The Museum of Natural and Cultural History has partnered with the Oregon Historical Society (OHS) to offer the Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk to teachers in the Eugene/Springfield area.
The Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk, developed by OHS, provides hands-on materials and interactive lessons for use in the classroom and can be rented for up to two weeks by schools and other educational institutions.
The Traveling Trunk directly relates to the Roots and Resilience exhibit currently on display at the museum, as well as the museum field trip programs offered for students that focus on this important part of Oregon’s history.
Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk
Grades K–5 and 7–8
This traveling trunk helps teachers share with students the history of the Chinese diaspora in Oregon through five hands-on, interactive lessons as well as place-based extensions. Through objects, photographs, and maps, students explore Chinese immigration, occupations that Chinese workers held from the 1850s to 1940s, discrimination and Chinese exclusion laws, and Chinese people’s resistance to exclusion. Background and biographical information are provided for educators in each lesson. This unit aligns with the Oregon Social Science Standards.
Curriculum:
This trunk of materials is accompanied by a curriculum of five lessons and four extension activities provided by the Oregon Historical Society. You can explore the curriculum and a description of the trunk materials on the OHS website here:
Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk Lessons
Trunk Rental Information
Cost: The Chinese Diaspora Traveling Trunk available from MNCH can be reserved for $25 for a maximum of 2 weeks.
Payment: The rental fee can be paid over the phone with a credit card or when you arrive to pick up the trunk at the museum with cash, card or check.
Fee Waiver Information: Title 1 schools, schools with 40% or more Free and Reduced Lunch, and rural educators (those who work outside the Eugene/Springfield metro area) can request a fee waiver for the reservation cost.
Pick Up: The trunk must be picked up from the Museum of Natural and Cultural History on the weekend before the first day of your reservation.
Return: The trunk must be returned to the museum on the weekend after the last day of your reservation. Please do an inventory of the trunk to make sure all items have been returned.
Please Note: The traveling trunk hosted at the museum is not available to be shipped. If you would like to reserve a Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk that can be shipped to you from the Oregon Historical Society, click here.
Requesting the Trunk from MNCH
To schedule a trunk rental, complete the MNCH Traveling Trunk Request Form.
Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.
Requests will be fulfilled in the order they were received.
Find weeks when the trunk is available on the calendar below.
An MNCH staff member will respond to your request within 2 to 5 business days. Please note that your trunk rental date is not confirmed until you have received a final scheduling email. If you have any questions, please contact mncheducation@uoregon.edu.
Click HERE to request the Chinese Diaspora in Oregon Traveling Trunk.