How to Watch a Televised Debate
University of Washington Professor Matt McGarrity teaches the debate technique known as “flowing” and emphasizes to voters the importance of taking notes when watching televised debates.
Type of Resource: Single Video
The Medicine Creek Treaty, 1854-Present
Overview: The Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 is still alive today. In this video, we follow WA State Teacher of the Year ’22 Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni) as he visits the traditional lands of the Nisqually people in search of the treaty tree. As he explores the history, Jerad also learns from Nisqually and other Native American leaders about the language, history, and importance of the Medicine Creek Treaty. Help your students reflect and answer questions for classroom discussion or summative assessment with this 15 min documentary and Viewer’s Guides linked in Teacher’s Resources.
Finding Common Ground
Overview: Washington state is where collaborative governance on natural resources began in the early 1970s, with a groundbreaking agreement to resolve conflicts over flood control on the Snoqualmie River. As the new field grew, it helped to resolve a key civil rights struggle over native fishing rights in Washington known as the “Fish Wars,” which came to a head in a landmark legal case referred to as the Boldt Decision. After the US Supreme Court upheld the Boldt Decision’s recognition of tribal treaty rights, the parties eventually turned to collaborative governance to resolve their conflict, and the resulting state/tribal co-management of salmon and steelhead persists to this day. Since then, collaborative approaches in Washington have led to many groundbreaking outcomes, greatly influencing the rest of the nation over a 50-year history. While conflicts over who controls Washington State’s natural resources dominate the media coverage, the collaborative approach that comes after these conflicts is just as interesting to follow. In the early 1970s, collaborative governance on natural resources began in Washington State. The “fish wars” of the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in the Boldt Decision, reaffirmed tribal treaty rights and tribal sovereignty. Since this time, the parties have turned to collaborative management and governance for natural resources management. In this lesson, students will examine different ways that tribal nations, the Washington State government, environmentalists, and farmers and ranchers have come together to navigate conflict, understand interdependencies, and build relationships. Essential Questions Objectives
Insurance Commissioner
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s Insurance Commissioner? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn. This video examines the role of the Insurance Commissioner, the person who runs the department that regulates insurance coverage sold to citizens ‘from cradle to grave’ in Washington State. By focusing on the consumer protection responsibilities of the department, the viewer examines the merits of this being an elected position. Essential Questions: Objectives:
State Treasurer
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s State Treasurer? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA State Treasurer Jim McIntire. By examining the issues that the State Treasurer deals with, students will understand the importance of maintaining a fiscally responsible government for the citizens of Washington State. Essential Questions: Objectives:
Commissioner of Public Lands
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark. This video examines the role of the Commissioner of Public Lands, the person who runs the Department of Natural Resources in Washington State. By focusing on the responsibilities that the Commissioner has over the millions of acres of public lands, viewers will understand the importance the state of Washington puts upon the management of our natural resources. Essential Questions: Objectives:
State Auditor
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s State Auditor? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA Auditor Brian Sonntag. This video examines the role of the State Auditor, a position established to hold the state agencies accountable to the citizens of Washington state. By focusing on the responsibilities of the Auditor, viewers see how budget audits provide oversight and a check on state government. Essential Questions: Objectives:
Secretary of State
Overview: It’s not about foreign relations or trade, but rather, elections are perhaps the most important job of Washington’s Secretary of State. What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s Secretary of State? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA Secretary of State Sam Reed.By focusing on the responsibilities that the Secretary of State has in Washington State, viewers will understand what part the Secretary of State plays among the other elected officials and with matters of the government. Essential Questions Objectives:
Attorney General
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s Attorney General? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA Attorney General Bob McKenna. By focusing on the responsibilities that the Attorney General has in Washington State, viewers will understand what part the Attorney General plays among the other elected officials and with matters of the Essential Questions: Objectives:
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Overview: What are the roles and responsibilities of Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction? Learn about this statewide elected office with former WA State Superintendent Randy Dorn. By focusing on how the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) works with the state’s public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools, students will understand how the office funds the public school system for the betterment of all Washingtonians. Essential Questions: Objectives: