Point of Inquiry

This program is full for the 2011 - 2012 school year. Please consider bringing your students to Artillery, Bricks, & Company.

Fort Point, an enduring symbol of Gold Rush San Francisco, is the perfect site for your history sleuths to imagine, investigate, and pose questions of who, what, where, when, and why. Students explore the fort as they formulate "information questions" and "questions for deeper meaning." Through both individual and small group work, students construct their own interpretation of the significance of Fort Point and the era it represents. Following their investigation, the students are joined by a NPS representative who engages them in a discussion based on their questions and conclusions.

After a short lunch break, a representative of the Presidio Community YMCA leads your students in group games and other recreational activities.

Program Description

• Pre-visit activities introduce students to the people who lived near Fort Point and some of the familiar landmarks they will encounter when they visit. Teacher acts as a facilitator as students begin posing questions of historic inquiry.

• At the fort, students explore the structure and construct their own interpretation. They see Fort Point in its geographic and ecological context and experience their National Park as a resource for learning, recreation, and fun.

• Post-activities allow students to learn more about Fort Point and continue historic inquiry in new settings. Through an array of activities, students demonstrate what they have learned and how they have learned during their national park experience.

Point of Inquiry is co-sponsored by the Presidio Community YMCA.