The Journal of Wong

Ming-Chung

Open Court Fifth Grade Unit 5 Lesson 5 Ms. Mercer Nicholas Elementary SCUSD

Spelling Words

1. agent

2. tolerant

3. resident

4. present

5. assistant

6. different

7. permanent

8. prominent

9. apparent

10. dependent

11. confident

12. represent

13. violent

14. recent

15. continent

16. immigrant

17. important

18. protectant

19. insistent

20. hesitant

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• writing• glittering• spending• climbing

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• writing• glittering• spending• climbing

The pattern is the –ing ending which is the participle form of verbs. They can be verbs (he was writing), adjectives (the glittering star), or as nouns (he improved his writing).

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• mount• paramount• mountain• mountaineer

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• mount• paramount• mountain• mountaineer

The pattern is words with the mount root, which means to project (or stick out).

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• Uncle• tample• amble• grumble• regrettable

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• Uncle• tample• amble• grumble• regrettable

The pattern is words with the –le ending. These have a consonant before the ending.

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• immigrant• protectant• insistent• hesitant

Word Knowledge

What is the pattern?• immigrant• protectant• insistent• hesitant

The pattern is –ant and –ent ending (our spelling pattern).

Vocabulary

• claim

• levees

• rocker

• prospect

• nugget

claim

• In 1852 he joins his uncle on a gold claim outside of San Francisco.

• The gold prospectors build a shack on their claim.

claim

• In 1852 he joins his uncle on a gold claim outside of San Francisco.

• The gold prospectors build a shack on their claim.

a section of land declared as belonging to one person or group of people

levees

• He decides to take his company to the Sacramento delta to build levees.

• The levees were like a long hill blocking the river from the land next to it.

levees

• He decides to take his company to the Sacramento delta to build levees.

• The levees were like a long hill blocking the river from the land next to it.

an embankment built along a river to keep the river from overflowing

rocker

• The only sigsn that humans had been here were the rotting rockers and ruined shacks

• During the Gold Rush, prospectors used rockers to seperate gold from soil.

rocker

• The only signs that humans had been here were the rotting rockers and ruined shacks

• During the Gold Rush, prospectors used rockers to seperate gold from soil.

a device used to separate gold from sand and dirt

prospect

• This morning he told the Fox that he was going to stay and prospect. Uncle said he would search around here for a new claim.

• During the Gold Rush, many people moved to California to prospect for gold.

prospect

• This morning he told the Fox that he was going to stay and prospect. Uncle said he would search around here for a new claim.

• During the Gold Rush, many people moved to California to prospect for gold.

to look for gold

nugget

• I said that the owner had probably thought there would nuggets just waiting to be picked upriver. “Maybe even big as melons,” Uncle had to laugh.

• Her favorite necklace was a gold nugget on string.

nugget

• I said that the owner had probably thought there would nuggets just waiting to be picked upriver. “Maybe even big as melons,” Uncle had to laugh.

• Her favorite necklace was a gold nugget on string.

a solid lump

Background

By 1852, the year when this story takes place, around 25,000 Chinese had immigrated to California to find gold or other work. At that time, there was not enough food in China which led to starvation. This meant people had to leave China to survive.

Background

Gold mining in California changed the land in many ways, some of them were not good. The chemical mercury, which was used to separate gold from rock, is still in river water of our area today. Hills and mountains were “moved” to find gold. Some places still cannot support plants because of what happened.

Background

Most Chinese immigrants did not become rich from gold mining, but were able to survive by finding other work. Most of the work was hard, manual labor (like building the railroads). They often sent the money they made home to China, to help their families.

Background

Chinese immigrants often worked together as a form of protection. White miners were often often prejudiced, and would sometimes threaten and hurt the Chinese.