Distance Education Programs

Distance Education—Electronic Field Trips
We are pleased to be able to offer Electronic Field Trips to enhance learning by connecting students with experts and information available at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. Teachers and their students will be able to collaborate with museum staff and other classrooms throughout the Northwest as they explore lesson topics.

Lesson 1 -- Mega Mammals, Huge Floods and the Ice Age in the Columbia River Gorge

Activity Details: Grades 4-12
Content Areas - Science, Geography

This program has the students examining the different Ice Age theories.  Students will also learn about the unique ice age mega mammals.  Students will be introduced to the theories of why the mega mammals became extinction.  Students will also learn about the giant Ice Age Missoula floods which changed the landscape of the Columbia River Gorge forever.  The program will use student inquiry, slides, and props. 

Program Details: Mega Mammals, Huge Floods and the Ice Age in the Columbia River Gorge

Lesson 2 – The Cargo of the Lewis and Clark Expeditions

Activity Details: Grades 4-10
Content Areas - Science, Geography

This program will familiarize your students with the equipment and supplies that Lewis and Clark took on their historic journey. Using inquiry learning, students will interact with the instructor to explore the technology of the time by examining specific equipment and supplies taken by the Corps of Discovery over 200 years ago. Topics will include medicine, scientific instruments, Indian trading goods, camping equipment, arms and accessories, and clothing.   

Program Details: The Cargo of the Lewis and Clark Expeditions

Lesson 3 – Lifecycle of the Columbia River Salmon

Activity Details: Grades 4-10
Content Areas - Science

Students will simulate the journey of a salmon down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean and back. Along their journey students will encounter the hazards that salmon face. Through interactive discussion, students will gain an understanding of the issues, problems, and possible solutions for maintaining the Columbia River salmon fishery.

Program Details: Lifecycle of the Columbia River Salmon

Lesson 4 - Dinner in The Dalles: What plants and animals did Lewis and Clark eat while passing through the Columbia River Gorge?

Activity Details: Grades 4-10
Content Areas - Social Studies, Math, and Science

What did Lewis and Clark eat as they passed through the Columbia River Gorge? This program uses the Lewis and Clark journey to explore the ecosystems of grassland-shrub, pine-oak woodland, riparian, and Douglas fir by sampling the plants and animals hunted or traded for to feed the Corps and maintain equipment while in the Columbia River Gorge near present-day The Dalles, Oregon. Students will be encouraged to think like a plant, or cope like a critter, as dinner at The Dalles is set on the table, much as Lewis and Clark would have dined on their journey in 1805-06.

Program Details: Dinner in The Dalles

Lesson 5 – Lewis and Clark Rock and Roll: How did the geology of the Columbia River Gorge impact Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery?

Activity Details: Grades 4-10
Content Areas - Social Studies, Math, and Science

As they rode their canoes down the Columbia River, Lewis and Clark were humbled by whirling constricted narrows, frothy boulder strewn rapids, and forceful winds that halted their progress. Explore the intersection between the geologic story of the Columbia Gorge and Lewis and Clark's epic journey. What processes formed the long and short narrows, Celilo Falls, and the Grande Chute of the Columbia? What causes the persistent wind? Students will gain appreciation of both the power of nature and the fortitude of the Corps of Discovery.

Program Details: Lewis and Clark Rock and Roll

Lesson 6 –Live Bird Show-Raptors of the Columbia River Gorge

Activity Details: Grades K-12
Content Areas - Science

This is a "live" bird show featuring a variety of birds of prey found in the Columbia River Gorge which may include eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons.  Student will learn how birds of prey hunt, their unique characteristics, and other interesting and educational information about these remarkable creatures.

Program Details: Live Bird Show-Raptors of the Columbia River Gorge

Lesson 7- Surviving the Oregon Trail:  What should we take?

Activity Details: Grades 3-12
Content Areas - Social Studies, Science

This program looks at the decisions that emigrants had to make as they prepared to cross the continent on the Oregon Trail. Students will become familiar with the supplies and equipment needed to cross the America continent successfully in wagons in the 1840’s. Using inquiry learning, students will evaluate which items were essential for survival and which items were luxuries.

Program Details: Surviving the Oregon Trail: What should we take?

Lesson 8 - Opening the West: From Lewis and Clark to the Oregon Trail

Activity Details: Grades 4-12
Content Areas - Social Studies

This interactive program will look at the contributions and impact of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The program will highlight other groups that came West. The program will look at their motivation to enter the American West and their contribution to the settling of the Western frontier. The program will conclude with a presentation and discussion of the Oregon Trail Migration.

Program Details: Opening the West: From Lewis and Clark to the Oregon Trail

Lesson 9 - The Men and Woman of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Activity Details: Grades 2-12
Content Areas - Social Studies

This program looks into the lives of those who shaped history and geography by being members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Students will explore some of the key and interesting members of the Corps of Discovery. They will examine what skills these individuals brought to the expedition and how their skills made the epic trip successful. Students will also learn about the personalities of the explorers, as well as find out what happened to the members after the completion of the expedition.

Program Details: The Men and Woman of the Lewis and Clark Expedition