Living on an island brings the ocean into our daily lives. I watch for changes in the tides and the migration of the animals in the area. Life in Old Harbor revolves around life in the ocean. Fishing is the primary economy here. The more I understand the ocean, the more I can understand my community.
Explain:
The videos in the cultural section of this module help me understand the seasonal changes in the people of my community and those around Alaska. It is so strange for the kids to be released from school to go hunting or to miss a few weeks of school for fishing. So seeing the video "Living from the Land and Sea" helped me see the deep roots of these actions.
The You Tube video "Air vs Water Heat Capacity" gave me such a great visual about how the ocean retains so much heat. I have discussed this topic and it usually flies over my 6th grade students heads. But the balloon demonstration is such a great way to show the difference between the air and water. I also appreciated the introduction to Global Warming. I never knew how much of the ocean absorbed our heat.
I had never seen the El Nino and La Nina shown as a visual trend. I remember the 1997-1998 El Nino and all the flooding that came. But it had never really been explained clearly to me. Seeing it with the currents helped me understand the concept better. This topic tied to the currents helped me create a clearer picture in my mind so I can teach it better.
Extend:
I immediately put the ocean facts into my classroom. I began a "Did yon know....?" wall in my classroom. About twice a week I put a new fact on the wall to peak students curiosity. Even through I am not teaching about oceans it relates to our environment and makes the students think. I post a questions and if they come to me with the correct answer I give them a little bonus. It has been fun to stump them for a few days especially since they are "fishermen" and know the ocean well.
The video about Dolly Garza is a great place to get students thinking about careers connected to nature. I would show her story during career week and when we discuss life local wildlife. I appreciate how she began her career in one direction, home economics, and ended up a biologist with a PhD. As a voice of the people she is a valuable resource and a role model for students.
The lab "Does a Watched Kettle Boil" is a great place to introduce young students to temperature. This same lab could be used in higher grades to introduce heat transfer. It would be a great demonstration to start a unit. Combine that with the You tube video on Air vs Water Heat Capacity and you have the perfect unit introduction.
I would use the Ignite video about the seasons after I did some in class activities with the globe and a sun. In my science class, students discover why it happens before I explain it. This video would be a good summary of the labs I already do.
Evaluate:
While much of the material was a review, the videos and interactive sites were very relevant to the topic. I would not use the sunrise and sunset video because it could lead to misconceptions especially where the sun rises and falls. The video implies that it is in the same place. The You Tube video on "The Broken Legend of Water Rotation in the Sink" was interesting to watch but not something I would use in the classroom unless I was introducing myths in science. (Now that could lead into a whole new unit to explore.) Overall, it was a lot of text to read and the sink visual was not clear. The media on the currents density different are very relevant and easy for students to understand. I believe these give the students a clear picture of the currents.
3 Colleagues:
Look for the great climate change resources on Martha's Blog.
Carolyn reminds us of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and to use the videos to engage and excite the students.
I love how Tracy brings the science into the kitchen. The cultural connection she makes to the science in her home economics classes is exciting. I never really thought about farming in Alaska.
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