Mr. Snyder
tjsnyder@seattleschools.org
206.252.5010

Pacific Northwest History is a course required by the state. In the Seattle Public School District it is offered at the eighth grade level. This course while counting toward your eighth grade promotion is a mandatory high school credit. You need to pass this class to receive a high school diploma.

This course will require you to become familiar with different concepts, ideas, groups and institutions that have impacted the history and the contemporary situation in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest. Also included in this course is a Service Learning project.

Course Overview

Pacific Northwest History focuses on the development of the Pacific Northwest and the interaction of its peoples. Study includes the political, economic, social, cultural, and geographical conditions of the Pacific Northwest and seeks to understand our relationship to the individual, the nation, and the world.

Essential Questions

1. How have the people of the Pacific Northwest and the interactions between different cultural groups shaped our region?
2. How is the growth and development of the Pacific Northwest influenced by its geography and environmental features?
3. How did national, political, economic, and social conditions impact local, state and regional development?

The textbook for this course is The Washington Story: A History of Our State (4th edition) by Ruth Pelz (henceforth referred to as Pelz). For this course we will be using a reading packet consisting of different articles and readings that pertain to the units outlined in this course. It is your responsibility to bring the reading packet to class every day.

The course consists of the following units:

Unit One
Government Structure (Chapter 12, Pelz)
A. Federal
1. Congressional Letter

B. State
1.Direct Democracy
a. Initiative Assignment
2. Active Citizenship

C. Local
1. Direct Democracy
D. News Reviews
E. Elections

Unit Two
Native Americans (Supplemental readings)
A. Historical context
B. Treatment of Native Americans
1. Native Americans and expansion
C. Native American Research project: Contemporary issues.

Unit Three
Natural Environment (Chapters 1 and 2, Pelz)
A. The Five Natural Regions
B. Regional Person Project
C. Regional Brochure Project

Unit Four
Washington’s Union History
A. Unions in Washington
B. IWW (Wobblies)
C. WTO conference in Seattle 1999

Unit Five
World War II and the impact on Washington State and the world. (Chapters 9 and 10, Pelz. Supplemental readings)
A. World War II and the implications for the world.
B. Local Industry
C. Pearl Harbor
D. Japanese Internment

Unit Six
GIS Homewaters project

Class Expectations

Classroom and Eckstein Norms: Any type of reference to a persons gender, race, ethnicity, physical features or anything deemed to be oppressive behavior is unacceptable and will be dealt with swiftly and severely. The consequences will come from the instructor and from the Eckstein administration. I have a zero tolerance policy for this behavior.

Attendance: Regular attendance is essential in this class. Because of the rigor of this course I will enforce the Eckstein school policy for attendance and monitor attendance closely.

Participation: This class, in many ways, is conducted in a seminar format. All students are expected to take an active part in class on a daily basis. Come prepared to think, ask questions and make comments.

Homework: Expect regular reading assignments from the textbook The Washington Story and supplementary readings. Take these seriously- they are the foundation of daily discussions and lectures. I will give unannounced quizzes on readings. You may use notes on the quizzes.
Late work is not accepted, except in cases of excused absence. It is your responsibility to make up quizzes and assignments missed due to an excused absence within one week of the absence.

Final note: This is a rigorous course that requires you to stay on top of and dedicated to many long-term projects. Please keep me aware of how you are feeling about the course at any time. Please use the web site, www.eckstein.seattleschools.org/tjsnyder, to access weekly and monthly assignments and due dates. If you are having difficulties with the course see me as soon as possible for extra help. I anticipate and look forward to great discussions, a positive learning space and a good time.