On September 29, seventh and eighth-grade students visited the Central Library in downtown Spokane to explore the city’s history and connect it to their own experiences.
Prior to the field trip, students had written 100-word memoirs about their experiences during the summer fires. They discussed how personal documentation can become a primary source, helping future generations understand significant historical events. Several students also submitted their memoirs to The New York Times’ “Tiny Memoir” contest.
During their visit, students worked with educators from the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) and a local history specialist from Spokane Public Library. They examined archival documents and objects from the Great Fire of 1889, practiced reading like historians, and made inferences about the past.
The experience helped students place their own stories in a broader historical context and make connections with Spokane’s history. After returning to school, they wrote another 100-word piece, this time as historical fiction. Taking on the perspectives of shopkeepers, saloon workers, news reporters, mapmakers, and others from 1889, students creatively communicated what they had learned about the Great Fire.
To see more images from the 7th and 8th grade Central Library field trip, CLICK HERE
To see students’ 100-word memoir writing samples click the below PDF