Extra Credit Opportunities over Spring Break

1. Conduct an interview (make-believe, of course) with any of the members of the Big Four---Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Collis P. Huntington. Your interview should have at least 15 questions and you can discuss biographical information and their impact on the history of California. In other words, how and what did this person contribute to the history of California?

2. Visit Stanford University in Palo Alto. Write a one-page paper about your experience and include what you saw, your thoughts, what you liked most, questions you might have. Notable places on campus to see are the Rodin Sculpture Garden, Hoover Tower, and the Stanford Memorial Church. Actually, all three of these listed landmarks are a must-see if you visit Stanford!

3. Visit the Harris-Lass Historic Museum, located at 1889 Market Street in Santa Clara. Write a one-page paper about what you saw, what you learned, what you thought was most interesting.

4. Visit the Campbell Historical Museum, located at 51 North Central Avenue in Campbell. Write a one-page paper about what you saw, what you learned, and what you thought was most interesting.

5. Visit the Forbes Mill History Museum, located at 75 Church Street in Los Gatos. Your one-page paper should be formatted as above.

6. Visit the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, located at 21350 Almaden Road in San Jose. Your one-page paper should be formatted as above.

7. Visit Mexican Heritage Plaza, located at 1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San Jose. Your one-page paper should be formatted as above.

8. Visit the Peralto Adobe and Fallon House, located at 175 West St. John St. in San Jose. Your one-page paper should be formatted as above.

9. Choose a subject about the history of San Jose and research that subject. Some options include history of sports in San Jose, history of education (schools and colleges) of San Jose, history of employment in San Jose (what did people do here for work long ago), history of recreation in San Jose (what people did in San Jose for fun long ago), or any other topic you feel is noteworthy or interesting. (absolutely no cutting and pasting---must be re-written in your own words!)

10. Write a research paper about San Quentin Prison, Folsom Prison, or Soledad Prison. Include when the prison was built, it's location, it's first prisoners, history and noteworthy/interesting information through the years. (absolutely no cutting and pasting, must be re-written in your own words!)

11. Purchase a California Road Map (about $3) and take a road trip from one end of the state to the other. Trace on the map with a hilighter the route you drove on. Then, write a paper that details your trip. You cannot drive on highway 5 or highway 101. Your paper should include the highways you drove on, the mileage you traveled, cities you stopped in, points of interest you stopped and visited (Disneyland, Yosemite, etc...). You can make this fun and entertaining----take along friends and family members! Drive your favorite car! Tell the reader all about your trip through California!

Have fun and enjoy your spring break!!!