore into the economy. Ranching boomed after the Civil War and then went bust. Farms arose from Kansas to the Pacific Coast. Five transcontinental railroads spanned the country. This explosive growth also spawned conflict and violence. For Native Americans, expansion of the white population spelled contraction for the territory they lived on. The story of westward expansion was one of tragedy as well as triumph.
Based on the following passage, will please record:
1 fact
1 opinion
1 question

2. Objective- SWBAT Understand how mining lead to the creation of new states

3. The California Gold Rush was over by the mid-1850s, yet “gold fever” raged on. Still hoping to strike it rich, disappointed miners began searching other parts of the West for treasure. If you were a disappointed miner who struck out, would you give up or still continue to search different areas for gold (Turn and talk)

4. In 1858 prospectors, who were people searching for valuable materials, found gold at Pikes Peak in the Colorado Rockies. According to newspaper reports, miners were making $20 a day panning for gold, this was considered a lot of money considering many workers earned less than one dollar a day. How did newspapers encourage people to go to Colorado to mine for gold?

5. By 1859, about 50,000 people flocked to the Colorado goldfields
By 1859, about 50,000 people flocked to the Colorado goldfields. People panned gold dust from streams or scratched gold particles from the ground. Most of the gold was in the form of ore found deep underground. Ore is a mineral in which the gold or other valuable material is mixed with less valuable substances. Mining the ore and then extracting the gold from it required machinery, workers, and organized business.

6. Why did companies have a better chance of finding gold
Why did companies have a better chance of finding gold? (Turn and talk) It was too costly and hard for a single miner to dig it out, but a company had many workers, better machinery, and was organized.

7. Guided Practice
As a class, we will popcorn read a passage from the textbook titled, “Boom and Bust” (Page 520) and answer the following comprehension questions:
How do you think the miners who were not successful felt?
How might the low success rates in the mines be related to the crime rate in the town of Virginia City?
What was a vigilante? Why did boomtowns need vigilantes?

8. Independent Practice
Independently read a passage titled, “Westward Growth” (Page 522) and answer the following:
Which states were created due to increased population from mining?
Why did many boomtowns turn into ghost towns?

9. Group Work
You will receive a map titled “Mining and the West, ” (Page 522) Group 1-Which mineral did people find in the Black Hills? Group 2-Which mineral did people find in the area around Tombstone? Group 3-Why do you think Denver became the capital of Colorado? Group 4-What led to growth in population and the addition of new states and territories?

10. Exit Ticket
Paraphrase todays lesson on a post-it on the way out of class.

11. Homework
Answer the following in a 5-7 sentence paragraph: What was life like in a boomtown?