Final Project- Lesson Plan

LESSON PLAN: INTEGRATING ALASKA WAYS OF KNOWING

Class: Alaska Studies (Culture Unit)

Grade Level: 11

Enduring Understandings
2.2 Students learn there are regional variations in the ways humans have lived on Alaska’s land and utilized its resources.

4.6 Students understand that in Alaska “subsistence” denotes an entire way of life.

4.7 Students understand that struggles for and changes in land use, control, and ownership have been a constant theme in Alaska’s history.

Essential Question
How can digital resources and effective teaching methods be used to integrate Alaska Native ways of knowing and Western scientific methods in order to create greater understanding of, and interest in, geosciences for students?

Time Frame: Two to three 45 minute class periods

Lesson

1. To introduce students to the idea of differing Native Alaskan and Western perspectives, the class will view the video, Talking and Listening the Alaska Way.
2. Students will work in their table groups (3-4 students) and be assigned one topic from the Explore Alaska class (Landscapes, Earthquakes/Tsunamis, Oceans, Atmospheric Conditions, Climate, Arctic Sea Ice, Terrestrial Ice)
3. Groups will contrast Western perspectives on science and culture with Native Alaskan perspectives unique to their group.
4. To assist groups, students will be given a handout with a list of Teacher Domain URL’s and the Merging Traditional Native Knowledge with Western Science Venn diagram.
5. Students will use whiteboards or butcher paper to create their own Venn diagrams on their topic, including Western and Native perspectives. They will then present these in front of the class.

Materials

1. Talking & Listening the Alaska Way Video
2. Merging Traditional Native Knowledge with Western Science
3. Computer access to Teacher’s Domain for entire class
4. Handout (included below)


Integrating Alaskan Ways of Knowing

Introduction: You will work in small groups to compare and contrast traditional Native Alaskan and Western perspectives on a variety of scientific topics using short videos and interactive media from Teacher's Domain. You will then present your findings to the class through the use of a Venn diagram like the one on the last page, but geared toward your specific topic. There will be a short quiz following the presentations.

Topics: The following list includes the topics and a variety of URL’s for videos on Teacher’s Domain that will help you collect information on both perspectives. TD also has other recommendations on each page you should explore.

1. Landscapes
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.aktectonic/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.yukonriver/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.denaina/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.life.evo.spirit/

2. Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunamis
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.alaskaquake/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.infravol/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.watcyc.oceanfury/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/echo07.sci.life.coast.shorelines/

3. Oceans
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.denaina/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.life.eco.foodfish/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.life.eco.garza/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.watcyc.seasurface/

4. Atmospheric Conditions
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.oceancur/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.vertical/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.life.eco.pcbfoodchain/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.arctichaze/

5. Climate
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.microbe/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/nsn08.sci.ess.watcyc.capcarbonint/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.inuitobserv/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.watcyc.teens/

6. Arctic Sea Ice
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.climatesys/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.life.eco.arctichange/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.watcyc.shishmaref/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/echo07.sci.life.coast.climate/


7. Terrestrial Ice
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.cryoantarctica/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.climatechange/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.earthsys.glacierphoto/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ean08.sci.ess.earthsys.permafrost/

Blog Reviews

ALASKA CULTURE & GEOSCIENCE CLASS: Kelly Auer

I love the layout of Kelly's blog, especially the pictures. She includes a lot of links that are extremely helpful, including some from the class, but others from elsewhere. I particularly enjoyed her references back to Anchorage issues as I can relate to them, being from Eagle River myself.

My favorite blog post of Kelly's was from Module VII. I, too, get extremely tired of people scoffing at climate change and global warming just because the mid-West has an extremely cold winter or New York gets dumped on and has to dig out of the snow. Global warming is causing climate change, something I've seen in my lifetime here in Alaska. We never used to have thunderstorms or grasshoppers, but now we do.

I also hadn't thought of all the opportunities to involve students in environmental action. Both the schools I've taught at have encouraged Spring Clean Up, but my current high school also has senior projects where students complete 40 hours of community service for one organization. It would be great to help students find an environmental group to do work for- either outdoors or even helping compile research data.


EXPLORE ALASKA COMMENTARY: KF

What caught my attention on KF's blog was the title picture. It's stunning! If I'd seen it at random, I never would have guessed the photo was taken in Alaska. That just goes to show that we have many diverse ecosystems in Alaska. It could take a lifetime to see them all!

I knew about Point Hope and their issues with melting permafrost before I read KF's blog, but I didn't know about the sigluaq- the underground cellars- and the possibility of food poisoning. There are so many pieces in the puzzle of global warming- this is one that could have a major impact, but doesn't receive much press. Instead, one hears of Shismaref and the polar bears. These are definitely worthy of headlines, but it's important to show all the effects of climate change, especially since some people still claim global warming isn't occurring.

I also very much enjoyed the Arctic food web KF posted for Module VIII. I remember learning about the food chain in 1st grade, but I don't recall it being geared toward Alaska. It's important to make each lesson relevant to students so they can see the connections in what is being taught. That's a great way to demonstrate how climate change impacts Alaska's food chain. For example, if the number of seals drops because of melting sea ice, that will impact Arctic fox and the polar bear. But if one moves down the web even further, the polar cod will affect multiple species. Issues like increasing ocean acidity may affect Alaska's oceans and animal populations in the near future.

Module IX: Terrestrial Ice

Essential Question:
How are climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures all connected?

EXPLAIN: I travel out of state and out of the country a fair bit and whenever I tell someone I'm from Alaska they always ask about the cold. However, living in Southcentral, I have to get in my car to see glaciers. They're there- Matanuska Glacier, Exit Glacier, and even the seven glaciers that give their name to Seven Glaciers restaurant at Alyeska Resort. I just don't think about them much. I was extremely surprised to see the ratio of 1000 snow flakes in the world and discovering that Alaska could lay claim to one of those.

One of the places I'd like to travel to one day is Antarctica, just to see it. In the TD video Earth's Cryosphere: Antarctica, I learned that the frozen southern continent contains 70% of the world's fresh water. When the video stated that the clouds above Antarctica contain ice crystals and very little water, I thought of Denali being so tall it can create its own weather systems. The earth is full of unique ecosystems, but Antarctica is definitely the most desolate. It's scary to realize there are a growing number of melt ponds that weaken ice shelves and cause them to collapse. The fact that a 12,000 year old ice shelf could be loosened and collapse in only five weeks surely points to major climate change.

EXTEND: Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, windiest, and driest of all the continents. According to Wikipedia, the coldest temperature every recorded on earth was at the Russian Vostok Station in 1983. It was -128 degrees Fahrenheit! I've been in -35 degree Fahrenheit weather and that was cold enough for me- you can almost feel your eyes freeze when you first step outside.

Antarctica is colder than the Arctic because of its higher elevation and because it's not an ocean. Weather fronts don't penetrate into the interior of the continent, leaving it essentially a desert. And any precipitation is quickly pulled into glaciers. The Arctic Ocean is able to absorb some of the heat from the summer, making it the milder of the two poles. This is similar to how Anchorage has a milder climate than Fairbanks due to Anchorage's location on Cook Inlet.

EVALUATE: Students can certainly benefit from learning about Antarctica and its ecosystem and then comparing it to their Arctic home. The TD video, Melting Permafrost demonstrates how critical changing climate is to regions that depend on permafrost. Warmer summers and earlier springs are causing melting at both poles, resulting in melt ponds and collapsing ice shelves in the south and melting permafrost and collapsing houses in the north. There is evidence of this all over Alaska. When I was a tour guide, I would often point out a house in Fairbanks that has shifted so much until it now looks like it's ready to collapse in on itself. The house was built on permafrost that has since melted.

Image from Carbonica

Module VIII

Essential Question:
How are Arctic sea-ice, climate and culture all connected?


EXPLAIN: Sea ice provides much of the food for Native Alaskans in the Arctic. Native peoples live a subsistence lifestyle- their life depends on the cold. It is virtually impossible to hunt and get food without the sea ice that walrus, polar bear, seals, and sea birds depend on. According to the TD video, Global Warming Threatens Shishmaref, the ice conditions are changing. The sea ice used to freeze solid by the end of October, but in recent years has frozen closer to Christmas. When measured, the ice was only one foot thick when it used to measure four feet. The lack of sea ice means that the Native Alaskans have to change their hunting seasons and where they hunt. One man told of having to change the walrus hunts. Where there used to be many boats that would come back with an animal, the last year there was only one.

EXTEND: The Alaska Native Science Commission profiles projects on Avian Bird Flu, Arctic Contaminants, Climate Change, Traditional Foods, and other projects. They also appear to have a database of many Alaska Native scientific studies.

EVALUATE: Using indigenous information sources regarding changing sea ice is priceless. The TD video How the Arctic Ecosystem Might Change gave some clues to how melting sea ice might impact the environment of Alaska and other Arctic areas. Ice holds life together in the fragile Arctic ecosystem. Much of the megafauna of the area- polar bears, whales, seals, and walrus- are unique to the environment and very susceptible to changing climate. If the sea ice continues melting, there will be no environment for these animals and they will be replaced with other animals from the Atlantic or Pacific. This means the subsistence lifestyle for Arctic peoples will have to change as well. By listening to village elders about the new species being introduced, like those Roger Kutana mentioned in Arctic Climate Systems, scientists can begin to see the impact of the changes in the Arctic climate. This ranges from new insects to the possible release of a large "burp" of carbon dioxide and methane as Arctic permafrost begins to melt.

Photo from: Ugle Walrus.

Module VII

How is Earth's climate connected to its geological, biological and cultural systems?

EXPLAIN: The Earth naturally stores carbon in variety of ways. These include the oceans and vegetation. I was surprised to learn that the oceans could actually store more carbon than the atmosphere. Plants, of course, use carbon for photosynthesis and store the element in their tissues. Usually, when plants and animals die they release carbon, but coal and other fossil fuels are caches of organisms that didn't release their carbon upon death. In the short term that's been useful for humans, but with consequences to climate change we never imagined.

I do have to wonder at some of the suggestions for catching carbon in the TD Carbon Cycle Diagram. It seems to me that spreading iron on the oceans' surfaces to encourage plankton to eat CO2 doesn't seem wise and would have a small payoff since the plankton can't consume that much. Wouldn't the iron just pollute the oceans as well? And couldn't that trapped CO2 raise the acidity level of the oceans even higher? That is the same concern I have with injecting CO2 into the deep ocean. We don't know much about the deep oceans so we probably don't want to go messing with it.

EXTEND: I have lived in Alaska since 1985 and in that time have seen plenty of evidence of climate change firsthand. If one travels to Exit Glacier, it is possible to see the Park Service signs labeling how far the glacier used to stretch. In recent years it has retreated at a much faster rate. You used to be able to almost touch the glacier from the restricted area, but now it's quite a way's away. There also used to be some beautiful blue glacial pools that have dried up.

Spring also seems to come quicker. It used to be that break-up would occur in April. This year it seems to have started in February. We typically have multiple break-ups because the weather is warmer than it used to be. There are different insects, such as grasshoppers, and extreme weather we rarely used to experience. I've seen more thunderstorms in the last five years than I can count and I heard reports of a tornado a year or two ago.

EVALUATE: There are definite benefits of "shining two lights on the same path" when it comes to studying carbon-based industrialization and the TD videos do a great job demonstrating that. Western scientists can use the knowledge of Native Alaskans and Canada's First Peoples to supplement their research because the Natives live in an area year round and acquire much more information than a scientist can with their limited field time.

For example, in the TD video Inuit Observations of Climate Change, women are able to tell researchers about the state of animals that year as compared to prior years because it is the women who are doing the butchering. On the same token, the men tell scientists the sea ice used to be solid in February, but now is still broken at that time of year. The Natives have also had to adapt their hunting strategies because of weather changes. One man commented that when he reported thunderstorms in Sachs Harbor, he was told that wasn't possible because it was too cold there. When I was little, I remember only one or two thunderstorms in the Anchorage area. Now we have them every year. They also mentioned in the video that there are different insects present in Sachs Harbor. I was floored last year to find grasshoppers in my yard. I have never seen grasshoppers in Southcentral Alaska. The climate is definitely changing.

Image from Heritage & History.

Module VI

How are the Earth, atmosphere and cultures all connected?

EXPLAIN: Dangerous pollutants accumulate in the Arctic due to the fact that cold air sinks. I know this even from my own house- if both thermostat zones are set to the identical temperature, the upstairs will inevitably be a couple degrees warmer. Unfortunately for the Arctic, this means that once pollutants find their way North, they will become trapped. High pressure and low pressure systems catch the pollutants from Asia and Europe and pull them into the Arctic. In the video Arctic Haze, an Alaskan Native elder reports that the sky used to be blue, but now is white. I live on the top of a mountain in Eagle River with a view of Anchorage and can attest to the fact that often in the winter a dull brown haze hangs over much of Alaska's biggest city, unfortunately the victim of the world's industry.

EXTEND: The video Contaminants in the Arctic Food Chain points out that herbiverous animals at the bottom or middle of the food chain tend to have low levels of PCB's. However, those animals at the top of the food chain have much higher levels. This is the result of PCB accumulation in fat. When carnivores, like polar bears, eat animals like caribou, they ingest the PCB's. This adds to the PCB's already in their body from the environment.

Because human breast milk is extremely high in fat, this would mean that infants breastfed in populations with high PCB levels would ingest large doses of the contaminants from their mother's breast milk. I would be interested to see a study on infant health with babies breastfed in a control environment, those with high levels of PCB's and babies fed on formula. I like to think breastfeeding would still be more beneficial than formula, regardless of the PCB levels.

EVALUATE: I honestly can't guess what the responsibilities of industrial nations contributing to Arctic pollution should be. I know that often in the Anchorage area we are told the haze is due to pollutants from China, and sometimes Russia. My thought is that this would be extremely hard to prove to demand restitution from those countries. Perhaps a better idea would be to make clean energy more profitable and encourage those countries to make the transition from fossil fuel based industries to wind, solar, and geothermal power. However, as America has yet to make that transition, it would be hypocritical of us to expect it of others.

And now for the awards!

BEST DESIGN: Dave's Explore Alaska Blog
BEST LINKS: Geo Integrations
BEST WRITING: Life in Alaska

Image from River Daughter.

Module V

How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?

EXPLAIN: Cultures are dictated by their environment. According to Clay's intro to this module, 50% of all people live within a 50 miles of a coast. These people will lead radically different lives than people who are landlocked. This would have been especially true before the modern era. Oceans provided the bulk of food for the subsistence lifestyle of Alaskan Natives. The Inuit utilized whale and seal, the Aleuts the sea birds and sea lions, and the Athabaskans and Tlingits the salmon.

Climate also dictates culture. Due to the differences between the equatorial seasons and light absorption, I'm not going to be wearing shorts and tank tops as often as someone who lives in Costa Rica. The summer season in Alaska is much shorter, dictating the necessity for warmer clothing, housing, and food storage.

EXTEND: The cultural resources present in Southcentral Alaska include salmon in rivers like the Susitna and Russian, clamming, and various terrestrial animals, like moose, brown and black bears. I like to think life in Southcentral is much easier than life in much of the rest of Alaska. I don't think I could handle 50 degrees below zero like Fairbanks or even colder up on the North Slope.

However, after talking to several Alaskans, including some that have been here since the 1964 earthquake, I do think there have been serious climate changes in Alaska over the last 50 years. There is evidence of that in the coastal erosion of Western Alaskan villages, the lack of sea ice up North, and the melting of permafrost in Interior Alaska. There are also mysterious changes in sea animal populations- a decrease in King salmon, beluga whales in Cook Inlet, and sea otters in the Southeast. The video Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web discussed the decrease of sea birds (like kittiwakes) and sea lions due to the lack of food availability, especially little tiny food fish. This could be due to the changes in temperature in the ocean, a warming period that started in the 70's.

EVALUATE: I wasn't sure how ocean systems and thermal energy would relate to Alaska's cultures until I watched the video on Dolly Garza. Then it all became crystal clear. Thank goodness for Teacher's Domain!

Alaska Natives are often the only group of people able to utilize a particular animal for subsistence hunting. This is true of sea otters and whaling. It would be critical for Alaska Natives to monitor the health of the ocean and animal population to ensure that this resources is available for future generations. In her interview, Garza stated that, "Alaska Natives need to be kept at the forefront of policies and resources allocation... to protect historic uses." It is important to have Native Alaskans working as biologists for the state and Native corporations to ensure that their interests are being represented. If salmon, otter, or whale populations decrease, as many have in recent years, it's critical to find the reason why. Then, if human involvement is the culprit, those issues need to be addressed and remedied. Otherwise, the subsistence lifestyle of Alaskan Natives is at danger.

Photo from Environment News Service