SCHOOL PROGRAMS

The Lighthouses trunk is a thematic approach to studying these important aids to navigation. Your students will learn more about lighthouses through a variety of lesson plans. Read stories, both humorous and dramatic, about family life at a lighthouse during the early 1900s. Hands-on activities include learning about light, weather, electricity, simple machines, geography and history. Materials include replicas, uniform, experiments, videos and books.

FREE. This trunk's fee is funded by the Oregon Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

Many cultures have shaped the Pacific Northwest. These cultures are studied through the toys, tools, clothing, art, and food specific to each. Students will explore the concepts of change, community, and interdependence. Cultures represented include Indians, Scandinavian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and English.

$25 loan fee.

Captain Robert Gray was an important mariner in the late 1700s. Shipboard life and maritime history come to life in the classroom with this trunk. Replicas portraying life at sea, trade items, pelts, charts, videos and audiotapes provide students with an in-depth exploration of Robert Gray’s voyages to the Northwest.

$25 loan fee.

Plan your field trip visit free of charge. Come tour the Museum before your class arrives to best utilize our resources. Contact the education director to arrange a time to tour the facilities. Receive 10% off merchandise you purchase for your classroom in the Museum Store.

If you teach in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, Pacific, Wahkiakum County or the Kelso/Longview area, our “Museum in the Schools” provides free programs in your classroom. Call the education director for available programs that come to your area.

The Museum Library is available to all educators. The library contains photos, books, charts, and periodicals related to Museum exhibits. These resources are available for on-site use. Just make your appointment to use the Library with the Curatorial Department prior to your visit.

Expose your young students to the Columbia River Maritime Museum. The opportunity to handle replicas and artifacts will make history more real to your students. Trained guides will assist your class in learning about some of our unique artifacts and guide students in making critical observations about some of our boats. Allow 1.25 hours, minimum.

Why did mariners sail to the Pacific Northwest? What importance did the Columbia River play in the history of the United States? What were the hazards they encountered? With this interactive, hands-on program your students will take a journey back in time as they examine early maps, handle furs, and classify trade items. Students will measure the depth of the river and try their hand at “shooting a star.” This program applies the following content standards: how to use and read maps, understanding the impact of exploration on Native Americans, and identifying primary sources. Allow 2 hours, minimum. Maximum of 60 students.

The Columbia River has been a major highway for trade since the Pacific Northwest was first inhabited. Students will examine a variety of goods and transportation modes from the 1700s to present day to gain an understanding of the importance of global trade connections. Hands-on activities including measuring and container ship loading, and group problem solving are incorporated into this program to illustrate changing transportation technologies, supply and demand, and the importance of the Columbia River then and now. This program applies the following content standards: distinguishing between barter and money and how they facilitate the exchange of goods, recognizing that nations interact through trade, giving examples of the kinds of goods and services produced in Oregon in different historical periods, and identifying primary and secondary sources. Allow 2.5 hours, minimum. Maximum of 60 students.

Experience life aboard the historic Lightship Columbia. This program provides hands-on activities including weather recording, signal flag communication, Morse code, and measuring the depth of the river. Pre-visit materials are provided and will prepare students for their visit. This program applies the following content standards: understanding state history, measuring, understanding how scientific knowledge changes over time, and describing and measuring weather changes. Allow 2 hours, minimum. Maximum of 25 students.

What is a museum? One mission of a museum is to collect artifacts. This hands-on program challenges students to use observation, problem solving, and decision-making skills as they examine items and determine if the items should be added to the Museum’s collection. Students will discover items used in a variety of maritime occupations as they explore the galleries with a guide, and select artifacts to observe in more detail. This program applies content standards pertaining to historical events, geography, cultural impact, identifying primary sources, critical thinking and career education. Allow 2.5 hours, minimum. Maximum of 60 students.

Discover Northwest and maritime history through a guided tour of the Museum. Tours can be designed to meet curriculum needs. Tour includes the Lightship Columbia. Allow 1.5 hours, minimum.

This program is designed for teachers looking for something other than a guided tour through the Museum. Your chaperones guide small groups on a search through the galleries that provides more active participation and conversations for your students. The education department will tailor the search to your needs. Call for more information. Allow 1.5 hours, minimum. Maximum of 60 students.

Molly Watkins finds a mysterious object while beachcombing. Through her research and correspondence with her kindly old Uncle Jasper, a former lighthouse keeper, she discovers what the item is. Designed as 15 activity-filled lessons, this book will sharpen students’ reading, science, math, history and critical thinking skills. Activities meet content standards in reading, geography, math, problem solving, telling time, and reading tables and diagrams.

Students follow Samuel from his farm in New York to the whaling town of New Bedford where he signs aboard a whaler. Throughout Samuel’s voyage, students will chart his course on a map, calculate distance traveled, learn about shipboard life, fill in missing journal entries and determine the venture’s final profits. Activities meet content standards in reading, creative writing, geography, health and math.