COURSE TITLE:

TEACHING PORTLAND’S HISTORY

NO. OF CREDITS:

3 QUARTER CREDITS
[semester equivalent = 2.00 credits]

WA CLOCK HRS:  
OREGON PDUs:  
PENNSYLVANIA ACT 48:  
30
30
30

INSTRUCTOR:

Peter Chausse
walkportland@msn.com

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

When William Overton and Asa Lovejoy paddled down the Willamette River in 1844, Overton decided that an open area called, ‘The Clearing’, would make a good town site. This was the beginning of Portland. Today, ‘The Clearing’ has been transformed into Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and Portland has become a beautiful, vibrant and diversified city. In this class, you will explore Portland’s colorful history, tracing its growth and development from a Wild West town containing dozens of saloons and brothels, to the more refined Portland of today. Along the way, you will examine the people and places that shaped this city and you will develop ways to make Portland’s history really come alive for your students.

Through a combination of historical readings, museum visits, and self-guided walks through downtown Portland, you will discover the city’s colorful past, examine the progression of architecture, urban parks, and historical landmarks. Most importantly, you’ll develop lots of ideas for teaching historical Portland to your K-12 students.

Working closely with you, the instructor will help design lessons for classroom use that will maximize student learning. The instructor can also show you how to implement fun and educational field trips that focus on the lives of Portland’s pioneers and their impact on our lives today.

The Co-Instructor for this course is Jake Gordon, M.S. Ed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course, participants will have:

  1. How to teach Portland history, from its beginnings in the 1840’s up through the present.
  2. How to locate informative resources that will bring Portland’s past to life for students of all ages.
  3. How to lead informative class field trips that include visits to historical sites and landmarks.
  4. To enhance historical learning through museum and cemetery visits in Downtown Portland area.
  5. Dozens of ideas for integrating the study of historical Portland with other academic areas.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Completion of all specified assignments is required for issuance of hours or credit.  The Heritage Institute does not award partial credit. 

 

HOURS EARNED:
Completing the basic assignments (Section A. Information Acquisition) for this course automatically earns participant’s their choice of CEUs (Continuing Education Units), Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, or Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours. The Heritage Institute offers CEUs and is an approved provider of Washington State Clock Hours, Oregon PDUs, and Pennsylvania ACT 48 Hours.

 

UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT INFORMATION

REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY QUARTER CREDIT
Continuing Education Quarter credits are awarded by Antioch University Seattle (AUS). AUS requires 75% or better for credit at the 400 level and 85% or better to issue credit at the 500 level. These criteria refer both to the amount and quality of work submitted.

  1. Completion of Information Acquisition assignments 30%
  2. Completion of Learning Application assignments 40%
  3. Completion of Integration Paper assignment 30%

 

CREDIT/NO CREDIT (No Letter Grades or Numeric Equivalents on Transcripts)
Antioch University Seattle (AUS) Continuing Education Quarter credit is offered on a Credit/No Credit basis; neither letter grades nor numeric equivalents are on a transcript. 400 level credit is equal to a "C" or better, 500 level credit is equal to a "B" or better. This information is on the back of the transcript.

AUS Continuing Education quarter credits may or may not be accepted into degree programs. Prior to registering determine with your district personnel, department head, or state education office the acceptability of these credits for your purpose.

ADDITIONAL COURSE INFORMATION

REQUIRED TEXT

2 books of your choice from the bibliography provided. Or similar texts with the instructor's prior approval. Course Materials obtained from the instructor.

None. All reading is online.

MATERIALS FEE

A comprehensive workbook that includes the required reading, field journal, and Driving Tour is available from the instructor.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING THIS COURSE:

Peter Chausse, B.S. is a former elementary school teacher, who has specialized in teaching his students about trees, plants, urban parks and natural areas.

Before beginning his teaching career, Peter earned a degree in Forestry from the University of Maine. His training included coursework in Dendrology (tree identification), Forest Management and wood product usage.

In the early 1980's, Peter worked for the U.S. Forest Service in the state of Washington, where he focused on tree identification and scientific observations. Since 1994, Peter has taught a course through The Heritage Institute titled, ‘Studying Portland’s Trees’ During the course, participants learn how to recognize several dozen tree species as they explore Portland’s parks and historic neighborhoods on foot. Ideas for the integration of tree study with math, art, science, literature, writing and social studies activities are presented and discussed.

Peter has had a lifelong love of trees, and is eager to help you acquire more tree knowledge. He is also dedicated to helping you bring this information to your students in fun and meaningful ways.  

Co-Instructor:

Jake Gordon, M.S. Ed., graduated from Western Oregon University.  He became a teacher due to his desire to share the world with his students and give them the skills needed to explore and understand the world around them. 

In 2017 Jake took an academic sabbatical to pursue his graduate studies. He moved to Germany and completed a year of graduate studies at the world-renowned American Studies Leipzig Institute at the University Leipzig. With an expanded worldview and knowledge base, Jake returned to Oregon, where he earned an M.S. in Social Studies Education from Western Oregon University in June 2019.

He currently teaches social studies and geography at Adam Stephens Middle School in Salem, Oregon. In addition to teaching, Jake is an elected member of the Center for Geography Education in Oregon. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

TEACHING PORTLAND’S HISTORY

Bianco, Joe. Portland: Step by Step. Touchstone Press, 1988. A walking guide to scenic and historic points of interest in Portland.

DeMarco, Gordon. A Short History of Portland. Lexicos Publishing. 1990.

Foster, Laura O. 2005. Portland Hill Walks.  Timber Press. Portland, Oregon

Friedman, Elaine S. The Facts of Life in Portland Oregon. Portland Possibilities Publishing. 1993.

Lansing, Jewel. 2001. Portland: People, Politics, and Power. Oregon State University Press. Corvallis, OR

Papas, William. Papas’ Portland. Chetwynd Stapylton, Inc. 1994.

Snyder, Eugene. Portland Names and Neighborhoods: Their Historic Neighborhoods. Binfors & Mort. 1979.

Snyder, Eugene. Skidmore’s Portland: His Fountain and Its Sculptor. Binford & Mort. 1991.

Snyder, Eugene. Portland Potpourri: Art, Fountains and Old Friends. Binford & Mort. 1994.

Thomas, Kathleen. Don’t Call Me Rosie: 2004 The Women who Welded the LSTs and the Men Who Sailed on Them, Thomas Wright Publishing. Tigard, OR

Whitehill, Karen & Terry. A Pedestrian’s Portland. The Mountaineers. 1989.

Wood, Sharon. The Portland Bridge Book. 3rd Edition, OHS Press. 2003.