During the California gold rush, the state's population soared, its economy grew, new towns popped up, and its cities swelled. The state would not be what it is today without the gold rush. Help students achieve literacy in social studies through dynamic primary source documents! Primary sources provide authentic nonfiction reading materials, and help students understand continuity and change over time. This leveled informational text offers instructional opportunities to guide students to increased fluency and comprehension of nonfiction text. Aligned to the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and other national and state standards, it includes essential text features like a glossary, index, captions, sidebars, and table of contents to increase understanding and build academic vocabulary. The Write It! culminating activity provides an opportunity for assessment that challenges students to apply what they have learned in an interactive way. The Read and Respond activity immerses students in the content through diverse, engaging activities related to the content. Explore California's rich history with this engaging grade 4 book!