Curricula

Curricula

Contact Information
Public Engagement Coordinator
235 Mill Avenue South
Renton, WA 98057
425-255-2330

Paper puppets activitySince schools are operating remotely, RHM is here to provide some educational resources for families and students to do at home! Museum staff aims to keep updating this page with more lesson plans and craft activities. For now, enjoy some of our resources for learning about Coast Salish culture and do some craft activities that teach about life in Renton!

 

Black History Month

John Houston and Benita Horn, two longtime Renton residents, take us on a virtual tour of the city's Black historic sites, including the Renton Highlands, the Jimi Hendrix Memorial, and many more. African Americans began migrating from the South in the late 1900s to make a better life for their families--their industry and community contributed to Renton's growth and success. This Black History Month program was recorded at the Renton History Museum in February 2020.



Volunteer Kate Dugdale shares a Black History Month art project that is fun for the whole family, based on the work of Alma Thomas, the first women artist of color whose work hung in a public area of the White House. Thomas lived and worked in Washington, DC who became a major American abstract painter in her 60s. For this activity, you'll need: paints, a square piece of paper, a paintbrush, a cork or other stamping material (like a potato), water to rinse your brush.

Bentwood Box activity

The Coast Salish are a group of ethnically and linguistically related indigenous people from the Pacific Northwest area. Coast Salish people have lived in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia since time immemorial. This activity teaches about bentwood boxes, a traditional Coast Salish box made from cedar. (Recommended K through 5)

Lesson outline
Bentwood Box template

Big Picture: Coast Salish Culture

By analyzing and comparing maps and photographs from the Renton History Museum’s collection and other sources, students will gain a better understanding of Coast Salish daily life through mini lessons. These activities will include information on both life during the time of first contact with White explorers and settlers and current cultural traditions. (Recommended K through 5)

Lesson outline
Photographs & maps

Coloring Postcards

Renton History Museum's collection holds almost 20,000 photographs! We've taken a few and turned them into coloring postcards. Enjoy some creative time and learn a bit about your town's history. (Recommended Pre-K through 5)

Coloring postcards

Historic Paper Puppets

Paper puppets were popular in the past because they used fewer materials than fabric-based rag dolls, or the even more expensive china or porcelain dolls. Paper puppets could be “dressed” with different outfits by coloring the design on a new paper template. Shadow puppets were an easy way to tell stories with shadow illustrations.  (Recommended Pre-K through 5)

Paper puppets

*These puppets are meant to be connected with brads but you can also glue them together, they just won't have movable joints.

“People of the Inside” Study Guide Questions

“People of the Inside” explores the history of the Duwamish people in Renton, a key aspect of Renton’s history, with a special focus on the Moses family, the most prominent Duwamish family in Renton at the time that White people began to move here in greater numbers.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts. 

“People of the Inside” study guide questions

"People of the Inside" article

"Pandemic 1918" Study Guide Questions

“Pandemic 1918!” is an article about the experiences of King County residents during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. The virus, nicknamed the Spanish Flu, arrived just as the First World War was ending. It is thought to have infected over 500 million people worldwide.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"Pandemic 1918" study guide questions

"Pandemic 1918" article

"Renton's Lady Voters" Study Guide Questions

“Renton’s Lady Voters” is an article about women who contributed to civic life in Renton around the time that Washington passed House Bill 59 in 1910, granting women the right to vote.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"Renton Lady Voters" study guide questions
"Renton Lady Voters" article

"From Horses to Cars" Study Guide Questions

“From Horses to Cars” is an article about the introduction of the automobile to Renton around the turn of the 20th century, which rapidly affected the layout of the city and the ways in which local people traveled.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"From Horses to Cars" study guide questions
"From Horses to Cars" article

"Unwilling Expatriates" Study Guide Questions

“Unwilling Expatriates” is an article about how women in Renton were affected by the 1907 Expatriation Act, which tied the citizenship status of women in the U.S. to their husbands’ citizenship status after marriage. As a result, American-born women who married non-citizens between 1907 and 1922 lost their American citizenship.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"Unwilling Expatriates" study guide questions
"Unwilling Expatriates" article

"Here for the Duration: Part 1" Study Guide Questions

“Here for the Duration: Part 1” gives an overview of the development of Renton’s Highlands neighborhood during World War II, when thousands of war workers moved to Renton from across the nation to work at Boeing and the Pacific Car and Foundry.  The result was a rapid increase in population and the need for housing. 

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"Here for the Duration: Part 1" study guide questions
"Here for the Duration: Part 1" article

"Here for the Duration: Part 2" Study Guide Questions

“Here for the Duration: Part 2” gives an overview of the development of Renton’s Highlands neighborhood during World War II, when thousands of war workers moved to Renton from across the nation to work at Boeing and Pacific Car & Foundry. The result was a rapid increase in population and the need for housing.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts. You may also wish to combine this activity with the study guide for “Here for the Duration: Part 1.”

"Here for the Duration: Part 2" study guide questions
"Here for the Duration: Part 2" article

"Renton in 1955" Study Guide Questions

“Renton in 1955” describes the changes to Renton’s economy and physical landscape that occurred in 1955. In addition to an expansion of downtown businesses, the City built more schools to accommodate its growing population and planned roadwork that would shape the future of local transportation. Like people in many other cities across the U.S., Rentonites also created organized plans to evacuate in the event of a nuclear attack.

This activity is designed for readers in 7th grade and above. Questions can be used for discussion or as writing prompts.

"Renton in 1955" study guide questions
"Renton in 1955" article
Supplemental photos

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