Overview

Salmonid fish can be found in subarctic waters worldwide. However, for more than a century, “salmon” have been virtually synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. In fact, the Chinook salmon is the official state fish of Oregon. Lessons on salmon are a good way of integrating science learning into a unit on the social and economic history of the state. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the topic of salmon and its impact in Oregon, using primary source documents found on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards:

• ELA.RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.
• ELA.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• ELA.RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• ELA.RI.4.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
• ELA.W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• ELA.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Social Studies Standards:

• Geography 4.9: Explain the influence of Oregon and the Northwest’s physical systems on humans, including Native Americans.
• Geography 4.11: Identify conflicts involving use of land, natural resources, economy, and competition for scarce resources, different political views, boundary disputes, and cultural differences within Oregon and between different geographical areas.
• Geography 4.12: Explain how people in Oregon have modified their environment and how the environment has influenced people’s lives.
• Economics 4.18: Identify key industries of Oregon.

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Poster paper
• Markers
• KWL chart (optional, see PDF Download) 

Key Vocabulary

• Salmonid
• Canneries
• Rivers
• Streams
• Spawn/spawning
• Oceans
• Fresh water
• Salt water

Lesson

• Introduction: Ask students about all of the different places that water can be found in nature. As students share their ideas, write the words on poster paper. Make sure the list includes “river,” “stream,” “lakes,” and “ocean”—suggest these words if students have not already done so.
  • Once the list contains at least ten to fifteen items, ask the students about the kinds of water, writing down the responses on the chart paper.
  • Some discussion questions to consider:
    • Does anyone in class know the difference between fresh water and salt water?
    • What does “fresh” water and “salt” water mean?
    • Of the bodies of water listed on the board, which are salty and which are fresh?
    • The purpose of the discussion questions is to assist students to reach the conclusion of the two kinds of water, and more specifically, the organisms that live in each.
  • Transition and discussion: Ask the students about the different kinds of animals that live in water, making sure to emphasize that not all kinds of animals live in all kinds of water. Most kinds of animals prefer to live in either salt water or fresh water—moving between the two types of water would kill many types of animals. Pose some questions about specific animals that live in these types of water, focusing on fish and the kinds of fish, and list them on the poster paper.
    • Tell students to imagine they are in a pet store in the aquatic section, reminding them that these stores usually have different sections for pet animals kept in fresh water (such as goldfish and frogs) and pets kept in salt water (such as clownfish and corals).
    • Some discussion questions to consider:
      • Can you think of some other animals that live mostly in fresh water?
      • How about some animals that live mostly in salt water?
      • Do you think there are animals that live in both fresh and salt water?
      • Does “fish” fit in the “freshwater” or “saltwater” category?
    • Introduction to topic: Ask students what they know about salmon and the history of salmon in Oregon. This can be a great opportunity to use a KWL chart to assess what students already know, want to know, and have learned after the lessons.
    • Some discussion questions to consider:
      • What is the state fish of Oregon?
      • How do you know?
      • What are some things you know about salmon?
      • What do they look like?
    • Background information: “At the time of first Euro-American settlement, the salmon fisheries of the Pacific Northwest seemed literally inexhaustible. Millions of fish averaging thirty pounds and more made the annual spawning run up Oregon’s numerous coastal rivers. They were an important food resource for both Native Americans and the pioneer settlers. In fact, the fish were so abundant that people often kept only the choicest cuts of meat and threw the rest away. Many thousands were caught every year, but for a while it seemed as if all the people in Oregon would never be able to eat enough salmon to put even a dent in the overall population of the fish. However, by the 1860s, new inventions and improvements in food canning technology suddenly made it possible for Oregon fishermen to preserve their catch and transport it for sale to markets around the globe. In Oregon, we have a remarkable kind of native fish called the salmon. One of the things that make the salmon so special is that it can and does live in both fresh water and salt water. As we have just been discussing: not many fish or other animals can do that!”
      • In order to further impress upon the students that the salmon has been important to the economy and culture of Oregon for a long time, present photographs, illustrations, and articles about salmon found on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website.
        • “Value of Our Salmon Fisheries” from Willamette Farmer, September 27, 1873
        • “Now Comes the Salmon” from Sunday Oregonian, April, 22, 1900
        • “Cradling the Chinook Salmon” from Sunday Oregonian, May 13, 1900
        • “Fishing” from Daily Coast Mail, January 07, 1904
      • Lesson: Segue from discussion to lesson. Depending on the grade level, some useful lesson plan and unit plan ideas have been listed.
        • For grades K-2: “Pacific Salmon” by National Geography
        • For all grades: “Salmon in the Classroom” by Oregon State University
        • For all grades: “The Salmon Box!” by the U.S. Forest Service

Extension Activity Ideas

Activities can be modified several different ways, depending on the grade level and focus of study. Listed are activity ideas that can be adapted and extended to and for any grade level.

• Compare and Contrast: Using the articles listed previously, and the Historic Oregon Newspapers website, have students compare and contrast the importance of salmon in the early 1900s and in the present day. To further extend this activity, have students compile information and present their findings to the class. In addition, compare and contrast the importance and use of salmon across the states.
• Life Cycle Vocabulary Jeopardy: One of the topics that 4th graders learn is the life cycle of salmon. After teaching the life cycle lesson, play jeopardy using the vocabulary terms listed above or on the specific websites. This not only extends students’ learning, but also cements their understanding of these vocabulary terms. For further challenge, mix vocabulary terms and different anatomical parts of the salmon in addition to the places salmon spawn, swim, live, etc.

Overview

As students continue their study of Oregon history, this lesson plan—with a primary source document from the Historic Oregon Newspapers website—provides another connection between students and Oregon history. This lesson plan uses an article that was submitted to the Sunday Oregonian newspaper in 1906 by a reader, and as such, provides students with exposure and experience with primary documents, authenticating the history they are learning.

The type of story the reader has submitted is an animal myth, much like a fable but without a moral to be taught. This lesson can supplement any unit under the fiction literature theme with a variety of opportunities for extensions. Some extension ideas are presented below.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards:

• ELA.RL.4.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
• ELA.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
• ELA.W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
• ELA.W.4.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4 on page 29.)
• ELA.SL.4.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Materials

• Copies of “When the Porcupine and the Bears Quarreled”
• Art materials (optional)
• Comprehension check sheet (optional; All worksheets can be found in PDF Download)
• Text features check sheet (optional)
• Vocabulary definition sheet (optional)

Key Vocabulary

• Quarreled
• Provisions
• Bristled
• Quills
• Captive
• Convicted
• Condemned
• Imprisoned
• Sheer
• Lamenting
• Haunches
• Lurked
• Hearty
• Buzz-saw

Lesson

• Introduce article: Go over key features of text such as title, author, page number, publication date, newspaper name, etc. A basic text feature comprehension sheet is provided in PDF Download. Note: There are quite a few stories on this page; you may want to ask students to highlight which portion they will be focusing on. The article to be focused on, “When the Porcupine and the Bears Quarreled,” is found on the right side of the article about halfway down the page.
• Some prompt ideas to consider:
  • Point at the title.
  • Say the title out loud.
  • Where is the publication date?
  • What is the publication date?
  • How many years ago was that?
• In addition to discussion about text features of the article, have students make predictions about the story. Give students time to think of a prediction and then share with a partner, the table, or the whole class.
• Introduce lesson: Introduce students to the idea of myths, describing them as stories that were created to give light to how animals or beings came to be. Merriam-Webster provides a more informative definition: “A story often describing the adventures of superhuman beings that attempt to describe the origin of a people’s customs or beliefs or to explain mysterious events (as the changing of the seasons).”
• Provide some examples of animal myths. For example, “Why Zebra Has Stripes,” which is a story that describes how a zebra couple were trying to find the perfect outfit and came to agree about stripes. Another animal myth example can be found in the Weekly Chemawa American, April 2, 1909: “Why the Crow is Black.”
• This may be a wonderful opportunity for students to have a short discussion about what animal myths they know, including animal myths from different parts of the world.
• Read the story: You may want to read the story several times because the vocabulary and sentence structure are different than that of today. You may also want to introduce some vocabulary words prior to the reading. A list of possibly difficult vocabulary words is presented above.
• After students have read the story once through, whether in groups, pairs, or individually, have them retell the events of the story to ensure comprehension.
  • This may be adapted using the comprehension worksheet provided in PDF Download, or have students retell the story orally to each other.
• Closing and debrief: Once students have finished the comprehension sheet, gather and debrief.
• Some debrief questions to consider:
  • What did you think about the story?
  • What were some interesting points of the story?
  • What were some boring points of the story?
  • How do you feel about the language of the story?

Extension Activity Ideas

Activities can be modified several different ways depending on grade level and focus of study. Listed are some activity ideas that can be adapted and extended to and for any grade level.

• Create Animal Myth Story: Students choose an animal and make up a story about how that animal was created. Once students have created their stories, have them present their stories to the class, since many animal myths are part of the oral tradition of storytelling. Additionally, students could create a book illustrating the evolution of the animal.
• Reader’s Theater: Though the stories presented in this article do not have characters to portray as in a play, students can still practice their oral reading skills by choral reading the stories to their classmates.
• Dictionary Skills: An important skill for students to have is the ability to utilize resources to find the meaning of words they do not know. Instead of introducing difficult vocabulary, have students use the vocabulary definition sheet (in PDF Download) to look up the words in the dictionary. The activity sheet requires students to write down the guide words, definition, and create their own sentence. Blank sheets have been provided as well.

Overview

Students will utilize the Historic Oregon Newspapers website to study print advertisements from the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Contemporary advertisements from current newspapers will also be examined in order to compare and contrast the development of advertising styles, content, and strategy across history, thus bringing more awareness to advertising methods and developing further critical thinking skills.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards:

• ELA.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• ELA.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
• ELA.RI.4.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

Social Studies Standards:

• Historical Thinking 4.6: Create and evaluate timelines that show relationships among people, events, and movements in Oregon history.
• Historical Thinking 4.7: Use primary and secondary sources to create or describe a narrative about events in Oregon history.
• Economics 4.17: Analyze different buying choices and their opportunity costs while demonstrating the difference between needs and wants.

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Access to Internet
• Activity sheet
• Questionnaire
• Compare and contrast graphic organizer (optional)
• Newspaper (current)

Key Vocabulary

• Newspaper Vocabulary List

Lesson

• Preparation: Assign students the homework of finding and bringing advertisements from recent newspapers and magazines that they find appealing.
• Introduction: Start lesson with students presenting their advertisements and discussing the reasons for their appeal.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • What drew you to this particular ad?
  • What strategies have the advertising professionals used to capture your attention and convince you to buy the product?
  • How accurately does it represent the product it was intended to sell?
  • How much does this matter?
• Background on Advertising: Far from being a “modern” development, advertising has been an important part of the American economy from its earliest days. Newspaper and magazine publishers have long used the sale of advertising space in their pages in order to help make their ventures profitable. Businesses that make products and professionals who provide services to the community have always relied on some form of advertising to attract customers, and consumers have used ads to help them decide how to spend their money.
• Activity: Students will use the Historic Oregon Newspapers website to explore past issues of periodical publications in order to study their advertising content. You may choose to have the entire class look in their local or regional newspaper, or individual students may be assigned different papers from throughout the state.
  • Instruct the class to examine issues of the paper from two different eras: 1870 and 1920.
  • The aim will be to compare the ways that print advertising style and strategy remained unchanged over this fifty-year period, and contrast the ways that ads evolved and changed between 1870 and 1920.
  • Provide students with a graphic organizer to organize the ideas that they find, as well as an activity sheet to guide their research. (Example provided in PDF Download.)
• Discussion: Facilitate a class discussion about the findings of the class.
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Were you surprised by the nature and quality of ads from yesteryear?
  • How do they look to our modern eyes?
  • How do you think they looked to people living back then?
  • What are the major ways that current advertisements have changed from those of the past?
  • How has the invention of modern communications technologies such as radio, television, and the Internet changed advertising?
  • What are the differences between a “good” and a “bad” advertisement?
  • Can you think of any “sneaky” ways that products get advertised without most people even realizing it?
  • How do you think advertising affects your life?

Extension Activity Ideas

Activities can be modified several different ways depending on grade level and focus of study. Listed are some activity ideas that can be adapted and extended to and for any grade level.

• Compare and Contrast: Ask students to bring in a complete newspaper that was written during current times. Using this newspaper, have students fill out the activity sheet (provided in PDF Download). Then using the compare and contrast graphic organizer along with the questionnaire, have students compare and contrast the newspaper from 1870 with the newspaper from 2015.
  • Additionally, students may compare and contrast the newspaper from 1920 with the newspaper from 2015.

Overview

In 1912, Oregon became the seventh state in the Union to pass an amendment granting the right of suffrage to women. This lesson aims to personalize the effects of this amendment for students via an in-class voting exercise, then deepen their understanding of the issues framing the suffrage debate through further research on the Historic Oregon Newspapers website.

Oregon Common Core State Standards

Language Arts Standards:

• ELA.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
• ELA.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• ELA.RI.4.9 Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• ELA.RL.4.9 Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literatures from different cultures.
• ELA.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
• ELA.SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• ELA.SL.4.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
• ELA.SL.4.1b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.
• ELA.SL.4.1c Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Social Studies Standards:

• Historical Knowledge 4.2 Explain how key individuals and events influenced the early growth and changes in Oregon.
• Historical Thinking 4.5 Distinguish between fact and fiction in historical accounts by comparing documentary sources on historical figures and events with fictional characters and events in stories.
• Government 4.15 Describe and evaluate how historical Oregon governments affected groups within the state (citizens, foreigners, women, class systems, minority groups, tribes).

Materials

• Historic Oregon Newspapers website
• Paper ballot or adapted ballot (see example in PDF Download)
• Place to “go to the polls” (optional)
• Document camera, whiteboard, or SMART Board
• Chart paper
• Markers

Key Vocabulary

• Consensus
• Suffrage
• Tabulate
• Ballot
• Compare
• Contrast

Lesson

• Preparation:
  • Optional: Set up an area of the classroom that students can experience “going to the polls.” This may include a table in the corner or blockers at desk without a box.
  • Print copies of the paper ballot (included below); set up survey questions using technology (such as Google Docs or Survey Monkey) or written questions on whiteboard/document camera/SMART Board.
• Introduction: Introduce key vocabulary.
  • Some activities to introduce vocabulary are jigsaw share, with students taking one vocabulary word and becoming experts to present to fellow classmates; whole group discussion of vocabulary words; and word search.
• Introduce activity: Introduce simulation prior to the topic of study.
  • Inform students that you would determine the popular—or consensus—opinion of the class on a number of topics.
  • Ask them to “go to the polls” and cast their votes on a secret ballot. A sample paper ballot is provided below. However, you may wish to change the questions to align to your classroom—the intent is to pose questions whose responses would be expected to skew along boy/girl lines.
  • To further simulation, you may appoint official ballot collectors or counters to tally up the ballots when finished.
  • Have official ballot collectors or counters tally up ballots for ONLY boys, publicly displaying the tally marks on SMART Board/whiteboard/document camera so the class may review them.
• Discussion:
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Are the boys in class largely satisfied with the results? How about the girls?
  • How confident did the boys feel when they found out only their votes would count?
  • How did the girls feel when they learned they would be left out?
  • To what extent does the result of this vote accurately capture the opinion of the whole class?
  • Was this vote truly fair and democratic?
• Re-tabulate ballots including both boys and girls.
• Discussion:
• Some discussion questions to consider:
  • Were the results of any poll results changed by including both boys’ and girls’ votes?
  • How were the votes affected?
  • Is this result more or less fair and representative than the boys-only vote?
  • Would a girls-only vote be any more or less fair?
• Newspaper articles to support lesson:
  • “Some Are Pretty: Women’s Club Has Debate” from Portland Morning Oregonian, January 23, 1904
  • “A Protest” from Coos Bay Times, November 4, 1912 (Counterpoint arguments from a women’s group opposed to suffrage)

 Extension Activity Ideas

Activities can be modified several different ways depending on grade level and focus of study. Listed are some activity ideas that can be adapted and extended to and for any grade level.

• Mock Debate: After students have debriefed on this voting simulation, and participated in an in-class discussion about their experiences, choose a period-related topic for students to debate. Assign roles to students, allow for preparation, and give opportunities to compile and research evidence to prove their side. Additionally, prepare students by having practice debates, watching videos of famous debates, and analyzing the elements for a strong debate, i.e. opening statements, arguments, rebuttals, etc.
• Group Presentation: Assign students to a period-related topic to research using the Historic Oregon Newspapers website in order to create a presentation for the whole class. Some topic ideas include: suffrage, women’s rights, equal rights, property rights, marriage, voting rights, slavery, etc. Have students use the advanced search option to input keywords and specify timelines. Some useful articles are listed below:
  • Women’s Suffrage: “Oregon for a Square Deal: First Free State on Pacific Coast” from Morning Oregonian, June 1, 1906
  • Women’s Suffrage: “Equal Suffrage” from Sunday Oregonian, June 3, 1906
  • Property Rights: “Fighting for Slavery” from Morning Oregonian, January 4, 1900
  • Marriage: “Tradition of Good Omen Accompany Easter Brides” from Sunday Oregonian, April 4, 1920
  • Marriage: “Civil Marriage Is Required in Russia” from Sunday Oregonian, March 21, 1920
• Scavenger Hunt/Compare and Contrast: Using an adapted scavenger hunt worksheet (example provided below), students browse through the History Oregon Newspapers website finding the elements and key features that determine a document as a newspaper, narrowing the search to specific timelines i.e. 1890-1900. Additionally, students can compare and contrast these elements of a newspaper written in the time frame to newspapers during modern times. Refer to the Newspaper Vocabulary List for a compilation of newspaper-related terms, which can also provide for an extension activity opportunity. Once students have had exposure to the elements of a newspaper, they can create their own newspaper, either in small groups or individually, using the same stories but creating this piece according to the elements of a newspaper used currently and those used in the past. This activity can be partnered with a language arts lesson focusing on writing styles and what makes an interesting, descriptive piece.
• Compare and Contrast Activity: Compare and contrast Abigail Duniway and Susan B. Anthony, providing interesting lessons in the ways that seemingly unified political movements can also harbor deep ideological divisions within their ranks. It can also demonstrate the ways in which differing personal histories and backgrounds can lead like-minded people to take very different approaches to a shared problem. This activity can be extended into analysis of famous politicians or famous figures whom were/are part of the same “side” but had/have differing platforms. Some useful articles are listed below:
  • Susan B. Anthony: “Half a Century of Suffrage Work” from Sunday Oregonian, March 26, 1905
  • Susan B. Anthony: “Susan B. Anthony Dies at Rochester at the Age of 86” from Oregon Daily Journal, March 13, 1906
  • Abigail Duniway: “Notable Life of Mrs. Duniway Ends” from Morning Oregonian, October 12, 1915
• Compare and Contrast Activity: Using the Oregon Blue Book, compare and contrast the original Oregon Constitution of 1857 with the constitution as it currently stands. This activity can be extended into creation of amendments to the constitution as it currently stands or to the original version.
  • The voting rights section is found in Article II, Section No. 2.
  • The constitution as it currently stands.

Resources

Background About the Life and Work of Abigail Scott Duniway

Abigail Scott Duniway was Oregon’s most prominent early advocate of women’s rights. From 1871 to 1887, she published the New Northwest, a Portland-based weekly newspaper dedicated to women’s issues and rights, particularly suffrage—the legal right to vote and to run for elected office.

Abigail was born in Illinois in 1834; when she was eighteen years old, her family traveled 2,400 miles over the Oregon Trail and settled near Lafayette in the Willamette Valley. Her mother and her youngest brother died on the journey west. In 1859, she wrote a book inspired by her pioneer experience, Captain Gray’s Company, or Crossing the Plains and Living in Oregon, which was the first novel to be professionally published in Oregon. In 1866, Duniway, along with her husband, Benjamin, and their five children, moved to the town of Albany. Benjamin Duniway had been injured in a farming accident, and Abigail was thrust into the role of providing for her family. After working for a time, she would prove her business acumen by opening a hat shop, which she successfully ran for five years before relocating to Portland to launch the New Northwest.

Eighteen seventy-one—the year of the New Northwest’s debut—also saw the first campaign to try to win the vote for Oregon women.In the pages of the New Northwest, Duniway advocated not only for voting rights, but also for greater social and legal equality for women in general. In managing this effort, Duniway was personally advised by the prominent national activist Susan B. Anthony, who came west for three months to help Duniway strategize and wage the battle. The two women became fast friends but also discovered differences in their personalities and modes of tactical thinking that would, through the years, place a strain on their relationship. Anthony considered Duniway stubborn, overbearing, and disorganized, while Duniway, for her part, regarded Anthony as something of an eastern elitist.

Background on the State and U.S. Constitutions

Complete text of the U.S. Constitution is available from a number of online sources, including usconstitution.net (http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html). The most relevant sections to this discussion will be the 14th Amendment and 19th Amendment.

As it was originally written and ratified, the U.S. Constitution made no direct mention, positive or negative, of the right of women to vote—social conventions of the day simply implied that women did not have that right. The nature of the suffragists’ struggle was striving to change this mind-set. In the pages of New Northwest is an Oregon suffragist’s speech arguing that the Constitution, in fact, guarantees women the right to vote:

“The Constitutional Right of Women to Vote: Read Before the Yamhill County Woman Suffrage Association May 17, 1876” (Note: Story begins top of column 5.)