Curriculum | Homestead Museum

Think Like A Historian! Curriculum

Curriculum Overview

Curriculum for Think Like A Historian! is divided to cover three important decades in California history (1840s, 1870s, 1920s) plus comprehensive activities.

• Teacher guides and student worksheets are available as plain pdfs below.

• Fillable online worksheets are also available for use in your classroom from Google Docs in English and Spanish.

Teacher Information

Common Core and California State Content Standards addressed in the curriculum
How to Make Your Visit a Success
The Homestead Museum

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Comprehensive Activities

My Family Tree: Students create their own family tree to learn about family history.
My Journey Through Time Vocabulary (English): Students define vocabulary words used to describe life in the 1840s, 1970s, and 1920s.
Crossword Puzzle: Students use vocabulary to complete a crossword puzzle.
Plotting Populations: Chart the rise in California's population from 1840-1920.
Decade Match-Up: Match words to images to create a visual timeline.
Spanish language versions of the above activities.
Kahoot: Test your students' knowledge with this fun online game.
Sutori Timeline: Explore an interactive timeline about life in LA during the 1840s, 1870s, and 1920s.

1840s Activities

The 1840s: A "newspaper" introduces the decade of the 1840s, describing how people lived, worked, and traveled in Southern California.
An 1840s Rodeo: Students learn about cattle branding and rodeos.
Building an 1840s Adobe House: Students solve math problems as they build an adobe.
Oh, California!: Relive the experiences of a gold miner through a folksong.
Spanish language versions of the above activities.

1870s Activities

The 1870s: A "newspaper" introduction to the 1870s.
1870s Population Census: Students analyze census data and make inferences about life in 1870s California.
The Great Train Ride: Students learn to read a train timetable.
Apples or Oranges?: Students learn about climate, crops and farming.
Spanish language versions of the above activities.

1920s Activities

The 1920s: Students can "read all about" the 1920s in this newspaper introduction.
Taking a Ride on the Big Red Cars: Students practice their map reading skills by determining the distance of the Red Car lines.
How to Dance the Charleston: Students learn the most famous dance of the Jazz Age.
Spanish language versions of the above activities.

Workman and Temple Family

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