Boom Town
Below-Level Reader
The California Gold Rush
Unit 1 Week 1
REALISM AND FANTASY PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
LESSON VOCABULARY boom, coins, fetched, laundry, mending, pick, skillet, spell
SUMMARY A boy named Josh is thrilled when he receives a letter from his Uncle Zach, who has moved to California with dreams of finding gold and making a fortune. The letter reveals, however, that the Gold Rush is not what Zach had hoped it would be.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Discuss reasons why people might decide to move from one part of the country to another. Ask students if they know of such people, and if they ever got messages from them.
Tell students that this story focuses on a letter written from California. Identify California on a map in relation to where the students are.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Have students preview the book by looking at the illustrations and photos. Point out the italicized text that is presented on certain pages along with photos. Ask: Why do you think the author chose this arrangement?
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Read aloud the vocabulary words. Ask students about words they may already know. Discuss how they first heard of them and what they think the words mean.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
REALISM AND FANTASY Tell students that a
realistic story tells about something that could happen while a
fantasy is a story about something that could not happen. Help students find specific elements in the book that indicate what type of story it is.
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Tell students that
prior knowledge is what they know about a given topic. Explain how connecting prior knowledge to text can help them understand what they read. Read aloud sections of the book and pause to ask students what it reminds them of. Tell them to use examples from their own lives; previously read books; and people, places, and things from the world in general.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGES 4–5 What parts of Zach's letter tell you this a realistic story?
(It was written in California in 1850, a real time and place in history.)
PAGE 7 At first, how do Zach and other miners search for gold?
(They use picks to loosen rocks and dirt from the bottom of a river and
then put the dirt into pans for careful sorting.)
PAGE 11 How do you think Josh's family would feel after Pa reads the
letter? (Possible response: Disappointed that Zach's dreams of gold did
not come true but happy that he would be returning home)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- It is a realistic story.
- Answers will vary based on student's prior knowledge.
- Possible response: The fireworks make a loud boom.
- Possible response: No. Zach misses his family and is disappointed
in their luck at finding gold.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Ask students to pretend they are members of Zach's family and
are writing letters in response to the one he sent. They should write about
their feelings and describe their own lives at home during the 1850s.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES Have students use reference
materials to learn more about modern-day California.
Then ask them to use the information to pick a location
in California and pretend they are there writing a letter
to a friend.
L.R. TOC
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