Explorica is proud to continue with the second year of this helpful resource for teachers: our 2020 Around the World classroom calendar! We’ll feature a new country (or state) each month for you to download, hang up in your classroom, and discuss with your students.
With a coastline nearly 900 miles long and home to 12% of American citizens, California (also known as the Golden State) is our focus this month! From the Mojave Desert to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, San Francisco to LA and San Diego, this state has something to offer city dwellers and nature lovers alike.
Take the Golden Gate Bridge, for example. Named for the strait it is perched above, the Golden Gate Bridge spans one mile and marks where the San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean. This suspension bridge opened May 27, 1937, and was named one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994.
California is more than just fun in the sun—Los Angeles and San Francisco have something for everyone. On an Explorica trip to California, you and your students will get to walk among skateboarders on Santa Monica’s bustling boardwalk, stroll down Hollywood Boulevard and see the handprints of famous stars, travel along the beautiful Pacific coast to San Francisco, and cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge to tour Fisherman’s Wharf.
Use this resource to share California with your students, focusing on the growth of the state and the migration of American citizens to the country’s West Coast.
Questions to ask your students:
- When did California officially join the United States?
- Discuss the significance of the California Gold Rush in the late 1800s.
- After the gold rush, another boom hit Los Angeles! Discuss the importance of oil fields in relation to the development of LA as a major Californian city.