Boom and Bust 6-pack Author: Anna-Maria Crum ISBN: 9780176360795 Copyright Date: 2007 Lesson Plan Blackline Master Grade Level: 3 Reading Level: N Strategy/Skill: Cause and effect, Information skills, Using graphic sources, Vocabulary and word study Genre: Explanation, Report Theme/Topic: American History, Change over Time, Economics Classification: Nonfiction

Book Summary

A town booms when something happens that brings a lot of people and work to the area.  A town can go bust when disaster strikes or when resources run out.  This book explores the cycle of boom and bust associated with one mining town in the Rocky Mountains.

Features of the Book

• Historical information
• Maps with a key
• Pronunciation guide – molybdenum (mol-ib-den-um)
• Proper nouns – Rocky Mountains, Oregon Trail, Arkansas River, Oro City, Leadville, Climax Mine, Ice Palace
• Specialized vocabulary – boom, bust, deposit, ore, sluice, claim jumper, prospector, grubstaker, pay dirt

Purpose

Boom and Bust can be used to introduce and reinforce the following skills and understandings:

• interpreting maps and using them as a source of information
• recognizing cause-and-effect relationships
• exploring antonyms
• retrieving and classifying the information in a text
• writing a narrative procedure
• recognizing the effect that resources, industry, and tourism can have on a community

For more information please see our Lesson Plan