Final Project

Essential Question: How can teachers use digital resources, community resources and effective teaching methods, integrating Alaska Native ways of knowing with Western scientific methods to create greater student interest in, and understanding of, the geosciences?

Objectives:

• Students will interview an elder as a class
• Students will create a digital movie talking about the current climate today using data and daily temperatures recordings
• Students will create a digital movie talking about what it was like years ago using elder interviews.
•  Students will describe weather and see if they can find indoor clues about what the weather's like;
• Students will discuss times when the weather has affected their plans;
• Students will look at a weather map and temperature listings and discuss the patterns they notice across the United States
• Students will record the daily temperature using the thermometer outside of the classroom

 Goals:

• Students will have a better understanding of how everything is connected.
• They will learn about their village through the eyes of elders and through exploration.
• Students will understand the difference between weather and climate.
• Students will begin to think about the differences between where they live and other parts of the world.

Rationale:  

This is a project that I would do with students in grades 4-6. This project would last for a week or longer. I created this project because I feel it is important to involve the community and elders into my classroom. Cultural connections are essential for children to make and something they should learn about in the earlier grades. My classroom has already created a digital movie this year and enjoyed every minute of it, hence why I think it would be interesting for students to do. Temperate and climate impact daily life here, so why not learn more about it.

Building background knowledge:

• First I think it would be important to define cultural connections, both what they are and why they are important. 
• We will talk about what they know about Quinhagak in general in relation to weather, subsistence living, cultural influences, etc

a.     What is the weather like? Climate?  (Discuss the difference between the two)

                                               i.  Climate change video

b.     When is a time weather impacted your plans?

c.      What do people do for a living?

d.     How does the weather impact where we live?

e.     What would happen if we sudden had to leave Quinhagak?

f.      How do we use resources around us to survive?

g.     What are the resources available in Quinhagak?

h.      What other villages have gone through climate situations?

                 1.Climate change in Newtok

                          2. Newtok article

 Use part of lesson plan from National Geographic website 

1.     Inform students that people all over the world are affected by the weather. Ask students to discuss some of the times when the weather has affected their activities or plans. For example, perhaps they've had to cancel a long-awaited excursion due to bad weather, or maybe they celebrated a winter holiday outdoors due to unseasonably warm weather.

2.     Have students look at the current map at the Weather Channel Web site to see what the weather is like in other parts of the country. Ask them to describe the symbols the map uses to show what the weather is like. Then discuss today's weather in Florida, New York, California, and Montana.

3.     Help students record the high temperatures, as seen on the Weather Channel map, for Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Kansas City, Houston, and Miami.

4.     Have a few students write the high temperatures on small pieces of construction paper. Use removable tape to place the papers onto the above cities on the class wall map.

5.     Ask students to look at the map and find where the temperatures are the highest and where they are lowest. If weather patterns are relatively normal today, they should notice that the colder temperatures occur farther north in the country.

The Interview:

1.     Before the interview, we will talk about the importance of interviewing and review interview procedures. Our students are familiar with interviewing elders because we did it previously this year.

2.     Students will use Garage Band on their computer to record the interview.

3.     Later the interview will be transcribed.

      After the interview:

1.     Students will use a variety of resources to create a story about the land years ago and the changes that have occurred. It would be helpful to break the class into two groups. One will focus on years ago, and one group will focus on the land now. Students will talk about implications with weather. They will use clips from the interview as well as interpret the elder interviews. Students can also incorporate Yupik stories from the past into the movie.

     Steps for creating an I-movie:

 1. First children create backgrounds. You need to take pictures or scan these photos to use for the movie. These examples are from a production we created for Thanksgiving.

2. Next you shoot the video using a green screen. If you do not have a green screen then you can just use green butcher paper.

3.  Next you import both the photos and movie clips.
4.  Use I-movie you can create a movie.

a.     NOTE: If anyone is interested in doing this you can contact me and I’ll explain in greater detail how to do this.

      Resources from the modules they could use:

     --La'ona Dewilde video--This video talks about interviewing Natives and would be useful to use in the classroom.

       --Alaska Native Ways of Knowing--This has many great websites for children to look at and great stories of native ways of living.

       --Spirit of Subsistence Living---Children can think about how subsistence living has changed from what it was once before to now.

      --Life on the Coast---Our village is on the coast, this would be interesting for students to see

    ---Subsistence life impacted by climate change

    --Inuit Observations-- This focuses on climate change that has taken place.

      --Alaskool website---This website has a section on culture and change. 

  

     Once the children complete the video we would share it with the community. I think it would be important to share it at a community meeting and maybe talk about if there was anything in the community we could do to help with climate change, pollution, or any other issue that came up while doing this project.

The last module

Explain:

This blog was jammed pack with new information for me to learn. Before this module I guess I never realized how important glaciers are and how much water they supply us with. I never realized how big they can be. One part of the module mentioned a glacier being the size of France! I also learned that three quarters of all fresh water on earth is frozen in glacier ice. WOW!

Before I began the module, I knew I needed some background knowledge. The first thing I did when starting this blog was use Google and look up terrestrial ice. I then used Wikipedia and looked up Glacier Bay.This website had many pictures and really helped me to learn about a place I was unfamiliar with.

I liked the Losing Permafrost in Alaska video because it was filled with new information for me.  I can’t believe that it cost 35 million dollars a year to fix damage due to permafrost. It is also mind blowing to think that the winter average has risen by four degrees.

During this video (Losing Permafrost in Alaska), I liked the native perspective that talked about how years ago people had to wear really warm winter gear, and now they don’t need that type of clothing. For someone who is new to this area, I always feel like I am freezing to death. I fear when people say it is only going to get colder. It is interesting to hear a native’s perspective about the climate change.

I’ll get back to the point where I mentioned I had no idea the importance of glaciers. I decided to google glaciers in Alaska which brought back a ton of results. Then I was interested in glaciers in Ohio (where I am from). I found the map of glaciers in Ohio to be interesting and spent quite a while looking at the information.

The video on climate change was particularly interesting. I didn’t really think about the differences between the two. It talked about how hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes are all weather events that happen when climate is predictable and stable. If the climate changes either up or down quickly, then this would disrupt life as we know it. I liked the quote “it has done it before, and is inevitable that it will happen again” This really made me think of all the research and hours that are spent trying to figure out when the climate change will occur.

 This video on Glaciers would be interesting to show students, because it shows the correlation between input and output and I felt this video was student friendly.

While talking to colleagues about this module, a friend mentioned the Spencer glacier located near Anchorage, Alaska. I then began to look it up.  It is so interesting that something so beautiful is so close to me. This is someplace I would like to visit before leaving Alaska.

Spencer glacier

Extend:

I will use the Alaskool website in my classroom. It is a very helpful website for in the classroom. I liked the profiles of the different regions in Alaska and think it would be different to look at the different regions and compare and contrast.

This module talked so much about the temperature and climate changing from year to year that I think it would be interesting to chart the information from the past 50 or so years and analyze the data.

Evaluate:

These resources are very helpful. They will come in handy when I think about the final project. Since climate change will impact where I live greatly, it is important to think about it. I know I mention it every week, but since temperature is an interest of my students, this module gave me many ideas of how to incorporate it into my teaching. 

Colleagues:

Carolyn’s blog

She found an interesting resource for teachers to use. I also liked her different ideas of how to incorporate all of this information into the classroom.

Alison’s blog

Alison mentioned the Alaskool.org website which I thought was very interesting. She also mentioned an experiment she might try. I also like how she talks about so many of the resources and how they are insightful.

Amy’s blog

Amy found the part on weather and climate to be interesting when thinking about the differences between the two. This was also something that I noted.

Ice Ice Baby

 frozen ice in Alaska

Explain:

 Cryosphere was a new term to me. It is very interesting since ice and frozen water are all around me here in Quinhagak. I really liked the article in the Anchorage Declaration that talked about how “everything is connected and mother earth is in a stage of climate crisis.” I felt this quote helped to put things more into perspective. I was able to see how climate change is a bigger issue then I had ever imagined.

This module confirmed the importance of both weather and climate. One example is freeze up. Freeze up is important because it allows people to travel and a way to get out of the village. In the winter, the rivers can become very dangerous as we need them to freeze up for transportation.  I can connect to this, because a fellow teacher in my village fell through the ice last week. They made it out safely, but I guess I never realized that this was such a big issue. When this happened at first I had no  idea how or why it could happened. 

 It made it clear to me how the weather and ice can control so much. The climate is important because it impacts animals, people, and the environment as a whole.

The Steve Maclean video was very interesting. He did a good job of talking about science and how beneficial it can be for students.  I think it would speak to students and they would see how beneficial it can be to chose an occupation that means a lot to them. 

Extend:

I am going to use these resources in my class when talking about temperature. My class is very interested in temperature. We got a thermometer put outside our window so that we may track the temperature each day. It would be interesting to look at the climate and compare it to years past.

Along with looking at temperatures, we also use the weather website to track the weather and talk about the numbers that we notice.  The experiments in this module will also be helpful when thinking about temperature. I am trying to integrate into math with creating bar graphs and comparing data.

The Albedo video on Teacher’s Domain  would also be interesting to show students because it is hands on. It would help to explain temperature and climate.

Evaluate:

These resources were relevant I felt. I felt this module was a bit easier for me to understand. Living close to the Bering Sea myself allowed me to connect to Steve Maclean’s video. I never realized how important one landform can be. When I do think about all the water that is around me here in Alaska though, it starts to make sense.

Colleagues:

K.M.’s blog  

I really liked the pictures that were used. Along with the pictures there was an excellent explanation of cryosphere and how that would be relevant in teaching. I got a lot of new ideas from this blog.

Cheryl’s blog 

She talked about the importance of exploring ice and snow with our students. She also mentioned a permafrost study she is involved in which is pretty interesting.

Kathy’s blog

There are many good points and relations to science. Kathy used much of the quotes from ICC I found to be interesting as well as talked about the importance of using interactive resources in the classroom.

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.

The Atmosphere

"Everything is Beautiful"

Explain: 

I selected this quote from the module because I feel it sums up my experience thus far. Everything is beautiful and everyone native or not has something to offer. Whether it is a story, advice, or simply a smile these things help explain the land, culture, and environment where I am currently living.

After reading this week’s module, I have a better understanding of atmosphere and how it impacts the place I am living. When I first started the blog I used Google to look up information on atmosphere, just so I had a better idea before I dove right in. This website, helped to explain some things to me. I feel like a lot of this information is like a foreign language to me, so I wanted to give myself some background knowledge. I think this is also important to do with students.

I find it so interesting the pollution that is impacting the land and water in Alaska. When I think of a big city I see obvious signs of pollution, but I was wondering how it would affect the land here. We have no big factories, few cars, and not many other things I saw that could be causing pollution. After reading the module I am walking away with a better understanding of where this pollution is coming from and how it affects where we live. 

The pollution impacts our animals which are essential for subsistence living. It is interesting to see how the pollution is a change reaction. It impacts our animals, which impacts our environment, us, and generations to come. I am also able to tie this module into the first one when we talked about western civilization and how this impacts our villages and the land.

I really am leaving this module with a better understanding of weather and how much it influences things around here. Back home I didn’t think of how weather impacts our lives. Only being here three months though, I see how airplanes are extremely affected by the weather and the atmosphere.  Just this year I have had to wait for hours for the weather to clear so I could leave the village or come back home. Food supply and other variables are also impacted by the weather almost daily. 

Arctic haze was also a new term to me. I never realized how the particles can be visible in the air but a orangish tint.

This is at the Bering Sea

Extend:

I am not sure how much I will use these resources in my own classroom. I do they will are helpful in my understanding of the land and resources out there. One of my colleagues found a weather website which I plan to incorporate in my daily calendar. We currently do a weather activity, so I think looking at images would enhance the experience for my students. 

Evaluate:

This resrouces were helpful in my understanding of the connectedness of everything around us. After reading I tried to look for my own examples. I found the video on The Mystery in Alaska, which was extremely interesting. It talked about the animals that are disappearing and what might be happening. I think this would be an excellent thing to think about with children.

This week I also saw how the standards are on teacher’s domain. That is very helpful when planning a unit and thinking of the importance of showing videos to students. 

Colleagues:

Janet’s blog  

She explored with Google Earth and used the webcam feature which I thought was interesting. I also liked how she thought of many ways to use the resources in the module.

  

Tyler’s blog

Tyler links the weather and atmosphere to where we live nicely. I was able to connect with understand the different aspects of his module.

Kevin’s blog 

This blog had some good pictures that helped make things a bit clearer for me personally. A lot of times I find that pictures make the modules more clear to me. 

Module 5

Explain: 

This week I was able to learn more about Alaska and how everything is interconnected.

I liked in the module how it said, “For millennia, cultures have relied on the oceans for transportation, food and other vital resources. It's no wonder more than 50% of all people on Earth live within 50 miles of a coast.” I can see is apparent where I live. We rely on bodies of water for food as well as transportation. Even in the winter we wait until the rivers freeze so we can get across.

Along with this, the Ocean Facts website said that fish supply the greatest percentage of the world’s protein consumed by humans. Right there is a great example of how culture and oceans go hand in hand. Never eating fish myself until this year, it is interesting to see how these two things rely on one another.

A lot of the more scientific things go right over my head and has never been something I have gotten into. Living in rural Alaska I have a better understanding of how these things work together.

Extend: 

I could see how the math in this module could be used for math in my class. My students do not quite understand temperature yet so I might use this in a different capacity. We live right by the Bering Sea so I think it would be interesting to chart the temperature of the water.

With such a great resource as this (Bering Sea) less then a mile away, I think it will be essential to incorporate both math and science

The science aspect doesn’t relate to me as much as a math teacher, but if another teacher was to do the science aspect I could help children with the math and to figure out the differences. I am interested in collaborating with other teachers’ in my school to see how we could all utilize the information from this module.

Evaluate:

The resources will be useful and insightful to use once I figure out exactly how I want to incorporate them. It is a lot of information, so I am still in the processing phase. It is important to think about how the climate and oceans will impact the culture. It is also interesting to look at how temperature varies from village to village which are relatively close to each other. Weather and climate are such a big part of being in Alaska; I think it is interesting to see how this module will relate to that perspective.

Colleagues: 

Amy’s blog. Her blog is very imformation and allowed me to better understand some of the context from this week’s module.

Tyler’s blog was interesting because he talked about a study that his father was a part of which is interesting to read about.

Martha’s blog.  I liked her opening line about how everything is connected. She also added a beautiful picture on her blog.

module four

Explain

This module was helpful because I do not have much experience using Google Earth. It allowed me to play around and think of how I can use this in my classroom. I was able to learn about the physical, geological, and cultural changes that can occur because of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. The physical changes are evident because these things will destroy they come into contact with. I then started to think about the other two: geological and cultural. The geological changes become more apparent after reviewing the resources and thinking about the land changing and moving. It is now clearer to me how the land as a whole is impacted.

I then started to think about how it would impact the culture. I looked at the video on the 1964 earthquake and thought about how a natural disaster such as one of these would destroy an entire village. I thought how about you would adapt to so many deaths in a small community. It talked about how some people left and never came back—that would have a great impact on any land.

 from Google images

Extend

I was really thinking of how I could incorporate these resources into my classroom because I teach math and reading. I began to think how I could use the ruler feature on Google Earth. We are learning about measurement right now so I figured it would help put things into perspective. I am going to use the ruler feature for us to measure different things where we live or to figure out the distance between different villages. I plan on also sharing these resources with my colleagues who do teach science because I think it is important to think about how these things impact our land and where we live in Alaska.

The stories were also pretty interesting. I liked the story of the storm in Maui and believe stories are essential to use in the classroom. In my classroom I am going to use stories to engage students. I also thought of inviting elders in to tell their stories.

Evaluate

The content and resources were both helpful. It helps me to see how these resources relate to me. Being in a village that is so small, the impact of one of these would be greater than I could ever imagine. I really liked the quote from Living on the Coast  “We were chose to live in one of the hardest places to live” To me it means that by cooperating and using one another we will be able to live anywhere. A natural disaster would impact food supply, houses, and materials. Villages are so close knit though, I believe that the people would rely on each other to make it through and adapt to the best of their abilities.


Colleagues:
I visited Tommy’s blog. I liked how he connected his reason for coming to Alaska to this module. It helps me to see how these resources and modules can relate to me.

Next I visited Alison’s blog. She shared so many new things that she has been learning, and I felt that I could relate to it all.

Esther’s blog was very interesting. I too live in a village so I felt I understand the things she was talking about. It made things clearer to me. She also had a part where she said "I struggle with this so much because there is not a personal connection. Just like our students in order to be successful learners we need to make that personal connection" I think this is a great thought and really made me think.