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THE WSCSS PRESENTS THE 2017 K8
CONFERENCE: TRAINS AND SOCIETY
NORTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM, AMERICAN LEGION HALL, AND
SNOQUALMIE CITY HALL
FEBRUARY 4, 2017
8: 00 TO 8:20 REGISTRATION AND CHECK IN AT THE AMERICAN LEGION HALL 38625 SE RIVER
STREET SNOQUALMIE, WA
8:30 TO 9:30 KEYNOTE AT SNOQUALMIE CITY HALL
Craig Thorpe- Nationally Published Rail Artist
Nationally published rail artist J. Craig Thorpe, of Bellevue, WA, will encourage educators to
teach more than just the facts of Northwest railroad history. Using historical railroad
promotional art and some of his own work commissioned by Amtrak and other carriers, Thorpe
will show that railroads did - and do - far more than provide transportation. If fact, they
inherently contribute to the integrity, stability and even beauty of society. This is far too easily
overlooked. To embrace it is to strengthen our future!
TRAVEL FROM THE CITY HALL TO THE NORTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM BY TRAIN
10:10 TO 11:00 FIRST GENERAL SESSION: THE INTENT OF THIS SESSION IS TO SHARE ORIGINAL
CURRICULUM DEVELOPED BY TEACHERS TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS BECOME HISTORIANS OF THEIR OWN
COMMUNITIES. PRIMARY SOURCES ARE USED AND FIELD TRIPS OFTEN DEVELOPED AS PART OF THE
LEARNING PROCESS.
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Jenny Cobbley- Why Do Immigrants Settle in a Particular Place?
Session Location: Chapel Car
Geographic Focus: Poulsbo, WA
Elementary Level
In this session, we will be examining how transportation, economics, and geography played a
role in the Norwegian migration from the United States Midwest to the Pacific Northwest,
specifically to Poulsbo, WA, a small community on the Kitsap Peninsula. The lesson plan centers
around how students can use primary and secondary sources to answer the essential question
“Why do immigrants settle in a particular place?” Lastly, we will connect the lessons of the past
to the settlement of modern day immigrants in the Pacific Northwest.
Tessa Heady- History in your own Backyard
Session Location: Reading Room
Geographic Focus: Bellevue, WA
Elementary Level
Participants will learn one way to effectively use primary sources with elementary students,
with a focus on using resources from the learners’ “own backyard”. Participants will walk away
with a template for making such a lesson.
Nancy Lenihan – Local History
Session Location: Museum Foyer
Geographic Focus: Auburn and Bonny Lake, WA
Elementary Level
Westward Ho! meant traveling by covered wagons (walking too), ships, carts, and then the
trains arrived. What was it like to travel by train? How did the railroad promote western
occupation? How did this new way of traveling effect your local area? How did this effect the
Native Americans living here? How do you research and teach about the Native Americans in
your area? What about US immigration to your region? How do you find all of this out? I will
share resources to help you learn about your local history.
Anthony Jonas – Mining and Logging on the Eastside
Session Location: Classroom
Geographic Focus: Newcastle/Bellevue/Renton, WA
Middle Level
The mining and logging boom in Newcastle, WA was the vanguard of economic development on
the Eastside; a period of economic growth only echoed by the Microsoft boom of the 1990's,
and just as transformative. Today Cougar Mountain State Park preserves what was once the
center of life on the Eastside as one of the largest county parks in the nation and a great place
for a fieldtrip to connect your students with some little known local history. Anthony Jonas will
share some of the history of this easy to visit site; how he started, researched, and developed an
original field trip for his students over nine years’ time; and how you can use GPS, Google Maps
and Google Cardboard as tools to develop a virtual field trip for your own students.
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11:05 TO 12:00 SECOND GENERAL SESSION
Mary Anne Christy – Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in a New Political Era
Session Location: Classroom
Elementary and Middle Level
In this workshop, we'll explore ways of teaching K-5 students critical thinking skills to give them
practice in conceptualizing, categorizing, applying and evaluating information. We'll walk
through a concept formation lesson plan on the idea of "a Hero," which is the centerpiece of a
unit that explores that idea. You will walk away with the lesson plan along with the outline for
the unit and two other lesson plans, all of which can be adapted to your own community and
school.
Dr. Margit McGuire – Examining Social Justice: Building the Transcontinental Railroad Through
the Eyes of Chinese Immigrants
Session Location: Display Barn
Grades 3-6
In this session, participants will be introduced to the Storypath approach, particularly the
building of the Transcontinental Railroad through the eyes of Chinese immigrants. Participants
will learn how to create the setting (the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range) and characters
(Chinese railroad workers) to understand how the setting and characters are established for
the plot of the story. The events of building the railroad are the basis for the plot of the story
including the underlying racism experienced by the Chinese workers. Following the historical
record, participants will learn about the dangerous work of building the railroad through the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, the unequal treatment of Chinese workers resulting in a strike for
higher wages and better working conditions, and the “Ten-Mile Challenge”—a race to build
the railroad. The Storypath culminates with the Golden Spike ceremony.
Pat Bliquez and Nancy Fisher Allison – Literature for the Elementary Classroom
Session Location: Museum Foyer
Elementary Level
Two non-native librarians accept the professional challenge of Native American book selection
for children and young adults (and a side track to the subject of trains.)
Patty Shelton – Circle of Viewpoints
Session Location: Reading Room
Middle Level
In this session participants will investigate resources from multiple stakeholders looking at the
topic of fishing rights. Using a Making Thinking Visible discussion protocol called Circle of
Viewpoints, participants will share the perspectives of various stakeholders and conclude with
an examination of the traditional view vs. western view of land and places.
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12:10 LUNCH ON THE TRAIN
LUNCH ON THE TRAIN WHILE TRAVELING TO SNOQUALMIE FALLS AND BACK
1:00 - 2:00 DOCENT LED TOUR OF THE NORTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM
TRAVEL FROM THE NORTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM TO SNOQUALMIE BY TRAIN
2:30 CLOCK HOURS DISTRIBUTED UPON DEPARTURE FROM THE TRAIN IN SNOQUALMIE
Thank you for joining us today as we take you beyond “Thomas the Train” while keeping the same
enthusiasm for “All Things Train”. We hope you have enjoyed experiencing many aspects of this
wonderful program available at the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie. This program is
available for your students!
Call Jessie Cunningham at 425-888-3030 ex. 7204 for details
We are grateful to Steve Millam and Margit McGuire for organizing lunches. Many thanks to the City
of Snoqualmie, the American Legion Post, Richard Anderson and Jessie Cunningham of the Northwest
Railway Museum and their many volunteers.