Washougal — Third-grade students at Columbia River Gorge Elementary brought some of their lessons to life by building Native American plank houses, complete with totem poles, rivers and streams, smoke houses and animals.
They shared their projects with parents and second-grade students in late May. Each year in third grade, students learn about local Pacific Northwest Native American culture and customs, and take a field trip to the Lelooska Foundation and Cultural Center in Ariel.
Students built their houses with a variety of items, including sticks from their yards at home.
They were asked to incorporate kinetic concepts in their design, so some students used hinges on the roof to allow easy access for their home’s interior, and one student used a push rod to launch a canoe.
