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.