Students at Bedell School learn
about California Gold Rush

Students at Bedell Elementary School recently learned about the history of the California Gold Rush. The lesson, prepared and presented by former Santa Paula Elementary School District Superintendent Dave Phillips along with 4th grade teachers Mia Emhardt and Donna Meatty, gave students the opportunity to learn about the discovery of gold and the 1849 rush to California. Students also learned about how different rocks are formed and how to identify rocks and minerals using a scientific process. This all day, hands-on activity offered students the opportunity to apply their math, science, and language arts skills to try and “stake their claim” and to “strike it rich.” Activities included finding their claim, making their voyage either by ship or around the horn or across Central America. Some students had the experience making their voyage by land. “Once they reached San Francisco the students searched a stream bed and dug for gold,” Emhardt said. “They finally ended the day panning for gold to find and filter out golden flakes and nuggets.”