Module 7

“The traditional characteristics affect what you eat, your soul as people”

Explain:

 I enjoyed this quote from the Inuit video and thought it was both insightful and meaningful. There is such an interconnectedness here that can not even be described. 

This module was filled with tons of new information for me.  I was able to think about how much things have changed in the past years and how they continue to change due to the Earth’s climate and changes that take place.  I liked how it talked about the climate in Alaska having implications for climate worldwide.  I think it is important to talk about changes openly and with the community to see if there is anything locally that could be done.

I liked in the Inuit observations video where it talked about the big changes that have been made.  It makes me think about changes that we probably never even consider. The Inuit people have such a strong connection to that land where they live and the changes impact them greatly. I wonder with things changing to much how people will survive down the road.

Extend:

I think the video about Le’ona DeWilde would be great to show students. I think it will teach them that they can be successful as scientists no matter where they are from. In the video it talked about having children interview natives. Currently in my school we are using native stories to create a digital story, using traditional stories. I think it would be interesting to tie stories in with the science we teach children.  I was thinking we could interview elders about how they remember the land years ago and then we could talk about the changes they see today and how things are different. You could use this idea when thinking about a particular topic in science like climate or the other module topics.

The video also suggested having children record what they are seeing with the water and the temperature of the water. Since I teach math, this would be a great concept and something to think about in my classroom.

The information about the stars and the Big Bang Theory I am not sure I will use as much because it is not relevant to my teaching this year. It was insightful though as a learner myself.

Evaluate:

This resources were informational and help validate different things I notice as I am here in Alaska. I think it is important as a new teacher to explore as much as I can. I feel like being here is helping to validate and explain things I learned about in high school and college that I never quite understood until now when I see the bigger picture.

After reading the module I tried to find information on Yupik stories that dealt with climate and Alaska. While searching I found an article on CNN about another  village Newtok. Newtok is nearby and faced issues due to climate change. I thought this was especially interesting since Newtok is another village in my district and not too far away.  

I also found another article (Alaskan village stands on leading edge of climate change) on the same topic which was also interesting and with good pictures. It makes this modules mean more when you can connect it to familiar places around you.

A picture of Newtok

Colleagues:

I read Kathy’s blog. She has some great pictures and really connects to the climate change that is happening around us. It was interesting to see how she will use this week’s module in her own classroom. 

Next I read Kevin’s blog. He had a lot of connections to his own life with stories. He also went very detailed talking about microbes which I thought was interesting. It is interesting to read people’s ideas about things I don’t necessarily pick up on.

 Amy’s blog

We both really liked the video on the scientist and saw how it would be interesting to share with children. I also liked her ideas of how she could use the resources in her classroom.