• The students will read for comprehension.
• The students will use context clues, synonyms, and a dictionary to determine the meaning of unknown words.
• The students will identify similes in context.
• The students will identify important scientific inventions of the 1800's.
• The students will design their own simple machine that can be used to pan for gold.

• Novel: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple  by: Karen Cushman
• Students' Gold Rush Dictionaries and Writing Journals
• Dictionaries
• 1 or 2 index cards
• Pictures of the six simple machines
• Bulletin board space or wall space for pictures/reports of inventions

• Multimedia ComputerPrinter
• Data Projector
• Microsoft Word
• Internet
• Microsoft Paint Program
• Overhead Projector

Procedures:
Language Arts

• Teacher will introduce the lesson by singing a gold mine song.
• Vocabulary from The Ballad of Lucy Whipple  will be introduced by the teacher.  Words will be copied in their Gold Rush Dictionary, defined, a synonym written, and an illustration if applicable.  When completed, students may go to www.puzzlemaker.com and make a Wordsearch.  Wordsearch may be given to a friend to complete.
• Chapters five and six of The Ballad of Lucy Whipple  will be read in pairs, silently, or by the teacher.
• Comprehension questions will be answered on paper or used as a class discussion by putting the questions on a transparency.
• After discussion, as a whole group, students will summarize Lucy's character, using a word processor program and post the summary on the bulletin board next to the summary from lesson two.
• The class will add to the timeline by adding one or two events from chapters five and six.
• Students will reply to any of California's letters including all the parts of a friendly letter using a word processing program.  This will be kept in their Writing Journal and evaluated by the teacher  using the rubric from lesson one.
• Teacher will reread Chapter five aloud to introduce a lesson on similes. Teacher will define simile and write an example of a simile using "like" from Chapter five (pg. 37) on a transparency on the overhead projector. Teacher will give a second example using "as".
• Teacher will divide students into cooperative groups and assign each group chapters from  The Ballad of Lucy Whipple  to find examples of similes.
• In a class discussion, students will share their groups' similes aloud.
• Students will be evaluated when they must use two similes in a friendly letter in lesson five.

• Students will research the Internet to find an invention of the 1800's.  The invention should be close to 1849 or after.  After finding their invention, a timeline could be made on a bulletin board with dates in chronological order.  Students will post a drawing, report or picture from the internet of the invention in the correct space of the time line.  Refer to the following sites for the students' research:
• The Greatest Inventors and Inventions
• Spotlight:  Biography Inventors
• American Inventors and Inventions

•   Class discussion will follow inventions of the 1800's on how the 49ers panned for gold.  Stress to the students that the miners had to invent ways to pan for gold.
• Using the data projector,  the teacher will show  Methods of Mining.
• The teacher will introduce the six Simple Machines using the data projector.
• Students will review the methods of mining and discuss if a simple machine is used in these tools.
• The teacher will divide the class into six groups and assign one simple machine to each group.  The students will invent their own method of panning for gold using their assigned simple machine.  They may add one more simple machine to their invention if needed.
• Students will demonstrate their invention of a  machine in front of the class.  Teacher will use a rubric to evaluate the inventions based on creativity, originality, and presentation.

Enrichment Activities:

• Students may invent a machine using as many simple machines as possible.
• Students may interview parents, grandparents, and other elders to list additional examples of similes.
• Create/illustrate a simple machine using the Microsoft Paint program.

• Comprehension will be assessed through class discussion or completing questions by writing answers.
• Vocabulary will be assessed at the end of the unit.
• The teacher will use a rubric to evaluate students' inventions on creativity, originality, and presentation.
• Similes will be evaluated in the friendly letters.

• Reading Comprehension - 5.15, 5.16, 5.21, 5.22, 5.23, 5.30, 5.33
• Vocabulary - 5 .36, 5.37, 5.38
• Listening/Speaking - 5.12
• Writing - 5.52, 5.53, 5.56, 5.57, 5.62, 5.63, 5.64
• Spelling - 5.82
• Language - 5.108, 5.155, 5.156
• Technology - 5.180, 5.183, 5.187, 5.179

• Nature of Science - 5.8
• Scientific Atitudes/Habits of Mind - 5.10, 5.11, 5.13
• Scientific Processes/Thinking Skills - 5.15, 5.19
• Science History-5.56
• Technology-5.65

• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of literary texts
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process
• Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process

• Understands the nature of scientific knowledge
• Understands the nature of scientific inquiry

• The Ballad of Lucy Whipple  by: Karen Cushman
• Simple Machines from Carson-Dellosa
• Writer's Express, Write Source, 1995
• The Miner's Essentials
• Simple Machines
• The Greatest Inventors and Inventions
• Spotlight:  Biography Inventors
• American Inventors and Inventions
• Methods of Mining

•  Barbara Null
•  Karen Richmond
•  Judith Watson