In order to introduce students to our overarching concept for the year and to continue bringing them together as a community of learners, we took students on a 3.5 mile inquiry walk from Chinese Reconciliation Park to Dune Peninsula Park at Point Defiance. Along the way, students were encouraged to observe, look, hear, smell, and question.
Students were given lenses to use to hone their questioning and encouraged just to wonder. At times, we reflected and discussed. At times, they shared questions with others using the same lens. At times, they shared questions with the group at large.
In the end, we had a substantial list of questions about Tacoma's and our place in a wider world.
First Bus Ride of the Year:
C
Chinese Reconciliation Park:
Did the people who built the park do it because they felt they had to because they did something wrong or because they felt like it was genuinely important to them?
What is the significance of the park to the citizens of Tacoma?
Where does Tacoma get the majority of its imports from?
What effect did the Chinese have on the supposed American culture?
Where(if anywhere) does Tacoma export to?
What were some motives for the Chinese to move to Tacoma?
Why was the pagot made this way?
What are those dragon things at the front?
Why was the roof made this way?
What does the Chinese sign mean?
What is the beautiful tree in the back of the pagoda?
What are the standing stones for?
What are those giant wood poles?
Why did the chinese put up with the white people of Tacoma?
Why did we hate the Chinese so much?
Are the forien chineese plants harming the native ecosystem?
Does the park provide nesting ground for local animals?
Are all the plants here native to China?
Were there any chineese wildlife brought for the park?
How did the wildlife laws create an awkward situation both in creating the park and maintaining the park?
Did chinese accept the reconciliation?
Why are some of the rocks shaped the way they are by man?
Why did we treat the chines so horribly.
Why did they put up with it.
How does graffiti and vandalism affect people’s view of the park
Does the road next to the park affect the animals. Do all the rocks at the park affect the animals. Are the planets good for the wild life. Do the animals yous the grato. Do animals nest in the pugotu. Why are there so many pigeons. How piloted is the park.
Why were there so many rocks?
What is the city's system for keeping the place so clean?
How many people are required to keep this place so clean?
Is there a purpose of the inlet under the bridge other than being pretty?
Was there already an inlet there before the park? What does the placement of the pagoda in the park mean?
Why was this place chosen?
Why were there drawings of Chinese people on the rocks?
Why is there a Pagoda?
Why was it in the shape of a cross?
Why was the Pagoda there, why not somewhere else?
Did the people who approved the creation of the park actually care about the history or did they purely do it for publicity?
How does the park affect the community of Tacoma?
Do people other than us truly read or care for the history of the park?
How does chinese culture affect american culture in the modern day?
What kind of imports does tacoma get from China?
Does Tacoma have a sister city in China?
How has the chinese community of tacoma been represented throughout history?
Why were only the Chinese persecuted, and not anyone else, even other immigrants?
The Chinese called Tacoma a “Mountain of Gold.” Why would they call it that, or even believe it with no proof?
The Tacomans knew there were more than just Chinese causing problems; why did they focus them?
Who were the main, if any people who were Tacoman and spoke up for the Chinese?
How does the treatment of the park affect the wildlife that live in or around it
Do people who graffiti Know what the point of this park is for Are they aware or do they not know?
How long did it take to develop the reconciliation park how many people are involved with the process and were a lot of things taken from China like plants artifacts and architecture or they built into coma but made to look like they were Chinese?
Why are all the chineese history pictures placed randomly around the park and not in a straight line?
Why are these pillars here?
Why are these plants here just for decoration?
What are these dragon/lion statues for?
What is the pagoda for?
Why are there poles sticking out of the sea?
Why is this park by the waterside?
Why make a beautiful park for something bad that happened.
Why are these pillars here.
Why scooter with lime all over the place
What do you do with these plants.
Why is the pagoda here?
Why use bamboo for fence?
Why park by the water?
Why is there men on the rock?
Why are natural and manmade rocks grouped together in the park?
Why are the fences made of bamboo?
Why are natural rocks moved from where they were and into the park?
What did the chinese government think of the expulsive?
Why was reconciliation park geared toward only the chinese?
Was the park inspired by other acts of discrimination other than the chinese expulsion act?
Is the park setup to appeal to the chinese specifically?
Why would we start a reconciliation process now after over 100 years?
Was the design of the park meant to make people feel calm and peaceful?
What are the obelisks for?
How many people can fit on the department of interior boats?
Why are the boats here?
How big are the boats?
How fast are they?
Has this park helped Tacoma make up with China?
What is the purpose for this park?
What is tacoma apologizing for?
Did the chinese pop. forgive tacoma?
How old is this park?
Where there any foreign businesses that found success in Tacoma?
Did any foreign countries incorporate in the construction of the docks or supplying of the materials for the docks?
Who designed the bridge?
Where there certain areas/docks that were for Chinese only?
Was there success for the Chinese in the fishing industry?
When did they make the modifications to let the light in under the dock?
Do the pylons provide a habitat for local wildlife?
Do the salmon spawn under the dock?
If so is it a major spawning location?
Why can you not fish of the dock?
Did the construction of the dock damage the local ecosystem?
How is art related to a dock?
Why is the dock so far out?
Why were there some metal grates on the dock?
Why was there a covered area?
Why were there so many flowers?
What are the flowers for?
Why is the dock here?
What's with the plants?
Why does a dock over water have a fire extinguisher?
Why does it have covered seating?
Why the private dock?
Why don’t other countries make the bridge to the dock see-through?
What caused the metal grating on one section? Damage?
Why is jumping off prohibited? Is it shallow?
Are there any fish living nearby? If so, which species?
What is the average amount of visitors to the dock?
Does the dock have anything to do with the fireman memorial nearby?
Why was the dock placed there and not where more people are living?
How has the dock changed from when it was first built in the 1870s?
What country’s boats have been through this dock? Or seen Tacoma?
Was there discrimination in where people of color and/or immigrants could fish? Were they banned to only certain docks?
How have other countries helped construct and affect the ports and docks of Tacoma?
Were local resources used to build the docks and surrounding docks/ports?
Did the dock used to be bigger?
Why is there only one hotel on the waterfront?
Where do the trains go?
How do people use trains?
How do signs direct people?
Why were the signs put there?
Who put them there?
Why are there potted plants on the Dock?
Why is the Dock half wood and half metal
Why is the Dock’s metal bridge so scary???
What are the floating diving board looking things for?
Why is it next to a Seafood shop?
Do boats refill their gas here?
Why aren't you allowed to fish or crab?
Why aren't there any life preservers in the life preserver boxes?
How much spot was put in to building this pure and how it would affect wildlife
Did the installation of the dock affect the wildlife?
How much wildlife is going on the dock?
Is there life in the flower pots on top of the dock?
Why are we not allowed to fish and crab on the dock?
Are the boats that park on the dock affecting the wild life?
Do they disturb it?
How did the construction and reconstruction affect nearby businesses?
How has the area around the dock changed since it was built?
How has the dock changed since it was built?
How has it been maintained to keep it for so long?
How do they maintain a dock anyway?
Seems like it would be hard to take out one of those posts. Is it?
What did the area surrounding the dock look like when the dock was built?
Has the dock ever been expanded other than the floating portion?
Did the firefighters help the environment or harm it by stopping the environmental cycle?
Is the foam they used to put out fires bad for the environment?
Are the electric car charging station used often enough to serve a purpose?
Is the fire boat a habitat for local wildlife?
Did the fire boat put out lots of fossil fumes?
How many firefighters have died in Tacoma?
Who are the statues?
How long was the fire boat operational?
Why here?
Why here?
Why does it have two propellers?
Why can people get under the boat?
What did the process of getting the fireboat there entail?
Why was this specific place chosen for the boat?
What is still done to maintain the boat? It from the outside it doesn't look like it's being maintained. Is there a reason for this?
What is the system for getting the train cars on the train in order for where they drop them off?
Why were all of the names on the ground?
Why is there a statue of three firefighters?
What is the meaning of the statue?
Why was the boat in a pit?
Why is the boat still there?
Was that boat actually used?
Why is the public not allowed to climb up the boat?
Did they miss any firefighters in the memorial? If so, who?
What is the annual amount of visitors to the memorial?
Why is the boat located at Duke’s Chowder House?
What countries build the boats?
When was the boat moved to the shore?
How come the boat wasn’t placed in a museum?
How old is the boat?
Is the memorial for firefighters who died in service or firefighters who died regardless?
Why wasn’t the boat taken apart?
Were some of the people in that memorial part of the crew on that ship?
How many firefighters have fallen?
Why do people use lime scooters?
Is the role of the fireboat still necessary?
How were fires stopped before the fireboat?
Why was the memorial put there?
Why is there a fireboat here?
Why do you need a fireboat, when there are no fires on WATER?
Why does a boat have legs?
Why were the fallen firepeople made of bronze?
Why can you go under the fireboat
Why is there a fireboat here
Why do you need a fire boat for water
Why do all these cars look mean
Does the train affect the wildlife?
How much wildlife has the Tacoma fire department saved?
How much wildlife grew on the boat during its lifetime?
How much wildlife was displaced by installing the boat?
Are all of the fish restaurants on the waterfront overfishing and diminishing the fish population by too much?
Why is the boat out of the water
What are these gun shaped things
How old is the fireboat?
Why is there a need for 4 car charging stations?
How many trains go through here every day?
How many of them are passenger trains and how many are freight?
What is the average distance a freight train travels before it comes through here?
Do those trains get everything they haul when they leave their home base or do they pick up most of it along the way to its destination?
How many firemen were properly recognized and credit for their work?
Were all the firemen properly recognized?
How many people of color/immigrants were hired to work in the fire dept?
Were the hiring staff biased by racism at all?
Where some of the parts built on fireboats(in general) that were imported from other countries?
Where people from foreign countries allowed to work as first responders/emergency responders?
Who designed the fireboat(s)?
Were people from foreign countries commemorated for their services if they were allowed to serve as emergency responders?
Were foreigners who worked as emergency responders treated with the same respect as (just to generalize) a white American?
Did they forget any firefighters?
Where do the coffee come from?
What do some of the sculptures represent?
When did Point Ruston start being built?
What does Point Ruston represent?
Why is there a statue of three rabbits?
Why is the ship off the shore of Point Ruston not scrapped?
What did the boat off the shore of Point Ruston use to be?
How many people go to Point Ruston every year?
When was it made?
Why was it made there?
Who opened the first shop there?
How much space is left for shops in Point Ruston
Why is there a MEAT vending machine?!!! That should never even exist!
What is so pointy about Point Ruston?
What is so rusty about Point Ruston?
Why is Point Ruston shaped the way it is?
Why is it by the waterfront?
Why is there a meat vending machine?
What is Ruston?
Why show dripping ice cream on the store?
Why slides?
Why is this creamy and so good?
How did they mount the boat to where it is?
What resources from other countries were used to construct the boat here?
Were local resources used to build the park?
How is rust affordable?
How many successful businesses are in the area?
What are the types of businesses there?
What is the average amount of people that visit every day?
How much money was invested in construction there?
Are the fish restaurants at Ruston contributing to overfishing?
Are the restaurants following sustainability practices?
Is the arsenic in the soil affecting the people?
Why is there a map of the U.S. by the water?
Why are there so many apartment buildings?
What is the meaning of the big statue that we met at?
Why is the statue there?
Why is Point Ruston a tourist attraction?
What is the city planning for point Ruston?
How does the city go about cleaning point Ruston?
I heard about a plan to ban Lime scooters from point Ruston, how were they planning on doing this? Are they still trying to do this? When they filled the old car tunnel did they fill the whole thing or just block the entrance?
How much of the topsoil was harmed by the arsenic plant?
Why did they put the arsenic plant in such an environmentally rich community?
Did the arsenic plant cause any genetic mutation to the local wildlife?
Did the non GMO ice cream really help the environment?
Is it harmful to the people to live on an old arsenic plant?
Why is Ruston here?
Who are the statues?
Why is there no dock there?
Has it flooded?
Barrels?
How have other countries contributed their cultures into the food and stores in Point Ruston?
Did other countries contribute to the construction of Point Ruston?
Is Point Ruston an area that people from all countries can feel safe with no discrimination/a place for all people?
How many different kinds of people live/work/have an involvement in Point Ruston?
Where does Point Ruston/the businesses in Point Ruston get a majority of its imports from?
Where does Point Ruston/the businesses in Point Ruston export to?
It let up enough, in the end, students had the chance to enjoy the Chutes and Ladders park:
The Bus Ride back to Seabury:
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