Cause and Effect Relationships in History

5th Grade ELAInformational Text2 pages

About this worksheet

James Marshall finds gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, and this 2-page 5th grade graphic organizer maps what followed. Students fill four branches with causes and effects: the news that started the rush, the 49ers' trip west, the boomtowns, and the long-term harm to Native Americans and the land. A fifth branch is for a category of their own. The organizer supports W.5.8, gathering and noting information, and there is no answer key, since students fill it from what they know and read.

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Curriculum objectives covered

W.5.8

“Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.”

Each branch asks students to note what they know or have read, from the news that spread the rush to its effects on Native Americans and the land.

What's inside this worksheet

Central Event

The center box states the discovery at Sutter's Mill in 1848. A cartoon gold pan full of nuggets sits beside it.

The Spark (Causes)

Prompts ask what rumors or news made people drop everything and leave home, and who spread the word.

The Rush

Students note how the 49ers treated each other on the trails or ships and what caused problems on the long trip.

The Boomtowns (Immediate Effects)

Prompts ask how the sudden rise in population changed California almost overnight and what new businesses grew to serve the miners.

The Lasting Scars (Long-Term Effects)

Students write about the effects on Native Americans and the natural environment, and what changed for good after the gold was gone.

Your Branch

Students name their own category. The ideas given are Important People, Mining Tools, and Daily Life in Camp.

How teachers use it

Note-taking frame

Give this out while students read about the Gold Rush in a textbook or article. They add to each branch as they find facts.

Background first

The Lasting Scars branch needs knowledge most students lack. Share a short source on how the rush affected Native Californians before they fill it in.

Essay plan

Four main branches mean four paragraphs. Students can use the finished organizer to draft a cause and effect essay.

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