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Camp Internet Teacher Briefing



BackCountry Studies



For the Week of January 10-14, 2000



Gold Rush Time !

This is the week to get rolling on Gold Rush studies. From the background on Alta California made available last week, we now proceed to learning about the Unique Qualities that set the California Gold Rush apart from any other mineral discovery in the world. There were indeed unique circumstances that made the first few years of the Gold Rush a poor-man's opportunity, and this uniquely American experience is great reading for the whole month.

The main Gold Rush page is at
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/backcountry/goldrush

The Unique Qualities link is
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/backcountry/goldrush/goldrush-unique.html

Gold Rush Dig

To get your students involved in interactive gold rush learning - come on over to the Gold Rush Dig Thursday January 13th 8am-noon. We will take the students on an interactive path of exploration across the Internet, back in time, and into the hearts and minds of the people who first searched for gold in California. To participate, please send an RSVP to camp@rain.org. Then join us in the Camp chatroom any time between 8-noon this coming Thursday morning. If you can not join us at that time, we can make the Dig available by special arrangement with advance notice. Grab a keyboard like the miner's grabbed their shovels and lets head for the hills !

Mark Twain and Story Contest

This coming section in the reading area is focused on exploring Mark Twain's time spent in California and his recollections of life in the gold fields. Give the students a chance to read the overview of Twain's time in California first, the link is
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/backcountry/humanities/twain/twain-incalifornia-intro.html

All of his stories that we have online are accessible from the history and the reading classrooms. The hilarious Miners Cat is great to get started with, and pocket mining provides insight into individual's miner's hard word in the gold fields. There are biographical materials about Mark Twain available - plus - we have a Mark Twain STORY CONTEST and his book Roughing It just waiting to be sent to the winners ! The story contest is at
http://www.rain.org/campinternet/backcountry/goldrush/twain-contest.html

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