From canoes to cars, how have people moved through the SR 520 corridor over time? Why did Native communities call the Montlake Portage sxwac?gwi? ("carry a canoe")? Why is there a park and boulevard alongside the highway in Seattle? What did community activists have to do with the "ramps to nowhere" in Union Bay?
The lesson plans developed for this curriculum will help students answer questions like these by exploring how communities in the SR 520 corridor region have been shaped by their environment and how those communities have utilized and altered that landscape to fit their needs.
The History, Geography, and Civics lesson plans are aligned with state standards for those subject areas, and also with selected reading and science standards. The lessons include primary and secondary sources, guiding questions for discussions and classroom activities, and ideas for fulfilling Classroom-Based-Assessment (CBA) activities. The lessons are targeted at grades 3-4 and 7-8, when students are learning about Washington state history, but they can be easily adapted for other grades. Download all materials at http://520history.org/education.htm.
Geography/ Grade 3
How Do Natural Resources Influence Where and How People Choose to Live?
Students will learn about the natural resources of Washington and analyze why specific cultural groups chose to live in the Puget Sound region. Using maps and secondary sources, students will examine why it became more important to find better means of crossing Lake Washington to meet individual needs and wants.
Geography/ Grade 4
What Makes Washington Unique?
Unit 1 Olmsted Parks and Boulevards System: Students will learn about Seattle's Olmsted Parks and Boulevards System. They will use selected primary and secondary sources to identify which of Puget Sound's natural resources played a significant role in Olmsted's plan for the parks and boulevards.
Unit 2 Natural Resources: Students will analyze the importance of this state's natural resources to those who chose to live and work here. Students will use maps, timelines, and online research to examine why transportation played a significant role in allowing people to reach and use the region's natural and human-made resources.
Geography/ Grades 7-8
How Did Transportation and Other Technology Create Changes?
Students will trace population growth and the development of transportation options in the Lake Washington area using maps, graphs, and online resources. Students will compare and contrast how the lives of those living in the region have been affected by advancements in transportation technology.
History/Grade 3
What Can We Learn About Ourselves by Studying Other Cultures?
Students will use maps, photographs, and elementary essays to learn about several specific cultural groups who lived in the Lake Washington area from 1850 to 1915. Students will examine whether past contributions made by each cultural group have affected their lives today.
History/Grade 4
What Can History Teach Us About the World Today?
Students will analyze how the environment and natural resources of Lake Washington have been utilized over the past 200 years. Using maps and timelines, students will examine how crossing Lake Washington has influenced the lives and cultures of those who lived in the region.
Civics/Grade 3
How Do People Work Together to Solve Problems?
Students will apply concepts of "individual rights" and "common good" to challenges that have faced different groups of people living or working in the Lake Washington area. They will also use these concepts to resolve conflicts and differences seen in everyday classroom interactions.
Civics/Grade 4
How Can Citizens Make a Difference in Matters That Affect Their Neighborhoods?
Students will identify current issues that impact the lives of those who live in the Lake Washington area. Using a set of primary sources provided, students will research multiple perspectives on an issue and choose a personal stand. Students will defend both their individual views on their chosen issue and the credibility of their resources.
Civics/Grades 7-8
How Can Citizens Work to Address the Challenges Facing Our State Today?
Students will identify current issues that impact the lives of those who live in the Lake Washington area. Using a set of primary sources provided, students will research multiple perspectives on an issue and choose a personal stand. Students will defend both their individual views on their chosen issue and the credibility of their resources.
Download all materials at http://520history.org/education.htm.
The 520history curriculum was developed to complement the new 520history.org website that is dedicated to the history of the communities, industries, and landscapes that have developed throughout the SR 520 corridor. That website is a component of the SR 520 Bridge Replacement and HOV Program and was developed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration as an educational resource as part of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Content and educational materials for the site were developed in partnership with HistoryLink.org.
