Fort Ross State Historic Park
This curriculum is for teachers, parents, and students who
are coming for the
overnight program and our many day
programs.
Our mission is to offer as many educational opportunities onsite, at home, and in the classroom to all age students who are studying Fort Ross, California History, North Pacific Exploration, or World Trade History. In the classroom or at home is a time when students can explore their thoughts and feelings of Fort Ross. W hen students arrive at Fort Ross with a good understanding of the site’s natural and cultural history, they benefit much more from the on site visit. With the use of this material you will be able to create educational and fun lesson plans for the student. Intertwining the history of Fort Ross with the history of the rest of California and the North Pacific will encourage a better understanding of California’s changing history and encourage creative thinking for both kids and teachers. Social history, Cultural history , Economics, Geography, Mapping, Game Playing, Journal writing, Storytelling, crafts like rope making, butter churning, basket weaving, and leather work are all a part of this curriculum. Another way to learn history is to compare different music, art, religion, dress, home construction, folk tales, and food of the three main cultural groups that lived here; Russian, Alaskan, and Pomo and Coast Miwok people. The Natural history with the coastal terrace, the redwood environment and the marine life can fit into all age levels of study. The benefit to the children in using this material is simply education, and with that, understanding of the world around them. The use of your parks develops and encourages understanding of the value of the resources around them in their daily lives. The benefit to the park is stewardship and respect. We want students to care deeply about the quality of life in their community, their nation, and their world. We make every effort to meet California State Standards and Framework for History-Social Science curriculum. Please do let us know what is useful and what works for the students, there is an evaluation form at the end of this section. We are learning too!
The children’s history will be useful to any student.
Primary
Sources are very valuable and a BIG part of this curriculum
guide. We encourage you to use them.
Agriculture
Bill of Sale when Fort
Ross was sold to John Sutter
Brick-making
California Places
Contracts with employees
Treaty with the Kashaya
List of items Il'lia
Voznesenskii, a scientist, brought back to Russia
Life, Work, and Wages and
Debts, of Company Employees
Biographies
of real people and role- playing is a must if coming on the
overnight or day Environmental Living Program. Biographies of those who lived and
worked at Ross is a great way to learn about the people who make up the local history.
We encourage you to do research on the
real people. For more
about the Native Alaskans and Native
Californians click
here.
Assigning Students To Role Groups:
Design a Russian
American Company Flag. Maybe the militia would like to write a flag
salute.
Design a class banking system
based Russian American Company wages and trade items.
Design a fort compound of your own and than see how it compares
to the Russian fort.
Create a Fort Ross meal. Research and prepare foods they were growing at Fort
Ross relating to the Russians, Kashaya, or Alaskan food traditions.
Learn what the missions were growing and how it influenced Fort Ross.
Play Russian games, Kashaya games, or Alaskan games,
Write book reports from the many books relating to the presence of The Russian American Company. Students may make journals out of brown paper bags. Include Russian Alphabet and Russian phrases. After reading and discussing sections of Historical Overview, students write in their journals. Journal write from the perspective of an Alaskan, Russian, or Native Californian.
Find out why they said "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water".
Math/P.E.: Post a large enlargement of map showing distance from school to Fort Ross. Students run around schoolyard, add distances run and calculate amounts that eventually add up to the distance to Fort Ross.
Use the Glossary for spelling words.
Establish “Company” policy as your class room rules.
Grow a plant that was grown here at the fort.
Study the maps of the area.
Study the geography of the area.
What folktales and legends do the Kashaya and Coast Miwok have?
Crafts, such as basket making, butter churning, leather work, wood work, paint a wooden spoon, weave a Russian belt, or have a weaver come in and spin and dye wool, sewing or embroidery are great home or classroom activities.
Compare music, arts, religion, dress, homes, or food of the various cultures at Ross.
Take oral history from local elders to learn about your own community and the people around you. Learn how to conduct an interview?
Trace your own family history. Where does your family come from? What country? Where were they born? When did they first arrive in this country? Why did they come to the United States? What jobs did they do? Conduct an interview of your parents, grandparents, and other relatives. Are there photographs and other documents that can help tell the story? What special family holidays and celebrations do you celebrate today that originated in the relatives country? Are their songs, family recipes, and other traditions that can be shared? On a map show where your family is from.
Letters: For many children, the trip to Fort Ross is their first overnight away from Mom and Dad. Homesickness can be lessened by having an evening mail call when letters written by Mom or Dad are passed out. It is the most fun if the parents’ letters fit into the general program. Have the parents address the letter to the student’s character name. Have them ask questions like “How was your long ship voyage to Fort Ross?” or “Is the company giving you enough to eat?” If possible, keep the letters a secret from the students so that mail call after dinner is an even more thrilling surprise. Our Environmental Living Program has mail call. Here are some letters from the past.
Visit sites of Native American or Russian interest.
We
have a list of fun facts related to
the Russian American Company and California.
The onsite questions are an easy to use handout for your students.
International
trade and commerce was one of the most motivating factors in the Russian,
American, British, and Spanish expansion of the North Pacific. What trade routes
did those in the North Pacific take? And
whom did the RAC trade with? What ships were used? What were the trade prices
and for what trade
item? Who gained economically and how? Did everyone make a profit?
Create a trade store for the classroom or your on site visit. Throughout the year have the children make things like bead necklaces, paint headscarves, weave belts, etc. You can also buy inexpensive items like licorice or hard candies or appropriate Chinese items. As the school year progresses, have the children earn rubles for good work or conduct. When you come to Fort Ross, put all of the items together into a trade store where they can spend their hard earned rubles. Have them keep a bank balance of rubles earned. You can also pay them for their on-site work.
Passes: Each student should have a pass, which s/he always has available to show an official during the stay at Colony Ross. The passes can be fairly simple or elaborate. The children should do their own pass as part of character development.
Vitus Bering’s explorations of the North Pacific in the 1700s was a logical extension of this eastward movement. These voyages culminated in Russian exploration and settlement in Alaska and eventually in California.
Learn more about archaeology