The Yakima Valley Museum is the ideal environment to help students prepare for the WASL test.

We would like to invite your class to visit the Yakima Valley Museum and take advantage of the resources here for practicing writing and utilizing critical thinking skills.  WASL preparation, particularly at the sixth and seventh grade levels, concentrates on three disciplines: reading, mathematics, and writing.  At the museum, your students can not only practice these skills, but also gain exposure to history, art, and cultural studies. The students' exposure to and study of these humanities disciplines is one of the best tools for developing critical thinking and problem solving skills in their approach to writing.  The students are also immersed in an environment outside the classroom that allows them to explore, research, and examine artifacts they can use to develop their writing skills.

Although you may structure your visit to the museum around any topic, the examples provided in the menu down the left-hand side of this page focus on the various cultures of the Yakima Valley. The examination of the cultures in the students' own communities provides a deeper understanding of the people around them and brings a local perspective to their studies.

If you prefer your students to study museum objects rather than specific cultures, you may use the worksheets to direct and help focus their research.