The Northwest Fur Trade 

Cultures, Commerce and Trade

Hybrid Educators' Workshop
in Spokane, WA and Online

August 17, 2022

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Pacific Daylight Time

FREE
 

In-Person Option at The Hive - Spokane Public Library
2904 E Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99202

Registration

Registration Deadline:

• Closes when full or 9:00AM on August 12th.

Meets Clock Hour requirements for Washington teacher certification renewal
6.5 Washington State Clock Hours Available ($21)

Register Now!

 

Courtesy Fort Benton Museums and Heritage Complex

Join educators from around the region as we explore best practices for engaging students in learning about the Northwest Fur Trade that was so pivotal in the history of the region. It supports the new Northwest Fur Trade: Cultures, Commerce, and Change curriculum, created by Rick Reynolds, M.S.Ed., Founder of Engaging Every Student and Peter Moran, in collaboration with tribal experts, historians, educators, and other partners.  Rick is a passionate veteran educator who will be presenting the hands-on hybrid workshop in collaboration with partners such as Spokane House. Lesson plans are adaptable for grades 3-12.

The free educator’s guide provides adaptable lesson plans to help you engage students in learning about the Northwest fur trade era, a pivotal period that lasted from the 1770s to about 1849. One of our goals is to help students develop an understanding of the lasting impacts of the era for Native cultures, ecosystems, political boundaries, and more. These can be traumatic topics, particularly for Native peoples that were so negatively impacted, and we encourage you to approach them with care and sensitivity. It is also an opportunity to learn more about Native cultures that played key roles in the trade and continue to enrich Northwest culture today.

The cross-curricular lesson plans provide an inquiry-driven, experiential program aligned to Washington Social Studies Learning Standards, Common Core State Standards, the Three Dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards, and environmental literacy principles. Effort has been made to develop engaging activities that support quality social studies  education through memorable projects that infuse the arts and other content areas. When the lesson plans are delivered in sequence, a storyline develops, creating a compelling framework to help you cover core concepts and improve student skills. The curriculum should not compete with other curricular goals for classroom time. 

The curriculum is targeted to grades 4–8, but designed to be adaptable to meet the needs of all students, grades 3–12. Grade K-2 students can also engage in many of the topics, particularly with the support of available Fur Trade Trunks from Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. We suggest the lessons be taught in order over approximately two weeks, although the unit can be extended longer and go more in-depth if Enrich / Extend activities found at the end of each lesson are incorporated. 

The lessons are designed to be a first glimpse into the fur trade era. Students are gradually introduced to concepts that will assist them in deepening their understanding of the people of the Northwest and the era. They explore thought-provoking questions to form their own explanations about the reverberating impacts of the period. 

The adaptable lessons with reproducible handouts support student inquiry and help train your students to be good historians, writers, scientists, and critical thinkers, with unifying themes of exploration and investigation. The fur trade era was momentous in the ways it shaped the history of the Northwest, and we hope you enjoy the journey of discovery with your students. 

 

 

REGISTER NOW!

Join us for an interesting day with colleagues in-person and online.