Landscapes of Life

Explain:
The "Landscapes of Life" helped me understand how the natives in Alaska use the land and the resources provided to them.  This unit has help me understand the value of fishing in our community.  For the past year, I have heard my students talking about wanting to be a fisherman.  I thought the traditions of the Alutiiq people were getting lost in Western life.  Little did I know those smoke houses, banyas and Big Creek were all about their culture.   Here the students know the Salmon runs and understand the need to "close" the area for a few days.  They do preserve their culture through their fishing. 

Mr. Glenn's story gave me hope for my students. I learned from Mr. Glenn how to connect his native world and Western Science.  I hear so often that my students don't have a need to go to school.  Jobs and careers are often not talked about among my students.  I have many thinking about dropping out.  So by hearing his story, it made me think about alternative jobs for my students that will connect them to the home that they love.

The videos presented in this unit refreshed my memory about Earth Science.  I am very interested in learning about the geology of Kodiak island.  Knowing I live in an seismically active area makes me more curious about the land.  Kodiak is the board of the Aleutian Trench which explains it activity.  I use Google Earth to explore the island a little more. 

Explore:
The Landform Forces section of this module has wonderful resources to bring into the classroom.  The videos can be used to help the students visualize what is happening to the Earth.  The relationship between the volcanoes, earthquakes and continental plates is very clear through the interactive sites on the teacher's domain.  I would use these resources when teaching about plate tectonics in my classroom.  I like the idea of using Google Earth to identify features after they have learned about them.  I would connect the interactive sites and Google Earth for students to create a project about one for the geological forces that interest them.  This project could lead to a discussion on how the people have adapted to the land around them and how they use it.


Extend:
The videos of the cultures around Alaska were insightful to my understand of the people in Alaska.  I also believe they help me to understand the connections of Native science and Western Science.  They truly are not two different sciences.  They both lead to the discover of more knowledge about our Earth.

Three Collegues:
Martha's Blog made me think about how can I as a teacher help my students connect with the land.  She discusses how the people have interacted with the land.

Ernestine's Blog shares about her journey through a few regions of Alaska.  She relates the topics of this week to the recent event of the Miners.  I appreciate her knowledge of traditional stories and their value to a clan.

The use of a real person to connect native life and western science is critical to our students.  Amy's Blog share how she will use this with her students.

Connections

As an "Outsider", as my students call me, I have so much to learn about the ways of the people in my village.  I am saddened to see much of their culture lost by the influx of the Russians to the Kodiak Island.  Many of the natives families are plagued by cycle of alcohol abuse so their native traditions and values are not honored.   We live in the Kodiak Wildlife Refuge with the incredible Kodiak Bears.  The bears are throughout the region and often wander into the villages.  It breaks my heart to hear the students on a quest to "kill the bear".  They are not being taught how to live in harmony with the bears instead the bears are seen as a nuisance. Their actions do not support the Alutiiq values of the Elders. 

Substance was a way of life on Kodiak Island and you still see a lot of the substance lifestyles among the villagers.  Fishing and hunting are common past times and  an economic means within the village.  Many of my students spend their summers fishing or at their families fish camp.  When it comes to knowing the land and the best fishing spots, the students can lead you right to them.  I often see the students hiking up the hillside on a clear day or out to the culvert for fishing.  Smoke houses and drying racks are seen throughout our village.  I found it interesting when I tried to create a local food web students were unable to identify local flora or fauna.  I expected this to be an easy activity for my students instead we all had to research the local species.  I wonder if I changed this activity to ocean species would I  find the same stuggles?

While teaching the biological sciences, I found a lot of connections to the local environment.  The students enjoyed studying a plot of land to see the changes the occur throughout the year.  They were able to identify tracks through the plot and changes created by the landslide.  Yet, when they were asked to sketch what they saw I was met with a lot of reluctance and refusal to draw what they saw.  As I continue to work with my students in science, I need to find ways to pull my students into the class by making it more relevant to their lives. 

Village Science

Culturally Responsible Science Curriculum

Each year our school district sponsors a science fair.  This is the perfect importunity to incorporate  native science into the western science classroom.  This is a difficult process for teachers who are not familiar with native practices.  So by bringing elders into the classroom and looking at the science behind native traditions students can teach the teachers. 

 Cultural Sceince Fairs

This lesson made me think about what my students brought into the classroom.  Through the incorporation of native ways and the local environment we can engage our students.  The Venn diagram about Native Science and Western Science gave me a perspective on how to unify them within the classroom.  I enjoyed the view clips in this module because they showed me life in other parts of Alaska.  It is difficult for me to find people within my village to help me understand the Alutiiq culture and values as an "Outsider."  Seeing other cultures helps me think about alternatives to finding understanding the culture of my students.  After completing this module, I will be encouraging students to consider a native topic for their science fair projects. 

I explored Ms. Keul's blog.  She offers reflection questions for all teachers to think about.

Tyler's blog really made me think about the value of the student success over test scores.

Tommy's blog makes you question the advances of today and how the traditional ways may help us improve the world we live in.

Old Harbor

Ariel View of Old Harbor

Welcome to my Explore Alaska Course blog.  I am in Old Harbor, Alaska which is fishing village of approximately 250 people on Kodiak Island.  I am the secondary math and science teacher at Old Harbor School.  There are 41 students in our school this year.  We have five teachers, a principal, a counselor and three instructional assistants.  Our high school students receive some instruction from Kodiak High School  and from other highly qualified teachers around the island through video conferencing.  Our community is working to preserve their Alutiiq culture through dancing and language studies.  

Looking across the strait to Sitkalidak Island at night

Right now my favorite place to be is at home in Old Harbor with loved ones and my dogs.  This is the view from my backyard that I enjoy every day.  Old Harbor is peaceful community which makes you feel as if you have traveled back in time to an era in which a simple way of life is the norm.  On a clear night, the sky lights up with the twinkle of the millions of stars that become visible.  Occasionally, you will catch a glimpse of the majestic giant Kodiak Bear.  I came here to teach and found a place to call home.

Las Vegas, my home town.
 
I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Many people think of Las Vegas and think of the neon lights and glitter.  Although it is commonplace to see a slot machine everywhere even inside the local convenince stores, I was not raised nor learned to gamble in a casino at an early age.  Nor, did I learn to pull the handle of a slot machine before learning to hold my baby bottle. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to take my dog hiking in Red Rock Canyon.  I never remember stressing about the scorching heat of the desert.  I do remember being surrounded by the beauty of the naturally painted rocks and fine desert sand.

Check out this link to see beautiful pictures of Red Rock Canyon.
Red Rock Canyon Interperative Association

Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert. This desert is known for the unique Joshua trees and the lowest place on Earth, Death Valley.  The city of Las Vegas is located in a basin between the mountains.  Its western borders are the Sierra and Cascade Mountain Ranges.  These mountain ranges are a major factor causing the arid climate of the region.  As you leave the city, you will find incredible rock formations created by ageless changes throughout time in the Earth's crust.  When you are driving with your windows open you will experience very sudden drops in the temperature of the air around you.  This temperature drop is the result of the many aquifers found underneath the valley's floor.  Throughout the valley, you will also find traces of alluvial fans that are evidence of the mighty rivers that once flowed across the valley thousand of years ago.  Flash floods are quite common during the monsoon summer months leaving flooded plains throughout the region.  The ancient lakes have left a few playas, dried lake beds, filled with interesting treasures of the past to discover.  Lake Mead is a man made lake formed when the Colorado River was re-routed and the Hoover Dam created to harness its power and to bring additional water to the Las Vegas region.

Las Vegas from Google Earth.