Trails to California

By the mid-1800s, people began to venture west, traveling up to 2000 miles in search of new lives. Fur trappers and traders had explored these trails before, but now entire families packed their belongings into covered wagons for the long journey. This primary source reader integrates social studies content and literacy, and introduces students to some of California's early settlers including John Bidwell, Jim Beckwourth, Jedediah Smith, Sarah Royce, Charley Parkhurst, Kit Carson, and more. By examining primary sources like maps, images, letters, and photographs, students will achieve literacy in social studies as they learn how to investigate and reflect on various social, economic, cultural, and geographical topics.

Important text features include a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents to increase understanding and build academic vocabulary. This leveled text offers instructional opportunities to guide students to increased fluency and comprehension of nonfiction text and is aligned to the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and other national and state standards. The Pack It! culminating activity provides an opportunity for assessment that challenges students to apply what they have learned in an interactive way, and Your Turn! challenges students to connect to a primary source through a writing activity. Explore California's rich history with this engaging grade 4 book!