Gold Educator Guide - The Field Museum

Educator Guide
Presented by The Field Museum Education Department
fieldmuseum.org/gold
INSIDE:
Exhibition Introduction & Correlations to ILS
Tips for Planning Your Visit • Gallery Overviews & Guiding Questions
Focused Field Trip Activities • Related Exhibitions & Resources

Walking Map
Entrance
Gold is located on the Main Level
1.01
1.03
1.02
1.05
1.04
2.02
2.03 2.03
2.01
2.05
3.02
3.03
The Field Museum • Gold Educator Guide • fieldmuseum.org/gold Page 1
3.05
Andean
Aurum Naturae Incomparable Gold
P2.02
3.06
Mexico
3.04 3.04
Golden Ages 3.08 Lost and Found
3.01
!"#$%&
P2.01
2.08
3.07a
3.08 a
3.07 3.07
4.04
4.02
6.03
!
6.02
4.01
4.03
4.05
Golden Achievement
6.01
Exit Store
5.06
5.01
5.02 5.03
Gold Standard

Exhibition Introduction
Gold
October 22, 2010– March 6, 2011
Gold tells the fascinating story of the world’s most desired metal, exploring its natural beauty,
scientific value, and its power to shape history. A vast array of extraordinary objects including natural
gold specimens of crystallized gold, enormous nuggets, gold bullion, coins from shipwrecks, gold bars,
exquisite jewelry, and contemporary objects such as Olympic medals and an Oscar statue illustrate
the manifold ways in which gold has captivated the imagination of generations past and present.
Gold delves into humankind’s enduring fascination with this elusive metal, looking at how people
have searched for it, stolen for it, fought for it, and used it to create scientific breakthroughs.
Main Themes
The following themes are threaded throughout the Gold exhibition and may be useful in framing
how the exhibition connects with your curriculum:
1.
Although it is extremely rare, gold is found on all continents and is prized
above all other metals for its combination of unusual properties.
2. Through the centuries, gold became a symbol of wealth, luck, power
and magic across cultures.
3.
For thousands of years, gold has played an important part in human society
as a medium of exchange—as money.
Illinois Learning Standards
The Gold exhibition may be used to meet Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) in Language Arts,
Math, Science, Social Science and Fine Arts. However, it is most closely aligned with the following
ILS Science and Social Science Goals:
12.C. Know and apply concepts that describe properties of matter and energy
and the interactions between them.
13.B. Know and apply concepts that describe the interaction between science,
technology and society.
15.E. Understand the impact of government policies and decisions on production
and consumption in the economy.
16.C. Understand the development of economic systems.
18.A. Compare characteristics of culture as reflected in language, literature, the arts,
traditions and institutions.
Before you visit Gold, review the following information and planning tips to best prepare yourself,
students and chaperones for a successful learning experience.
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Planning Your Visit
Registration
• Pre-registration is required for all Field Museum field trips.
Register online at fieldmuseum.org/fieldtrips or call 312.665.7500 for more information.
• Gold is a temporary exhibition. Students from pre-registered Chicago schools or Chicago-based
summer camps are eligible for free admission. Fees apply to students from non-Chicago schools
or summer camps. Download our complete school group pricing structure at:
fieldmuseum.org/education/plan.htm.
• For more information on registration, lunchrooms and student programs,
visit fieldmuseum.org/education.
Planning for Learning
• Explore the exhibition first-hand before visiting with students. Illinois educators presenting
a valid educator ID receive free basic admission to the Museum every day; admission to temporary
exhibitions is not included. Look to Museum docents (wearing green shirts) for answers to your
questions about our collections and exhibitions.
•We
suggest planning your field trip around the use of one to two galleries or one theme in
multiple galleries to focus your students’ learning experience. Focused Field Trip suggestions
are provided in this guide. When conducting field trip activities, please be conscious of traffic
flow within the exhibition.
• Museum docents (wearing green shirts) may be stationed in Gold to share expert insight with
your students; if docents are present, encourage students to connect with them.
•Visit the exhibition website to read more about Gold, access an online photo gallery and view
additional resources: fieldmuseum.org/gold.
How to Use this Guide
• For every gallery in the exhibition we provide a Gallery Overview. Each Gallery Overview begins
with a description or statement indicating the focus of the gallery. We then outline the main stories
told within the gallery.
•We also provide Guiding Questions that can be answered through exploration in each gallery.
Guiding questions are a great way to focus your students’ learning. The answers provided are brief
and may be expanded by exploring the exhibition website: fieldmuseum.org/gold.
•This guide also presents Focused Field Trip activities. A focused field trip includes a pre-visit
activity, an activity to do within the exhibition, and a post-visit activity. Use the activities as they
are, or modify them to suit your instructional needs.
• Additional resources and key terms are provided at the end of the guide.
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Gallery Overviews
Aurum Naturea
Its Latin name, aurum, means “glowing dawn.”
Elemental, Pure, and Rare
Gold is rare; gold crystals are even more rare. The specimens of gold crystals in this section
are presented, with the exception of some cleaning and preparation, just as they were found.
Gold is one of the few minerals that occurs in a nearly pure, or native, state.
Putting Down a Deposit
In nature, gold deposits occur as veins or as placers. Most crystalline gold comes from hydrothermal
fluid, extremely hot water rising from deep in Earth. As the fluid moves through
openings in Earth’s rocky crust, tiny amounts of gold dissolve into it. Then, as the fluid flows
through cooler rocks near the surface, the gold precipitates, or is drawn out of the fluid, and
settles in cracks to form veins or lodes. Over millions of years, gold flakes and grains worn away
from veins are swept into bodies of water. The heavy gold settles in bodies of water, forming
placer deposits.
Invisible Gold
Microscopic particles of gold can also be extracted from rocks. After gold-bearing rocks are
pulverized, the gold is recovered using chemical processes. Nearly 40 percent of all gold ever
mined was recovered from South African rocks.
Infinite Variety
Gold nuggets are solid lumps of gold. Nuggets are often named for their appearance.
Guiding Questions
1.
Where is gold found in nature?
In the cracks of rocks, gold is found as veins or lodes.
Over millions of years, gold flakes and grains worn
away from veins are swept into bodies of water. Gold
settles in these stream-, lake- and riverbeds, and on the
sea floor, forming placer deposits. Microscopic particles
of gold can also be found in rock samples. Nuggets are
rare, making up less than 2 percent of all native gold
ever mined.
2. What characteristic suggests that a gold nugget
was found in a vein or placer deposit?
How do gold crystals differ?
Rounded surfaces of gold nuggets show that they were
worn smooth in streams or rivers and collected from
placer deposits. Gold crystals appear in more complex
arrangements such as wire, leaf or branched forms.
Colorado Gold Specimen
This delicate, crystallized gold specimen was found in
Leadville, Colorado and formed from superheated gold-bearing
water. Crystallized gold specimens like this are extremely rare
in nature.
©Denis Finnin/AMNH
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Gallery Overviews
Incomparable Gold
Gold, by any standard, is unusual.
Gold Properties
Gold’s beauty, value and its many other unique qualities make it the material of choice in many
industries. Gold is dense, ductile, malleable, highly reflective of heat and light and conducts heat
and electricity. Karats are a measurement of gold’s purity; a karat is 1/24 part, by weight, of the
total amount. Pure gold is described as 24 karats.
Frog Ornament
Metalworking techniques spread to Mesoamerica—the
region that today includes central
Mexico through Costa Rica—around 800 C.E.
The Mixtec people became the greatest gold
workers in the region. Part of the American
Museum of Natural History’s prestigious
collection, this Mixtec gold ornament is in
the form of a frog (c. 1200¬–1521).
©C. Chesek/AMNH
Guiding Questions
1.
What are some unique properties of gold?
Treasure of Five Continents
Gold has been mined from most countries on Earth. Although
the mineral occurs in many different types of rock and ore
deposits, almost all gold mined on Earth is native gold, gold
in a pure or nearly pure state. Most crystallized gold samples are
recovered from quartz- and calcite-rich veins and lodes.
Earth’s Surprise Package
More than 90 percent of all gold ever used has been mined
since 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California,
but the lure of gold has been felt since the beginning of human
civilization. Visible gold deposits are increasingly rare, so new
exploration techniques must rely on the physical and chemical
characteristics of gold deposits.
Gold Mining and the Environment
Today, the global demand for gold is higher than ever. Mining
remains the primary means of satisfying this demand—but
there are environmental costs to all mining—and gold mining
in particular.
Gold is highly reflective of heat and light. Gold is ductile: it can be drawn out into the thinnest wire.
Gold conducts electricity and heat. Gold is prized for its beauty. Gold is malleable.
2. How do humans use gold?
The visors of astronauts’ space helmets receive a coating of gold to reduce glare and heat from sunlight.
Most gold—78 percent of the yearly gold supply—is made into jewelry. Gold is used as a contact metal
in the electronics industry as it is a good conductor of electricity and heat. Gold can be flattened into
extremely thin sheets and used to cover a surface, an ancient technique called gold leafing or gilding.
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Gallery Overviews
Golden Ages
Gold was one of the first metals to be worked by humans. Gleaming nuggets of gold were easy to find
and collect from stream banks, and were easily shaped with simple tools. Through the centuries,
gold became a symbol of wealth, luck, power and magic. The importance of gold in the civilizations
of every era makes all ages “golden.”
They Took It With Them: Ancient Times
In much of the ancient world, owning gold was the exclusive right
of nobility. The Egyptians filled the tombs of their pharaohs with gold
to support them in the afterlife.
Crossroads of Gold: The Ancient Middle East
Since the Sumerians of Mesopotamia first worked gold for sacred and
decorative objects 5,000 years ago, the ancient Middle East has been
a center of gold work as well as the crossroads for trade to Asia, Africa,
and Europe.
The Sun on Earth: African Gold
The Akan people formed the powerful Asante state in the late 1600s,
in what is today the nation of Ghana. By the mid–1700s, the Asante
state had gained control over trade in gold, textiles and slaves.
The Gold of Enlightenment: Asia-China, Japan
and the Himalayan Kingdoms
Inka Figure
A hollow gold Inka figurine
from Peru was probably
used as an offering and was
originally wrapped in cloth.
©Denis Finnin/AMNH
Among many cultures in Asia, owning gold was the privilege of the highest classes. Gold was
the secret treasure of wealthy merchants or was used in temples.
A Woman’s Worth or a Sign of Royal Birth: South and Southeast Asia
The peoples of South and Southeast Asia have mined gold for thousands of years and used
it with skill since ancient times. Today, India is the world’s largest consumer of gold.
Gold of South America: Sweat of the Sun
Gold in the Americas was a prized material for objects of adornment. It was also valued
for its religious symbolism. For the Inca and other peoples of the Andean region of South America,
gold was the “sweat of the sun,” the most sacred of all deities. But it was gold’s value as money that
drove European exploration and colonization of the New World.
Gold of North and Central America: Sacred Brilliance
Gold was valued by the Indigenous peoples of Central and South America, but not as money.
These peoples equated the metal with sacred brilliance and power.
The Gilded Age of Gold: Europe and America 19th and 20th Century
Whether furnishing the home or accessorizing the person, gold objects signaled the owner’s
high social status as well as his high income.
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Gallery Overviews
Guiding Questions
1.
2.
In what ways did ancient civilizations connect gold
to the sun and deities (gods)?
In Akan thought (Sub-Saharan West Africa), gold is considered
an earthly counterpart to the sun and the physical manifestation
of life’s vital force, or kra. For the Inca and other peoples of the
Andean region of South America, gold was the “sweat of the sun,”
the most sacred of all deities. In the Aztec language, the name
for gold is teocuitlatl, which means “excrement of the gods.”
How was gold used as a symbol of status in
different cultures?
The Egyptians filled the tombs of their pharaohs with gold to support
them in the afterlife. In Peru, ornaments such as gold plumes were
attached to headdresses or crowns worn by priests
or political leaders. Royal Inca women fastened their garments
with large gold pins known as tupus. A Mixtec noble wore a gold
labret—a lip ornament that fit into a slit cut into the lower lip—
and ear spools, worn in openings made in the ear lobes. In the
19 th and 20 th centuries, furnishing the home and accessorizing
the person with gold objects signaled the owner’s high social status
as well as his high income in American and European cultures.
Keris Handle
This keris (pronounced “crease”)
handle found in Bali, Indonesia (c. late
1800s to early 1900s), is an example of
the traditional dagger of Southeast Asia.
The keris originated in Java as far back
as 1400 b.c.e.
©C. Chesek/AMNH, AMNH Division
of Anthropology
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Gallery Overviews
Lost and Found
For Spanish explorers and American adventurers, finding gold was only the beginning. They also
had to bring it by sea to their home countries and financial centers. Hurricanes, far more than pirates
or other accidents, doomed many gold-laden ships.
Paths of Gold
The Panama Route connected steamships in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These “Panama
Steamers” carried almost all of the gold exported from California to eastern cities.
Gold Box
Because gold doesn’t tarnish, this gold box
recovered from the 1715 Wreck of the Plate
Fleet’s San Roman off the coast of Florida
looks much the same as it did before it was
lost to the sea hundreds of years ago.
©C. Chesek/AMNH, Courtesy of the Florida
Division of Historical Resources, Bureau of
Archaeological Research
Guiding Questions
Worth and Weight
During the early years of the gold rush, private companies began
to make their own gold coins to answer the need for currency.
Federal coins slowly replaced privately minted ones. The first step
in turning gold into money was to weigh and assay it. The assayer
melted the gold in a furnace and poured it into an iron mold to
form a bar called an ingot.
Spanish Wrecks Reveal Their Secrets
In 1622, the Tierra Firma fleet left Havana bound for Spain. Eight
of the vessels, sank in a hurricane, along with a fortune in gold,
silver, emeralds and pearls. After a 16-year search, Mel Fisher and
his treasure hunters discovered them in the 1980s.
1. What is an assayer? What is an ingot? Describe the process that was used to turn gold
into money.
To turn gold into money an assayer, a chemist trained to test the purity of gold, melted the gold
and formed a bar called an ingot. Next, the assayer cut small chips from opposite corners of ingot.
The assayer performed chemical analysis of one chip to determine its purity. The other chip was
the assayer’s commission. The ingot was stamped with the assayer’s information. Ingots could be
used as currency in large transactions, such as banking or commercial shipments to New York.
2. What gold items have been recovered from sunken ships of the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s?
Answers may include items recovered from the 1622 wreck of the Santa Margarita that sank in the
Caribbean while in route to Spain, the 1715 wreck of the Plate Fleet that sank off the Florida coast
while in route to Spain, and the 1857 wreck of the S.S. Central America that sank off the South
Carolina coast while in route to New York.
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Gallery Overviews
Gold Standard
For thousands of years, gold has played an important part in human society as a medium
of exchange; that is, as money.
World’s Earliest Coins
Early Chinese money developed from cowrie
shells. True coins, made of electrum—a mineral
combining gold and at least 20 percent silver
—were first minted in the ancient Near Eastern
kingdoms of Lydia and Ionia. As empires developed,
large coins used in long-distance trade bore simple
designs so that merchants all over the empire would
recognize them. During the 1500s, gold currencies
came into wide use in Europe.
New World Coins
Gold coins in the New World were first minted in either Cartagena or Bogota, Colombia in
1622. The United States Mint began operating in 1792. Between 1776 and 1778, both the states
and the federal government produced coins. After 1788, only the federal government had the
right to issue coins. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt took the United States off the gold
standard, but people still recognize the intrinsic value of gold.
Top Drawer Storage
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York holds the world’s largest accumulation of monetary
gold. Only a small portion belongs to the U.S. government: the bank serves as guardian for
the gold reserves of approximately 60 foreign governments, central banks and international
organizations. The vault is 25 meters (80 feet) beneath the street and holds $147 billion
worth of gold bullion.
Guiding Questions
1.
Observe the coins on display in the gallery. What are their similarities and differences?
Answers will include a variety of observations related to the various sizes and shapes of the coins.
Students may notice that there are pictures of rulers on many coins. Coin material varies. Early coins
were gilded with bronze. Later coins were made of electrum, a mineral combination of gold and silver.
Then people learned to separate gold and silver to make gold coins.
2. What is considered the most valuable coin in history? Why?
Byzantine Coin (Front and Back)
Byzantine gold Histamenon Nomis coin
(1028-1034 c.e.) with a depiction of emperor
Romanus III being crowned by the Virgin
Mary and on the reverse, Christ enthroned.
©Craig Chesek/AMNH
In 1933, after President Franklin D. Roosevelt took the United States off the gold standard, 455,500
uncirculated double eagles ($20 gold coins) were melted into bars. Two coins were donated to the
Smithsonian Institution before the rest were destroyed, but some coins were believed stolen from the
mint. The Treasury Department located and destroyed nine coins; a tenth was recovered in 1996
and auctioned in 2001 for more than $7 million, making it the most valuable coin in history.
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Gallery Overviews
Golden Achievement
From ancient times to the present day, gold has represented success. Kings, conquerors and captains
of industry claimed it as a prize and bestowed it as a precious gift. Today gold is our symbolic reward
for cultural achievements. In film and theater, in the music industry, in sports and athletics or for
outstanding bravery, gold signals the ultimate reward. To claim the gold is to be, simply, the best.
And the Winner Is …
The music recording industry recognizes excellence through Gold® records and GRAMMYs.
The first Gold® record was awarded to Perry Como in 1958 for his single, “Catch a Falling Star.”
The first Gold® album followed shortly and was awarded to the cast of the musical Oklahoma.
The Thrill of Victory
Whether racing to the finish line or hurtling through space, extraordinary achievements
are recognized with extraordinary trophies.
Your Weight in Gold
The idiom “worth its weight in gold” denotes something of immense value. Many commodities
throughout history have been worth their equivalent weight in gold—salt, aluminum even
black pepper.
Guiding Questions
1. What are some examples of how gold is used
today to recognize achievement?
A gold medal is awarded for first place in the Olympics.
The music recording industry recognizes excellence
through Gold® records and GRAMMYs. The winner
of the Kentucky Derby receives a gold trophy. Three
individual 18-karat gold models of the American lunar
module were made in 1969 on behalf of the French
newspaper Le Figaro and presented to the three Apollo
11 astronauts during their post flight tour in Paris.
The Chicago White Sox were awarded a gold trophy
when they won the World Series in 2005.
2. Why are many cultural achievements recognized
with gold items?
Gold is a rare and therefore precious gift. It signals
the ultimate reward. To claim the gold is to be,
simply, the best.
Cartier Replica of a Lunar Module
Three individual 18-karat-gold models of the American
lunar module were made in 1969 by the jeweler Cartier
of Paris on behalf of the French newspaper Le Figaro and
presented to the three Apollo 11 astronauts during their
postflight tour in Paris. This model was presented to
astronaut Michael Collins.
©Nick Welsh/Cartier Collection 2006
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Focused Field Trip
Gold: What do you want to know?
Corresponds with the Gold exhibition (specific galleries will depend on student questions)
Illinois Learning Standards
5.A.1a Identify questions and gather information. (Early Elementary)
5.A.2a Formulate questions and construct a basic research plan. (Late Elementary)
5.C.2b Prepare and deliver oral presentations based on inquiry or research. (Late Elementary)
Pre-Visit Activity
To prepare students for a visit to The Field Museum’s Gold exhibition, write the word GOLD on a
chalkboard or a piece of butcher paper. Ask students to share what they know about gold; record
responses. Read the book Gold (A True Book) by Salvatore Tocci. Ask students to share what they
learned about gold from the read-aloud; add their responses to the chalkboard or butcher paper.
Have students create a two-column chart titled “Gold”; label the left column “Wonderings” and the
right column “Learnings.” Have students write at least two questions they have about gold in the
“Wonderings” column. Explain that students will find answers to the questions in the Gold exhibition
at The Field Museum. Discuss some ways students will be able to find answers at the Museum. (Look
at pictures, diagrams and maps, read the text, carefully observe objects, ask Museum docents or school
chaperones for guidance). Be sure to have students bring their charts to the Museum.
Field Trip Activity
Before you enter the Gold exhibition, have students review the questions they wrote on their
“Wonderings and Learnings” chart. Have students explore the exhibition, working to answer their
“Wonderings.” As students find answers or make observations, have them add the information to
the “Learnings” column. Support students as they explore the exhibition and record their findings.
Have students to work in groups to promote discussion.
Post-Visit Activity
Encourage students to publish what they learned about gold in the form of a report, poster, exhibition
review, or brochure. Give students the opportunity to share their final presentations with classmates
or another audience.
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Focused Field Trip
Gold: Who, What, When, Where, How
Corresponds with the Golden Ages gallery
Illinois Learning Standards
18.A.3 Explain how language, literature, the arts, architecture and traditions contribute
to the development and transmission of culture. (Middle/Junior High School)
18.A.4 Analyze the influence of cultural factors including customs, traditions, language,
media, art, and architecture in developing pluralistic societies. (Early High School)
18.B.5 Use methods of social science inquiry (pose questions, collect and analyze data,
make and support conclusions with evidence, report findings) to study the development
and functions of social systems and report conclusions to a larger audience.
(Late High School)
Pre-Visit Activity
Before visiting the Gold exhibition, encourage students to think about how gold is a part of our culture.
How is it used? Where does it come from? Who does it affect? What is it’s significance? Have students
brainstorm ideas in peer groups. Discuss the ideas. Next, ask students to share some ways gold is a part
of other cultures; list and/or share examples.
Explain that students will be exploring gold’s significance to various cultures at The Field Museum.
Have students create a chart for recording information at the Museum. Charts should have six columns:
1. Who (culture or people)
2. Where (continent, country, etc.)
3. When (time period)
4. How (how was/is gold significant to this culture or people)
5. What (Draw an example or describe a gold object of significance from this culture)
6. Other. Include at least two rows with ample space for writing and recording information.
Field Trip Activity
Before entering the Golden Ages gallery, instruct students to first walk through the gallery to make
initial observations, then choose two cultures to focus on. You may want to organize students into
small groups to encourage discussion. Students may study more than two cultures if there is extra
time or interest. Please be conscious of traffic flow; consider rotating students through this gallery to
prevent over-crowding. After visiting Gold, have students gather additional information from related
permanent exhibitions (Africa, The Ancient Americas, China and Tibet Halls, Grainger Hall of Gems, etc).
Post-Visit Activity
Back in the classroom, ask students to share their findings. In small groups or as a class, identify
similarities and differences in the way gold is used across cultures. After creating a list of similarities,
encourage students to think about why: Why do these similar relationships with gold occur across
cultures? Why is gold valued across time and place? What are examples of other natural resources that
carry world-wide value? If time permits, have students research gold’s significance to various cultures
or a different natural resource of value.
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Focused Field Trip
Harris Educational Loan Center
Give students an up-close look at teaching specimens and real artifacts from The Field Museum’s
collections. The Harris Educational Loan Program lends hands-on kits, known as Experience Boxes,
which provide an in-depth look at different cultures, rocks, fossils and much more. You can also
borrow Exhibit Cases, which feature plant and animal specimens in their natural setting.
Learn more about this library of resources by visiting Harris Loan online at:
fieldmuseum.org/harrisloan or call 312.665.7555.
Materials related to the Gold exhibition:
Gold Mine Model (exhibit case)
Examine these tiny replications of a typical western gold mine and you’ll discover
the complicated processes and machinery used to harvest this valuable metal.
Aztec and Maya Marketplaces (experience box)
Markets were important institutions for the economy of the Aztecs and Maya people.
Examine and learn more about the type of materials that were available in the early
Mesoamerican marketplaces.
Rocks and Minerals (experience box)
Match minerals with the rocks they form, and compare specimens from three major groups
of rocks--igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Products made from minerals are included.
Mummies, Tombs & Treasures by Lila Perl (book)
Facts about the rituals of mummification and the secrets of Ancient Egyptian burials.
Related Exhibitions
Continue your exploration of the concepts in Gold by visiting a related exhibition during an extended
field trip or subsequent visit.
The Ancient Americas fieldmuseum.org/ancientamericas/(Main Level)
The Ancient Americas, takes you on a journey through 13,000 years of human ingenuity
and achievement in the western hemisphere, where hundreds of diverse societies thrived
long before the arrival of Europeans.
Inside Ancient Egypt (Main and Lower Levels)
Unlock the secrets of tombs, mummies, marshes and more.
Grainger Hall of Gems fieldmuseum.org/gems/ (Upper Level)
Dazzle your eyes with all that glitters and then some! Marvel at gleaming gems,
sparkling diamonds--even a Tiffany stained-glass window.
Earth Science Hall (Upper Level)
Uncover the basics about rocks, minerals, and other earthly structures-even ones
that dropped in from outer space!
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Field Museum Connections
On-line Resources
The Field Museum’s Gold website: fieldmuseum.org/gold
American Museum of Natural History Gold website: amnh.org/exhibitions/gold/
PBS KIDS GO! Way back: Gold Rush:
google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=pbs:+gold&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
PBS The American Experience: The Gold Rush:pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/
Scholastic Social Studies WebQuest: The Gold Rush:
teacher.scholastic.com/webquest/ushist/usgold.htm
Books for Educators
ExtraLapis English No. 5 (2003). Gold: The Noble Mineral. Lapis International.
Bernstein, Peter L. (2004). The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession.
John Wiley & Sons.
Holliday, J. S. (1983). The World Rushed in: The California Gold Rush Experience. Touchstone.
Pellant, Chris (2002). DK Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks and Minerals. Dorling Kindersley, Inc.
Books for Students
Kasinger, Ruth (2003). Gold: From Greek Myth to Computer Chips. 21st Century, 2003.
Tocci, Salvatore (2005). Gold (A True Book). Children’s Press/Scholastic.
Squire, Ann O. (2005). Rocks and Minerals (A True Book). Children’s Press/Scholastic.
Holden, Alan and Phyllis Morrison (1982). Crystals and Crystal Growing. MIT Press.
Lourie, Peter (1999). Lost Treasure of the Inca. Boyds Mills Press.
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Field Museum Connections
The following terms are found within the Gold exhibition.
Assayer: a chemist who was trained to test the purity of gold
Aurum: gold’s Latin name, means “glowing dawn”
Bullion coins: coins the United States guarantees for their weight, content
and purity; many people buy these coins to protect their wealth
against unexpected currency devaluations
Crystal: a solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms,
ions, or molecules
Double eagle: a $20 gold coin created by the Unites States Mint in 1850 to fill
the need for a higher-value coin
Ductile: easily drawn into a wire
Element: a substance composed of a single type of atom
Gilding or gold leafing: an ancient technique in which raw gold is beaten between two
pieces of leather until it is almost to thin to be seen and then used
to cover objects
Gold: a material that can be defined as a mineral, an element or a metal
Gold nugget: a solid lump of gold
Gold standard: a monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is
equal in value to and exchangeable for a specified amount of gold
Ingot: a gold bar that could be used as currency in large transactions
Karat: a measure of gold’s purity; pure gold is described as 24 karats
Luster: a physical property that describes the overall sheen
of a material’s surface
Malleable: capable of being shaped or formed by pressure or a hammer
Metal: an element that is a good conductor or heat and electricity
Mineral: a natural solid with a crystal structure
Placer deposits: a collection of gold placers in stream-, lake-, and riverbeds
and on the sea floor
Placer gold: gold flakes and grains that have worn away from veins
Sluice box: a sloping wooden trough with small boards called riffles across
the bottom; placer miners use sluice boxes to harness gravity and
extract gold from stream gravels
Vein or lode: deposits of gold that occur in fractured rock
The Field Museum • Gold Educator Guide • fieldmuseum.org/gold Page 15