Gold Fever! --
Optimists and Pessimists
Materials:
· Copies of page 46, scissors, lined writing paper, colored markers or pencils
· Mining for gold in the days of the gold rush was grueling, dirty work. Many men loved the adventure and the prospect of finding their fortune. Others returned east broke and broken-hearted.
· However, life is what you make of it. Many men shared the same experiences, but their different attitudes played an important role in how they saw their adventures.
CREATING THE SHAPED BOOK
· Look for synonyms of the meanings of the terms optimist and pessimist.
· Use copies of the glass template on page 46. Cut it out and use it to trace several other glasses onto lined writing paper.
· Cut out these shapes and staple them along the left edge behind the glass to form a book.
· Decide whether you want to write about the experience of the California gold rush from an optimistic perspective or a pessimistic one. Then write a paragraph in the first person, as if you are one of the men or women who participated in this historic event.
When developing your paragraphs, you should consider the following questions:
· What are your living conditions like during the gold rush?
· What were your living conditions like before you moved west?
· Where were you when you first heard about gold being found in California?
· How did that news make you feel?
· What is a typical workday like?
· How do you feel at the end of the day?
· What are the people you work with like?
· How do you mine for gold? (Research the various styles of mining.)
· What tools do you use?
· On the cover of the glass, the pessimists should write “The Glass Is Half Empty” in the top half of the glass, and the optimists should write “The Glass Is Half Full” in the bottom half of the glass.
· After students have finished their stories, attach them to green construction paper under the title “Life Is What You Make of It.”
Optimists and Pessimists
Materials:
· Copies of page 46, scissors, lined writing paper, colored markers or pencils
· Mining for gold in the days of the gold rush was grueling, dirty work. Many men loved the adventure and the prospect of finding their fortune. Others returned east broke and broken-hearted.
· However, life is what you make of it. Many men shared the same experiences, but their different attitudes played an important role in how they saw their adventures.
CREATING THE SHAPED BOOK
· Look for synonyms of the meanings of the terms optimist and pessimist.
· Use copies of the glass template on page 46. Cut it out and use it to trace several other glasses onto lined writing paper.
· Cut out these shapes and staple them along the left edge behind the glass to form a book.
· Decide whether you want to write about the experience of the California gold rush from an optimistic perspective or a pessimistic one. Then write a paragraph in the first person, as if you are one of the men or women who participated in this historic event.
When developing your paragraphs, you should consider the following questions:
· What are your living conditions like during the gold rush?
· What were your living conditions like before you moved west?
· Where were you when you first heard about gold being found in California?
· How did that news make you feel?
· What is a typical workday like?
· How do you feel at the end of the day?
· What are the people you work with like?
· How do you mine for gold? (Research the various styles of mining.)
· What tools do you use?
· On the cover of the glass, the pessimists should write “The Glass Is Half Empty” in the top half of the glass, and the optimists should write “The Glass Is Half Full” in the bottom half of the glass.
· After students have finished their stories, attach them to green construction paper under the title “Life Is What You Make of It.”