Transcontinental Railroad & Chinese Laborers Readers Theater Script | Grades 7-8

Travel the Sierra Nevada with Chinese immigrants who blasted tunnels and laid tracks for the Transcontinental Railroad from 1865‑1869, confronting discrimination and changing America’s economy.

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• Grade bands: 7-8
• Characters: 12
• Word count: 2000

Perfect For

• Industrial Revolution lessons
• California Gold Rush extension
• Critical thinking on immigration

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides, if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to word/pdf/ppt/etc)

What’s Included

• Student script (~2000 words, 10 scenes, DOCX/PDF/Google Doc)
• Teacher guide (~12-14 pages, DOCX/PDF/Google Doc)
• Student worksheet (~25 Google Slides)
• Self-graded Google Forms quiz (20 questions)

Teacher’s Script Summary

• Scene 1: Joel and Amanda meet Chinese laborers in 1865.
• Scene 2: Arrival in the Sierra Nevada.
• Scene 3: Blasting Donner Pass.
• Scene 4: Life in railroad camps.
• Scene 5: Race toward Promontory.
• Scene 6: Golden Spike ceremony, May 10 1869.
• Scene 7: Post‑railroad discrimination and Exclusion Act.
• Scene 8: Museums honor Chinese contributions.
• Scene 9: Donner Pass monument to resilience.
• Scene 10: Reflecting on railroad legacy.

Standards Alignment

CA HSS 8.12.2; CA HSS 8.12.5; RI.8.1; RI.8.2; RI.8.9