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Home , California Trail, Humboldt River, Humboldt Sink

Mountains, Sinks and Deserts: The Physical Geography of the

Author Carol Carney Warren Grade Level 5 Duration 2 class periods

National Standards AZ Standards Social Science Standards GEOGRAPHY ELA GEOGRAPHY Element 1: The World in Reading The use of geographic representations Spatial Terms Key Ideas and Details and tools help individuals understand 1. How to use maps and 5.RI.1 Quote accurately from a their world. other geographic text when explaining what the 5.G1.1 Use and construct maps and representations, text says explicitly and when graphs to represent changes in the United geospatial technologies, drawing inferences from the States. and spatial thinking to text. Examining human population and understand and Writing movement helps individuals understand communicate information Production and Distribution past, present, and future conditions on 3. How to analyze the of Writing Earth’s surface. spatial organization of 5.W.4 Produce clear and 5.G3.1 Use key historical events with people, places, and coherent writing in which the geographic tools to analyze the causes and environments on Earth's development and organization effects of environmental and technological surface are appropriate to task, events on human settlements and Element 2: Places and purpose, and audience. migration. Regions HISTORY 4. The physical and MATHEMATICS Cycles of conflict and cooperation have human characteristics of Geometry shaped relations among people, places, places 5.G.A.2. Represent real world and environments. Element 3: Physical and mathematical problems by 5.H2.1 Use primary and secondary sources Systems graphing points in the first to summarize the causes and effects of 7. The physical processes quadrant of the coordinate conflicts, resolutions, and social movements that shape the patterns of plane and interpret coordinate throughout the historical timeframe. Earth's surface. values of points in the context Element 6: The Uses of of the situation. Geography Standards for Mathematical 17. How to apply Practice geography to interpret he 5.MP.2. Reason abstractly and past. quantitatively. 5.MP.4. Model with mathematics.

Overview terrain will not only determine the routes that would be feasible but also the technology needed to make Today’s students have no idea of the feat it was to these routes more accessible by others when travel across the vast expanses of the building roads and railroads. before trains, planes, and automobiles. Students need to appreciate how the physical geography Purpose of modern-day and California greatly impacted travel to California in the 1800s. The

In this lesson, students will learn about the physical from Independence to where it left the Oregon geography of the trail to California in order to better Trail and then to Sacramento, California. understand the experiences of the travelers. 3. Hand out the student worksheet #1, The Physical Geography of the . Have Materials students read together from the worksheet the information and primary sources describing the • The Oregon and California (1849-1850) physical geography of the different sections of map unlabeled the trail. Inform students that the primary source https://geoalliance.asu.edu/sites/default/files/Les writings have not been corrected for grammar or sonFiles/GeoHistory/WarrenCaliforniaTrail/Or_C spelling. (Teacher may want to read these a_map_student.pdf sections aloud if students have difficulty • The Oregon and California Trails (1849-1850) understanding the writing.) map labeled 4. As each section is described (, https://geoalliance.asu.edu/sites/default/files/Les , , 40-Mile Desert, sonFiles/GeoHistory/WarrenCaliforniaTrail/OR_ , CA_Map_Labeled_Key.pdf Mountains/), locate it on the map. Be sure students understand the explanations of • Projection device the physical processes that shaped the various • Colored pencils, crayons, or markers physical landforms. • Student worksheet #1, The Physical Geography 5. Reread the journal comments while viewing the of the California Trail photos of the locations along the route. Explain • Student worksheet #2, Map Activities that the photos were taken in the 1900s, after • Student worksheet #3, Elevations Along the the event, and are secondary sources. The California Trail journal entries were written as the event • Graph paper occurred and are primary sources. Have • Assessment sheet students describe any differences. • Photos of locations along the California Trail 6. Hand out student worksheet #2, Map Activities, • Atlases or map of the United States (optional) and have them complete the activities on their map. They may use a map or atlas for Objectives assistance. The student will be able to: 7. End session by reviewing the variety of physical features encountered by travelers on the 1. Describe physical features of the California Trail. California Trail. 2. Compare primary and secondary source descriptions of locations along the California SESSION TWO Trail. 3. Graph elevations along the California Trail. 8. Begin the session by reviewing what students learned about the physical geography of the California Trail in Session One. Procedures 9. Hand out student worksheet #3, Elevations Prerequisite Skills: Student should have knowledge Along the California Trail and graph paper. of the time period known as Westward Expansion 10. Explain that another way to understand the and the . Students should have difficulty of the trip is to look at the changes in knowledge of how to graph one variable. elevation travelers faced along the route. Discuss the difficulties travelers would have SESSION ONE taking wagons over rugged mountain ranges. Review worksheet directions and scoring system 1. Begin the lesson by discussing what students with students and have them complete the already know about the discovery of gold in worksheet. California and the rush of individuals to that 11. After worksheets have been completed, review state in the latter half of the 1800s. Discuss the lesson by discussing the route in terms of other reasons for travel to California in the difficulty due to physical features. 1800s (e.g., new land, other economic 12. Have students complete the assessment for the opportunities). lesson using the Assessment sheet. 2. Hand out the unlabeled map of The Oregon and California Trails (1849-1850) and project the labeled version. Have students locate the route Assessment

Social Sciences and ELA In the Assessment, students will write one fact about Cobbey, John Furmes. Journal, 1850. Overland the physical geography of the different portions of Trails Diaries. Academic library Consortium. the California Trail for a total of six facts. Mastery will Online Collections at BYU. be considered a score of 80%, or five correct facts. Cone, Gordon C. Diary, 1849-1850. Overland Trails Social Sciences Diaries, Utah Academic library Consortium. Online Map activities (Worksheet #2) may also be used for Collections at BYU. assessment purposes. Ten points are possible. Mastery will be considered a score of 80% or eight Jackson, Edward. Diary, 1849. The Library of correct items. Congress, American Memory Website.

Mathematics Kimball, Violet T. Stories of Young Pioneers: In Their The elevation graph can be graded for accuracy. Own Words. Missoula, MT. Mountain Press Mastery will be considered 32 points or 80%. Publishing Co. 2000.

Extensions Stewart, George R. The California Trail. New York. McGraw Hill Co. 1962. Visit the website of The California National Historic Trail at http://www.nps.gov/cali/index.htm This Trails West. The National Geographic Society. National Park site has information about the history Washington D.C. 1979. of the trail, as well as photos of locations along the entirety of the trail from Independence, . Photos: Images: Humboldt River, Forty Mile Compare the Truckee Route to other routes of the Desert (3 photos), Donner Summit and Donner California Trail (e.g., Carson Route, Lassen Route) Pass, made available for educational use: Courtesy in terms of physical geography and difficulty. of Special Collections, University of Nevada-Reno Library Show the photo of Mitchell’s Map of 1846 used by some travellers. Discuss the accuracy of the map The Road to California, Echo Canyon and Donner and its usefulness to the emigrants. Campsite from The : http://www.nps.gov/cali/index.htm Have students pretend to be a traveller on the trail and write about their experiences. Map: The Oregon and California Trails Map, Arizona Geographic Alliance. The Oregon and California Trails Map, http://geoalliance.asu.edu/azga/ Sources

Churchill, Stillman. Diary, 1849 (2 volumes). The Library of Congress, American Memory Website.