Letters from California!

LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA

This is an integrated Language Arts/Social Studies lesson. It was created and developed by Susan Anthony, Loma Vista Elementary School, 13822 Prospect Ave, Santa Ana, California, 92705. Phone (714) 730-7528 Fax (714) 730-7550. Tustin Unified School District, Tustin , California.

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Would you like to create a year long writing portfolio with your students that not only shows student growth in writing ability, but serves as a constant review for Social Studies? Your students will have fun creating this project. They will read it over and over again. Every time they read there book they will reinforce the important concepts of California History! Parents will love to see this unique project at your next Open House!

Letters from California is based on the concept used to create the popular Jolly Postman series by Janet and Brent Ahlberg.

Your students will use a variety of writing prompts to create the interesting and interactive pages . Houghton Mifflin’s, Oh, California!, provides the background information and visual stimulation for the writings.

WEB PAGE CONTENTS
Press a button to connect!

	Connect with the Language and Social Studies Standards
	Lesson Objectives
	Fishing the Internet for More Information
	Teacher Feedback/email the author
	Technology Tie-ins
	Assessments
	Let's Make the book

Topics for Letters From California
Press a button to connect!

	Where is California?		Californio Life		Linking East and West
	Four Regions		Newcomers		Agriculture
	First People of California		Goldrush!		Modern California
	Explorers		Law and Order		Front Cover
	Spanish Missions		Statehood		Title Page & Table of Contents

Connect with the Standards

Connect with the Language Arts Standards

Connect with the Social Science Standards

DOMAIN

WRITING

STRAND

1.0 WRITING STRATEGIES: Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing considers audience
and purpose. They successfully use the stages of the writing process (i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions).

SUBSTRAND

Organization and Focus

STANDARDS

1.1 select focus, organization, and point of view based upon purpose, audience, length, and format requirements.

1.2 create a multiple paragraph composition (letter) that provides an introductory paragraph establishes and supports a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph includes supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanation concludes with a paragraph that summarizes the point is indented properly

DISCIPLINE

History

Strand

4.4.1 CALIFORNIA: A CHANGING STATE: Students demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions in California by:

explaining and using the coordinate grid system of latitude and longitude to determine absolute locations of places in California and on Earth
distinguishing between the two poles; the equator and the prime meridian; the tropics; and the hemispheres using coordinates to plot locations
identifying the state capital and describing the basic regions of California, including how their characteristics and physical environment affect human activity (e.g., water, landforms, vegetation, climate)
identifying the location of and explaining the reasons for the growth of towns in relation to the Pacific Ocean, rivers, valleys, and mountain passes
using maps, charts and pictures to describe how communities in California vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife, climate, population density, architecture, services, and transportation

DOMAIN

WRITING

STRAND

2.0 WRITING APPLICATIONS: Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events and experiences. Student writing
demonstrates a command of standard English and drafting, research, and organizational strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0

SUBSTRAND

Using the Grade 4 writing strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0

STANDARDS

2.1 write narratives on incidents that relate ideas, observations, and/or memories provide a context to enable the reader to imagine the world of the event or experience use concrete sensory details provide insight into why this incident is memorable

DISCIPLINE

History

Strand

4.4.2 CALIFORNIA: A CHANGING STATE: Students describe the social, political, cultural and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods, in terms of:

the major nations of California Indians, their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends, and religious beliefs; and how they depended upon, adapted to and modified the physical environment by cultivation of land and sea resources
the early land and sea routes to, and European settlements in, California with a focus on the exploration of the North Pacific, noting the physical barriers of mountains, deserts, ocean currents, and wind patterns (e.g., Captain Cook, Valdez, Vitus Bering, Juan Cabrillo)
the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries and Indians (e.g., biographies of Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola)
the mapping, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America
the daily lives of the people, native and non-native, who occupied the presidios, missions, ranchos, and pueblos
the role of the Franciscans in the change of California from a hunter-gatherer economy to an agricultural economy
the effects of the Mexican War for Independence on Alta California, including the territorial boundaries of North America
the period Mexican rule and its attributes, including land grants, secularization of the missions and the rise of the rancho economy

DOMAIN

WRITING

STRAND

1.0 WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS: Students write and speak with a command of stand English conventions that are
appropriate to each grade level.

SUBSTRANDS

Sentence Structure
Grammar
Punctuation
Capitalization
Spelling

STANDARDS

1.1 use simple and compound sentences in writing and speaking

1.2 combine short, related sentences with appositives, participle phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases

1.3 identify and use regular and irregular verbs, adverbs, prepositions and coordinating conjunctions in writing and speaking

1.4 use commas in direct quotations, apostrophes in possessives and contractions, and parentheses

1.5 use underlining, quotations, or italics to identify titles

1.6 capitalize names of magazines, newspapers, works of art, musical compositions, names of organizations, and the first word in quotations

1.7 spell correctly root, inflections, suffixes and prefixes, and syllable constructions

DISCIPLINE

History

Strand

4.4.3 CALIFORNIA: A CHANGING STATE: Students explain the economic, social, and political life of California from the establishment of the Bear Flag Republic through the Mexican-American War, the Gold Rush and California statehood, in terms of:

the location of Mexican settlements in California and other settlements including Ft. Ross and Sutter's Fort
comparisons of how and why people traveled to California and the routes they traveled (e.g., biographies and legends of James Beckwourth, Jedediah Smith, John C. Fremont, Juan Cabrillo)
the effect of the Gold Rush on settlements, daily life, politics, and the physical environment (e.g., biographies of John Sutter, Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Phoebe Apperson Hearst)
the immigration and migration to California between 1850 and 1900; its diverse composition, the countries of origin and their relative locations, and the conflicts and accords among diverse groups (e.g., the 1882 Exclusion Act)
the lives of women who helped build early California (e.g., biographies of Bernarda Ruiz, Biddy Mason)
how California became a state and how its new government differed from those during the Spanish and Mexican periods

DISCIPLINE

History

Strand

4.4.4 CALIFORNIA: A CHANGING STATE: Students explain how California became an agricultural and industrial power by tracing the transformation of the California economy and its political and cultural development since the 1850's, in terms of:

the story and lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, including the contributions of the Chinese workers to its construction
how the Gold Rush transformed the economy of California, including the type of products produced and consumed, changes in towns (e.g., Sacramento, San Francisco) and economic conflicts between diverse groups of people
rapid American immigration, internal migration, settlement, and the growth of towns and cities (e.g., Los Angeles)
the effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and World War II on California
the development and location of new industries since the turn of the century, such as aerospace, electronics, large scale commercial agriculture and irrigation projects, the oil and automobile industries, communications and defense, and important trade links with the Pacific Basin

Lesson Objectives

Students will create individual LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA books that reflect their growth as a writer during fourth grade.
Books will be composed of various types of communication and length formats.
Each page in the book will be constructed of a different material and medium for realism and variety.
Students will use Houghton Mifflin's, Oh, California! as a primary source for writing narratives about California History.
Students will use the writing process (pre-write, drafting, revising, and editing successive versions) to produce quality work.
Students will use conventional methods for introducing a topic, using supporting detail sentences and a summarizing conclusion.
All writing will adhere to the written English language conventions of structure, grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling.
Students will provide,through writing, a context which enables readers to imagine a specified time or place in California History.
Students will use visuals from the textbook or other sources to create concrete sensory details for readers.

ASSESSMENT

This is an excellent culminating project for each of the major units in Oh, California. It is an excellent way to assess student learning and to incorporate all the teacher given side pieces that you use in instruction.

Each writing piece is graded for writing conventions, required information, neatness, imagination and artwork. I do not record grades in the LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA book itself but do use a small grading sheet with the name of the letter, scores for each graded component and a total grade. Grade sheets go home, but the book always stays at school. I keep a file of "A+ Writing" with some examples from previous years to share with students. Students will work hard to get their letter chosen for the next year's examples. This is one of my best motivators for excellent writing. I have invited former students to come back and orally ready their "A+ Writing" sample after they are in fifth grade.

If your class is made up of a variety of student abilities you might want to do what I do. I assess individuals based on ability; identified Gifted and Talented students are required to do above average work in creating a historical image in their writing. They are required to show exemplary work in meeting the writing conventions grade.

Low-ability and resource students are graded according to their individual education plans as developed by the special education team, resource teacher or the classroom teacher.

This small year long project will also provide students, parents and teacher with an excellent portfolio of writing from the entire fourth grade experience. It is interesting to see the growth and development each child displays as the year moves forward. While students are working on their letters, I like to stop and read with them. This provides and excellent opportunity for me to interact with them as they self evaluate their work. I ask them questions like:

"How is this letter better than the last one?"
"Show me your favorite letter and tell me about it"
" What are your plans to improve with the next letter?"

I would like to emphasis that the purpose of this project is to create a memorable California history project that students will want to read over and over. One of the main purposes for the teacher to collect and keep books between each letter's entry is to sustain student interest. Every time you hand out LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA your students will read each letter and do every activity. This provides a year long review of the major topics in California History as provided by Houghton Mifflin.

Expect excellent work from your students and this will be a true childhood treasure someday for them. If students do not put forth good effort throughout the project they will not be happy with the final results.

Fishing the Internet for More Information

Disclaimer: The links here have been scrutinized for their grade and age appropriateness, however, contents on links on the World Wide Web change continuously. Teachers should review all links before introducing to students.

State of California

Historical Landmarks

California's Regions (pictures!)

Even More Regions

Native Americans

More Native Americans

Even More Native Americans

Even More Missions

An elementary class page on Missions

Even More Goldrush

Teacher Feedback

I would be very very grateful if you would let me know how you have used my "Letters from California" project in your class. Please email me with your comments and questions. During the 2000 -2001 school year I will once again be teaching a fourth grade class. Let me know what we can do to improve the Letters from California book and how we can further align it with the new Social Science standards!

Technology Tie-ins

Students may research extra information on the web for individual letters.
Students may revise and edit work on the computer. For the sake of authenticity I recommend that all letters be handwritten in the
final form as computers were not a part of any early California history era.
Students may scan their final letters into a HyperStudio, KidPix or PowerPoint program and create a multimedia project. You might have them read excerpts or the whole letter orally for this project. HyperStudio, KidPix projects can be converted to video with a converter or maybe you have a
computer with the converter card already installed!
Make a Newscast from the Past broadcast based on the letters in the LETTERS FROM CALIFORNIA books. This is great as a class video
too.
Have students create a PowerPoint presentation of their letters.
Use a digital (or regular film camera) to take pictures of students in costume and place with the appropriate letter. A digital camera
image can be manipulated for an old time look in most Photoshop type programs.

Make the Book!

I make the book skeleton at the beginning of the year, then all I have to do is help the students create the letter projects and glue them onto the pages of the pre-made book. If you have a reliable adult helper to make the book skeletons for you, then use them!

All the pages in the book are 6" x 9" construction paper. Depending on you supply of construction paper you can choose to bind one sheet per letter for a total of 16 (13 letters, front and back covers, title page) or 10 (7 letters, front and back covers, title page)

I use dark blue for the covers and decorate with a die-cut of California (yellow). My teaching neighbor, uses brown for a leathery look. We both leave the cover plain until the end of the project. The boys and girls are more proficient at hand lettering and have a better sense of proportion by the end of fourth grade, so their titles tend to look better.

The "Title" sheet is white. This is where students write Letters From California, their name, and the start and completion dates. I save this for the end of the year too. Don't forget to have a Table of Contents page!

I use a rainbow variety of colored construction paper for the pages. Arrange these in any order you want. Staple or spiral bind the books together. I collect and store them every time we complete a letter project. This keeps the books looking good and insures that they are not damaged or lost inside the desks. I can also make assessments of student work when I collect the books.

NOTE: Every time we glue a new letter in the book I have the students write the day's date in the lower right-hand corner for future reference ( I average one letter per 3-4 weeks). This is important because many of the Letters From California letters are historically dated, not real-time dated.

Where in the World is California?

Front

Back

MATERIALS: blank white 5" x 8" postcard for each student. Tape this into the book so that the writing on the back can be read. Caution students to be careful and check before they write to avoid having a card that has an upside down writing section.

APPEARANCE: The front of the postcard should have a colorful, student drawn picture of a world map. It should show continents, oceans, the Prime
Meridian, and Equator. The back is divided like a traditional postcard with correctly placed name, address and student created stamp.

PROMPT: NOTE: ALL letters in this series are addressed to the significant adult(s) in the student's life. It seems that the first letter needs some prompting, after this most students will be able to compose their own letters successfully. If your students can compose now then let them do it!

This is the letter I use every year:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Did you know that the world is covered with four oceans and seven continents? California is in the Northern Hemisphere. It is north of the Equator. California is also in the Western Hemisphere and it is west of the Prime Meridian. Love, _________ P.S. Next time I will tell you about California's regions!

California's Four Regions

MATERIALS: blank white 5" x 8" index card. Fold card into four equal sections and lightly mark each.

APPEARANCE: Student will draw a colorful picture in each of the sections to represent something about each of California's four regions. Cut this into a
puzzle with 4 pieces. Use the fold lines or light pencil marks. Students will be tempted to cut many more pieces, but that defeats the purpose of showing how California's four regions fit together to form the state.

PROMPT: On the back of each piece have the students write a short description of the region. Colorful adjectives and proper nouns are great here! Page 18 in the text is a great resource for this page.

First People of California

MATERIALS: one small brown paper bag per student. black fine-tipped felt type pens to copy over the text of the letter to make it legible.

APPEARANCE: Students will create "faux leather" by crumpling up the brown back and crushing the paper fibers. When this is done have them open the
bag up and set aside. This letter is folded and tied with either string or a piece of natural raffia. Date the letter pre-1500

PROMPT: Use page 45 of the text for visual help with this one. We compare and contrast life lived in a Miwok ,Chumash, Yurok and/or Mojave village.
Students will adopt the role of an Indian boy or girl living in one of the four communities discussed in the text. Student letters must reflect the following items for full
credit.

What is your name and how old are you
What is your father's job in the village
What are your daily chores
Who are your teachers
What types of things are you learning about
What are your favorite activities
What are you hoping to be when you grow up

Explorers from Europe

MATERIALS: sheet of parchment paper for each student. Black felt-tipped type pen for each student to re-copy letter in final form. Roll this letter into a
scroll and flatten. Seal this letter with either a string or sealing wax (this is the one I do). Glue this into the book so that the letter can be opened and read

APPEARANCE: Students should use their best cursive writing on this one to mirror Early Explorer's correspondence. Use page 61 in the text for a visual
reference. Signature should be fancy and most kids like to put a compass rose at the bottom of the letter. Date this letter about 1600 - 1650

PROMPT: This letter should talk about life on ship and the hopes and dreams that explorers had. Students assume the role of one of the crew. I do not let
them take the part of captain. That is too easy! Their letter must reflect the following items in order to earn full credit:

Who are you and what is your job on the galleon
Who is the captain, do you like this captain, is he fair and just
What happened yesterday (they must create a visual adventure and describe it)
What did you get to eat today
Has anyone been punished, what happened to them
What do you hope you find in the new world
Will you come home sometime or do you intend to stay and explore more

Spanish Missions

Front and the inside of doors

Here is another version of the doors

MATERIALS: light brown colored construction paper, black felt-tipped pens for students to re-copy their final draft of letter. Mission doors can be
decorated with tissue paper bougainvillea if desired.

APPEARANCE: This project is a pair of mission doors that open to reveal the letter. Make sure the students do not cut out doors that are too big to fit
properly on the page. You can have the students create a cross with gold wrapping paper for a nice effect. Date this letter 1770 - 1780

PROMPT: This letter should demonstrate student understanding of the mission system and its effect on Native Americans, the Spanish. They should adopt the role of one of these people, a padre, Spanish soldier, Native American man, woman, boy or girl. The following items must be included in their letter to earn full credit:

Who are you and what is your name
What mission are you living at
Who is the padre in charge of your mission
What is your job here at the mission
What did you eat today
Who are your friends
Do you like living at the mission, why or why not
If you could leave would you, and why or why not

A Californio's Life

Tortilla letter

or

Rancho Letter

The brim is just one piece. Lift the top to write your letter.

MATERIALS: Buff colored construction paper. Black felt-tipped pens to re-copy the final draft of the letter (tortilla letter)

Brown construction paper for the vaquaro hat.

APPEARANCE: This letter is cut to represent a tortilla. The letter is written in a spiral starting from the outside edge and spiraling inward. This may take
some practice for some students. You can have them lightly draw a line that spirals in to show where their writing should go. When finished this letter is folded in fourths and glued into the book. Date this letter 1835 -1845

PROMPT: This letter should address the changes that took place in California after the withdrawal of Spanish revenue and support for the mission system.
Students should adopt the role of a pueblo or rancheros dweller. They should sign their letter with a official "flourish" signature, using devices that they design themselves. Many students like to incorporate a brand symbol somewhere on the letter. These are the items that must be addressed in order to earn full credit for this letter.

Who are you and where do you live
What is the name of your rancho or pueblo
Describe your job at the rancho or pueblo in detail, is there a job that you would rather have
Have there been any visitors lately and what did they have to say
What did you eat today
Tell about the upcoming rodeo or fiesta you will attend
Tell about the government in your area, who is in charge and what is their official title

Newcomers from the East

no sample available at this time? oops!

MATERIALS: Newsprint or a photocopied newspaper frame for each student. If you are lucky enough to have the time and access to create a computer
generated newspaper this is an option too. Black felt-tipped pens to copy the final draft of the newspaper. This is rolled and folded newspaper fashion to be put in the book. Make sure students glue this letter into the book so that it can be opened

APPEARANCE: This newspaper should reflect the move westward by pioneers, mountain men and adventurers. Students should adopt an appropriate
role and create a newspaper to tell about the adventures they will encounter on the trip west. This is a good opportunity to read about the three common ways west during the Goldrush. Students can then write about it. Date this letter 1845 -1849

PROMPT: Before writing teacher and students need to compare and contrast newspapers from this time period and now. Early papers were not as concerned about accuracy and they tended to sensationalize all news. Students should incorporate idioms, hyperbole, metaphors and similes effectively. The newspaper must contain the following items for full credit:

A cartoon of a fanciful contraption to take you quickly to California
An article about what supplies you will need
An article about the different routes of travel available
How much money travelers will need
An advertisement including food and dry goods
An article about the student and how they plan on getting rich in California (use of quotes!)

Goldrush!

MATERIALS: "faux leather" ( crumpled brown bag). Black felt-tipped pens to write the final draft of the letter.

APPEARANCE: The students in my class do a Goldrush simulation just before writing this letter. This involves the use of a "poke" made of "faux leather". Pokes are used to gather the gold during our simulation and then use it for an envelope for their letter. If you do not know how to put on a Goldrush simulation contact me and I will share what we do here at Loma Vista Elementary in Tustin. This letter should be dated 1849 - 1850

PROMPT: This letter is best when written after a Goldrush simulation. The students really get emotionally charged up and this is usually one of the best pieces in the book! Students assume the role of a forty-nine fresh in from the diggings. The following items are required for full credit:

Who are you and what is your job (hopefully a miner)
Where have you been searching for gold
How did you stake your claim
Did you have any problems with claim-jumpers, what happened
What do you think should happen to claim-jumpers
How did you do financially, did you strike it rich or go bust
What will you do now
What will you do when the gold runs out

Law and Order

MATERIALS: a teacher created "Wanted" poster. This should be about 6" x 9". I run it on brown paper. Create the poster with clip art. One photocopied (black and white only) picture of each student. Black felt-tipped pens for drawing and writing.

APPEARANCE: Glue a (black and white only) picture of student's head and shoulders on the "Wanted" poster. Have the students alter their
appearance with a felt-tipped pen to become desperadoes! I recommend that you list options they may use on the board and allow no more than three choices. If you do not limit the choices the kids go overboard and you will not be able to tell who it is under the disguise. Make sure you convey any rules that you might have. I do not allow any blood, tattoos, weapons or "ghastly" wounds. I tell them I am a poor fragile schoolmarm and might swoon over such violence. Fold in half to glue into the book.

PROMPT: Not much writing on this one except for the description. I do allow desperado spelling.

Statehood

MATERIALS: Students will create a "Great Seal of the _____ Family " for this project. I make three circles for this, a nine inch circle of royal blue, an eight inch circle of gold paper, and a seven inch circle of white. When stacked and glued together you have the base for the seal. The students will draw, color, and outline drawing to symbolize themselves and their families. Use black felt-tipped pens for the outlining of letters and pictures.

APPEARANCE: Use page 154 of the text for a reference for this project. Students will symbolize four areas of their family life. I have them divide the
white circle into fourths and lightly label each quadrant with these, family fun, favorite food, who's in my family, what makes us special. The words "GREAT SEAL OF THE ________FAMILY", are written around the edge of the gold border with black felt-tipped pen. A border of gold glitter is very nice! Fold this in half to glue into the book.

PROMPT: They do not have a final writing piece on this project. Pre-writing and brainstorming is what we use to come up with ideas.

WHAT SYMBOLS CAN YOU USE TO SHOW EACH OF THESE

Family fun--What activities do your family especially like to do together
Favorite food--What is your families favorite dinner (details!)
Who is in my Family--A picture of every one in the family
What makes us Special--Symbolize with drawing one thing that makes your family unique from others. What is COOL about your family

Railroad

MATERIALS: Teacher created railroad ticket. Black felt-tipped pens for copying the final draft

APPEARANCE: This is a ticket on the first transcontinental railroad. Students will adopt the role of a traveler and write on the back of the ticket. Date
this letter 1868

PROMPT: Students should think about how exciting a new adventure is. They are going on the first transcontinental railroad and will arrive in California. They should use written imagery to create the trip for others. Students will adopt the role of a traveler. These items need to be included for full credit:

Who are you and where are you going
What is you job
Are you traveling with anyone, who is it and why are you together
If you are alone describe some of the other people on the train
What have you eaten today
What sights and sounds do you hear
What will you do when you get to California

Agriculture

MATERIALS: Orange construction paper, pastels or chalk, black felt-tipped pen to write the final draft of the letter.

APPEARANCE: Students will cut out a card in the shape of an orange. The front of the card is shaded with the pastels or chalk for a realistic look.
Date this letter 1870 - 1900

PROMPT: Students should adopt the role of either a Chinese farmer or migrant worker. They will be discussing the good and bad aspects of their life. These are the items that must be addressed in the letter for full credit:

Who are you and what is your job.
Describe your job in detail.
Is there a job you would rather have and why or why not.
What did you eat today.
What is your family like and what do you hope for their future.

Modern California

Sorry, no sample available; none of the kids would give me theirs!

MATERIALS: A piece of white construction paper about 8" x 10". markers, crayons, felt-tipped black markers for the writing and for outlining.

APPEARANCE: This is a game board. Students will take the information that they have learned form the last few chapters in the text and create a
MODERN CALIFORNIA GAME. Let their imagination go wild on this one. They can make their board game anyway they want.

PROMPT: Every game must have instructions and directions. Students will be writing clear concise directions to their game. This game will be exchanged and played by other students. This works well as a full afternoon activity with snacks. We do this as a last week of school activity. They must provide the following items in order to earn full credit.

Game board must be colorful, easy to read and understand.
Game must have markers and all other needed materials.
Game must be stored in a container with label of name and manufacture (that's you!)
Game instructions must be clear and understandable.
Game instructions should include, How to Play, What You Need to Play, Rules, and How to Win.

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