Final Project: Tectonic Plates

Section I: The Lesson Rationale

       "Miguel, did you know that if you lie on the ground and stay very still, you can feel the earth's heart beating?"  She bent over and touched the grass. ... She lay down on her stomach and patted the ground next to her. ... She watch Miguel watching her. And then she felt it. Beginning softly. A gentle thumping, repeating itself. Then stronger. She heard it, too. Shoomp. Shoomp. Shoomp. The earth's heartbeat. Just like she had felt it that day with Papa.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

 

    This Blog contains my final project and is a site teachers can use to teach tectonic plates in segments of 30-45 minutes. With so much mandated curriculum it is imperative to find niches of time where science lessons like these can be taught, enjoyed, and valued by all stake holders because it is important to hear earth's heartbeat - she definitely has one!

Layers of the Earth: Plate Tectonics

Overview

http://mceer.buffalo.edu/connected_teaching/lessons/plateTectonics.html

   * This lesson explores the basics of plate tectonics, and the layers of the earth.
Estimated Time:  45 minutes


Materials
    * Cantaloupe (Engagement Activity)
    * Compasses
    * Coloring Supplies (Markers, Colored Pencils, Crayons)
    * Graham Crackers
    * 2 Knives (one sharp knife to cut the Cantaloupe, one butter knife to make the PB & J and graham cracker sandwich)
    * 11” x 17” paper
    * Paper Towels (for clean up)
    * Peanut Butter and Jelly
    * Pens and Pencils
    * Rulers

Objectives
    * Students will be able to identify the different properties of each layer of the earth.
    * Students will be able to explain in their own words the movement of plates.

National Standards Addressed

Math (Presented by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 2000)
    Geometry
        * Use visualization, spatial reasoning, and geometric modeling to solve problems.
    Measurement
        * Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement.
        * Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine measurements.

    Connections
        * Recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics.

    Representation
        * Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena.

 Science (Presented by National Research Council in 1996)
    Unifying Concepts and Processes
        * Change, constancy, and measurement

    Physical Science
 * Motions and forces.

    Earth and Space Science
        * Structure of the earth system.


    Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
        * Natural Hazards : A must view link to Teacher’s Domain Earth Quake Prediction

Cultural
        *Culturally knowledgeable students are able to engage effectively in learning activities that are based on traditional ways of knowing and learning

Technology (Presented by the International Society for Technology in Education in 1998)
    Technology problem-solving and decision-making tool
         * Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
         * Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

Section II: The Lesson

Engagement Activity
    *Read Skeleton Woman to the class and draw an analogy between Earth and the traits of humans
    * Gather all students around a table where they can all see.
    * Cut a cantaloupe in half, or have done so before class.
    * Ask students to identify the number of layers, and to give properties of each (e.g. the center most layer is squishy and like liquid, while the outermost layer is tough and looks like rock).

Instructional Plan

    * Hand out 11” by 17” paper to students, along with compasses and rulers.
    * Explain that much like the cantaloupe, the earth has many layers, each with it’s own properties.
    * Write the following information (chart 1) on the depth of each layer where all students can see it.

Chart 1

Layer             Depth from the Earth’s Surface        Layer Thickness
Crust                             30 km                                             30 km
Mantle                          30-2890 km                                    2860 km
Outer Core                   2890-5150 km                                 2260 km
Inner Core                    5    150-6378 km                            1228 km

  
    * As either individuals or small groups have students determine a scale to use so that they can draw a diagram of these layers on their 11” by 17” paper.
    * After students are finished drawing the layers, and labeling them accordingly, pass out coloring supplies.
    * Relating the layers of the earth back to the layers of the cantaloupe discuss the properties of the layers of the earth. Refer to chart 2 below for more information on this.

Chart 2

     Layer    
Properties for the                                                              Properties for the
earth layer                                                                          cantaloupe layer
Crust   Solid surface, with great expanses of water        Solid surface, rough

Mantle Solid and liquid (like magma), ranges             Solid and liquid, green
in temperature from 1000-5000° C

Outer
Core Liquid, scientists think it’s made of iron,          Solid and liquid, orange
 ranges in temperature from 5000-6200° C                 fruit (the part you eat)


Inner
Core Solid, made of Iron and Nickel, ranging          Solid, liquid, gas (seedy
in temperature from 6200-6700° C                            mess that you scoop out)
                                                                                     

    * Have students take notes on their diagrams, or on the back, to indicate the properties of each layer.
    * Set diagrams aside.
    * Gather students around a common table so all can see.
    * Using graham crackers, peanut butter, and jelly (peanut butter can be removed from this activity if students have peanut allergies), make a sandwich. Be sure to use a thick layer of jelly.
    * Holding the sandwich up (layering graham cracker, jelly, peanut butter, then graham cracker), push slightly down on the top graham cracker, sliding it over the jelly.
    * Explain the earth has similar motion. On top of the solid and liquid core and mantle sits solid plates. They move on the surface, very slowly, but they move. Sometimes colliding into each other. Much like bumper cars at an amusement park in slow motion.

Concluding:

    * Have students discuss and explore other common items with layers, relating these layers to the layers of the earth.
    * Consider an orange, an apple, an avocado, a hard-boiled egg, a baseball, a golf ball, or a lacrosse ball.

Evaluation and Assessment

Students will be able to:
    * Diagram the layers of the earth.
    * Explain the movement of plates.

Extending

    * Convert scales from °C to °F, and from kilometer to miles
    * Earthquakes
 Explore Internet sites for other information on the layers of the earth


E-Resources, Print Materials, and Hands-on Activities

    * New York State Regents Reference Tables for Earth Science
    * Web Sources for Plate Tectonics, Earth Science, & Seismology Resources

Section III: Resources & Extending Activities

o What's Shakin' : Additional lessons that build upon this one.
 o Peek into the Earth : A background read about working in the crust.

º 1964 Alaska Earthquake  :Teacher’s Domain video

º Tectonic Plate Movement in Alaska :Teacher’s Domain video
º Tectonic Plates, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes : Teacher’s Domain video

º Earthquake Prediction : Teacher’s Domain video


    

Section IV:  Books Worth Reading or Buying

Books:
Earthquakes, by Sally Walker (Carolrhoda Books, 1996)
    She has wonderful books that children and adults can’t resist.

Journey to the Center of the Earth
    A classic read (all here)– captivating, intriguing, and a testimony to the human imagination.

Websites:
www.exploratorium.edu/faultline
    A wonderful primary source of earthquakes: Great Shakes, Quake Basics, Damage Control, and Active Zone (activities teachers can reproduce to demonstrate quakes).

Skeleton Woman by Alberto Villoldo

IX: Climate, Terrestrial Ice and Alaskan Indigenous Cultures

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

Explain:
       WOW!! Out of 1000 drops of water 972 are in the oceans and inland seas! What a remarkable statistic. It really puts the oceans in perspective, and boggles my mind that we know so little about oceans when they are the majority of Earth. The amount of ice in Antarctica also surprised me.
       These facts about water reminded me of an Ocean 7 Essential Principles poster I saw.  It was beautiful and made me stop and think, so I copied the text to tuck away for future use. The principles were:
1. Earth has one big ocean.
2. The ocean shapes the Earth.
3. The ocean influences Earth’s climate.
4. The ocean makes Earth livable.
5. The ocean supports a diversity of life and ecosystems.
6. The ocean is connected to us and we are connected to it.
7. The ocean is largely unexplored.
       Once again the theme of connectedness is empathized. I never fully realized just how interconnected and fragile our planet is until this last module. Facts were building as I read the modules and my schema was being developed, but I just never really thought a lot about how everything is really just one big system. When one part is disturbed it has a ripple effect throughout the system.
       It seems only man goes about obliviously thinking all is well when in fact the Earth is shaking her fist and sending all sorts of warning signs that it isn’t well. I can see why stewardship is such a big component in organizations and education today.


Cultural Connections:

         The Traditional Tlingit Country map with the tribes, clans, and clan houses is an incredible resource. It lays out the organizational structure of the Tlingit people and reaffirms that Native knowledge is passed down through language. When the language is lost, the heart of the culture goes with it.
        The melting permafrost poses a real problem as lakes disappear. New species encroach on traditional species causing the landscape to under go change. It was very disheartening to see the trees leaning over due to melting permafrost. Waterfowl that depend upon the lakes and bogs to exist are in danger because nesting and feeding grounds are no longer there due to melting permafrost. The picture book If You Were a Wild Duck Where Would You Go came immediately to mind as I reflected upon this module.
       The “positive feedback loop” is actually a “negative feedback loop” when the effects are considered. I applaud Arctic Village because they are trying the solar panels as an alternative energy source. Any alternative energy source is expensive whether it be wind, water, or solar sources but they should be considered well worth the investment. Thirty-five million dollars yearly in Alaska alone to fix the melting permafrost problems can go along way toward alternative energy.
       Melting permafrost solutions are in the works, but they are costly and not a full scale solution. This link looks at the Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline sinking and how a snow machine might be the answer.

Extend:
       We as teachers really need to make students aware of what is happening to Earth's surfaces and climate. Kids want to help and they believe they can make a difference so getting them involved makes sense.
       This was a terrific module! I have bookmarked many of the sites and I have an idea forming in my mind of how to use the information gleaned from this course. My tentative idea is to buy cheap pull-down window shades and have students create murals on them of ways they and their families can help Mother Earth in her struggle to be healthy. They can even hang things on the murals with captions like, "If you see this throw it away."

Technology:
A book, old fashioned technology, that discusses the role of being a steward. 

A great site for kids and stewardship

http://www.thearcticsounder.com/article/1047diamond_dust_dazzles_on_dog_days

Another miracle of nature just keeping us humble!






Creating Inquiry:

A Habitat Made By Me!  This is a link that provides instructions for making an eco-column. I've done this one and kids really love it. I have found that white clouds work better than goldfish since their urine isn't so acidic.


Three Colleague:
•   Lila Lee Little blog on Atmospheric Systems was very interesting. Her site Biomagnification in Lake Ontario was also something I would use with students.

•  Kevin Hamrick  I liked his voice. I could relate to what he was saying in Module VII. It does seem like we are having warmer winters and the weather doesn't seem nearly as cold as when I was young. I remember one winter in McGrath the thermometer hit -72ºF at the airport - and we still went out and played!


•  Doug Armstrong  I loved his pictures and I especially enjoyed his pictures of the ice melting in the glasses.

Module VIII - Cryosphere

 Live From the North Pole: 
"The value of research coupled with nature's

own wondrous display"

Explain

         This module focuses on the Arctic sea ice and the term cryoshpere, which was new to me.  I learned several things about the cryosphere during this exploration and enjoyed it very much. This coming week I'm attending a symposium on placed based learning in New Bedford, MA, so this module couldn't have been more appropriately placed. 

         I found the article:  “When Contemporary Science and Indigenous Knowledge  Collide: Two     Ways of Knowing How to Survive and Thrive as the Climate  Changes,” very insightful. That coupled with with the Anchorage Declaration renewed the commitment we must all make if indigenous peoples all over the globe are to survive with any authenticity. They are pleading with the global community to validate their way of life and to recognize their right to retain a life style unique to their cultures.

        When a people have a traditional heritage that becomes threatened because of an endangered species being over harvested then I believe compromises need to be made. This is important for the heritage to continue. 

       For example, when I was a little girl I remember loving beaver feet. Beaver feet was a real treat. My family moved away from the area and I haven't eaten beaver feet in 20+ years. They no longer have a draw for me, and that is sad. Beaver are not endangered, but I offer this example trying to show how restricting the harvesting of traditional foods for indigenous people can affect future generations. My kids have never tasted beaver feet, and if they do they almost certainly will not like it like my traditional uncle and his family do. Culture dies when its traditions are not generational.

       

Cultural Connections: 

  "Let us walk softly upon the earth for it does not belong to us, but to our children and their children and their children and ..."

• People of the Arctic    This site has several resources concerning Alaska Native Perspectives on Land and Climate with clips on the cryosphere. It also offers lesson plans and student activities. 

•  Lessons and Activities about Arctic Peoples This is a great site for teachers wondering just how to teach a unit on Arctic peoples. It will help "...your students understand that the indigenous cultures of the Arctic - like other cultures of the world - change over time, incorporating modern technology while retaining traditional values and activities? In this article, we've highlighted resources that can help you design a lesson or unit about Arctic cultures."

Extend 

I am going to use the experiments with the ice cubes melting in the glass and the one with two glasses -  one covered in white and the other in black paper. I'll do this when I return as I am out all of next week. I bookmarked the page. So, I'm not sure if my graphs will make it onto the blog or not. Time is running out. I'm wondering if this site will remain up so it can be accessed after the class is over? I know I would use it. I wonder at the time Clay must put in to find the  resources and write the modules!

Technology: 

• YouTube videos on Arctic Ice Melt

 Several great selections.

• Interactive Arctic Food Web

Great site for students to see the interconnectedness for species.

Creating Inquiry:

• CHALLENGE 1: ARCTIC SHELTER

This site asks students to identify the challenges involved in building a structure in a remote area of the Arctic. They then build and explore. A wonderful lesson for grades 5 and up.

Three Colleague:

• Dave Sather: I loved his "Carl Sagan's Cosmos - Star Stuff" from Module VII. Fabulous resources! 

• Esther Gust   From Module V. I liked that she is learning as much as I am, and enjoying it. She is even sharing the information with her students, and that's so appropriate as they are on the ocean 

• Alicia Weaver   I appreciated her photo of Quinhagak. It brings me back to my roots - village Alaska.

Changing Climate

Module VII
Essential Question: How is Earth's climate connected to its geological, biological and cultural systems?

Explain
“The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north; the wind whirls about continually, and comes again on its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place from which the rivers come, they return again. All things are full of labor; man cannot express it.” Ecclesiastesastes 1: 5-8a

 I could not express the concepts in this week’s module as eloquently as King Solomon, so I used his quote. The last sentence captures the essence of Module VII.

Our dynamic universe and planet is living. The complexity of cycles, even  positive feedback types,  to stars creating the elements to the microbial factories is fascinating. All of this makes me want to learn more, and possibly, regret not working in a science field. It is very apparent that things seen and unseen are hard at work producing material that affects earth’s climate.

I learned a lot from this week's module, and added several TD resources to my folders. I didn't know that H and He are the foundational gasses for forming all of the known elements on earth. The video  does a super job of showing how this works. I wish I'd found this out earlier in my teaching career. I think it would have helped my students better understand the earth's elements and the periodic table.

Cultural Connections:
It is very difficult to study ancient Athabaskan culture, beyond the 1700’s, because the microorganisms have played their role in the cycling of matter and energy so well. The Athabaskan's used organic material for practically everything: birch for boats, cooking/eating tools, moose and other animals for clothing, wood for housing structures.  They traded for some items and used others like claws, teeth, and bones for amulets, etc. But, finding much evidence of  their daily life has been difficult because their resources were mainly organic, and thus the artifacts are likewise organic and have decomposed.

There are several Native stories concerning how things came to be or how they will be. One of the most extensive is the story of Maniixaq. It is an Inupiaq, northwest Alaska,  story and it is quite long, but worth the read. A great read aloud for older students. This connection is tied to the science on Module VII through the quest for “intelligence”.

Extend
Technology:
“..and a flash of light filled the cosmos…” Evidence for the Big Bang would be a great introduction for students to the Big Bang Theory as well as the periodic table. Modern technology lends validity to science. Technology has advanced theories to where scientist can prove a hypothesis. This is huge in light of what someone like Galileo had to endure just because he did not have the technology to prove his theories.

Creating Inquiry:
The question: How do we know is important. Teachers should not spew scientific "facts" as if the facts are gospel. Students should always be made to question/hypothesize. Teachers and Students also need to consider that as new information is gained, old ideas will be impacted, and the current science "facts" may change. For example, when watching the TD video The Origin of the Elements , students should ask: How do scientist know what elements are being emitted from a super nova? The answer is not in the video. It comes in reading the background essay: "...two elements produce the same colors and line positions along a spectrum. By using instrumentation that reads light signatures from far away — a technique known as spectroscopy — scientists today know with great certainty which elements a planet or a star, or even a star's dispersed remnants, contains." This keeps inquiry alive, and advances thinking – pushing the limits instead of just receiving information verbatim.

Evaluate:
I found the resources in this week's module very useful for myself and my teaching. I will definitely use the videos and the background essays. The explanation of greenhouse gasses and the greenhouse effect on earth's climate were outstanding.

Resources:

 Maniixaq As A Boy listening to
the bird who guided him to
"intelligence".


Maniixaq

Global Warming with Al Gore

Three Colleague

Ernestine Hayes
I loved her quote from Module IV when she talks about events that have impacted earth through time.  ...and some within a history so distant that it is the earth alone who tells the stories

Tracy R. Pulid
I loved her Module VI comments and resources. I especially appreciated her comments about the freezing and thawing due to the Chinook winds.

Dominic (Nick) Pader
Very good blog about the Arctic haze and the accumulation of "scuz".

Atmospheric Systems

Essential Question: How are the Earth, atmosphere and cultures all connected?

Explain

I thought this week’s module was great. I learned several things and am still puzzled by others.  I take so much for granted as an inhabitant of our terra firma. I knew of currents, but to explore them through the resources Clay provided was fascinating. I gained a new appreciation for the complexity of the elements in my daily life!

The main idea was currents, oceanic and atmospheric. The simulations on TD were wonderful visuals and provided information in a way that elementary students in grades 3+ could understand and make sense of the phenomenon.

I thought the cultural connections were scant, but much could be implied or researched. Native people are often thought of, as being good stewards of the land, but one problem every village in Alaska faces is garbage. Open garbage sites in rural villages are a source of pollution for both atmosphere and rivers/lakes/oceans. Many dumps are burned releasing carbons into the atmosphere. Other dump sites are near a water source and items are carried into the water system creating environmental hazards for life in and along the water way.

The garbage anomaly is in contrast to how precious the water is as it provides so many food sources for native people. It was painful for me to post the picture below of the garbage dump in Barrow, but it highlights a problem that villages are and have been trying to solve for a number of years. I feel, we each can do our part culturally for Mother Earth and dispose of our garbage in a more earth friendly way. It’s everyone’s problem.

In Google Earth I was astounded to discover the number of satellites orbiting earth.  This is space pollution (I guess I’m on a tangent). I’m wondering if the number of satellites are somehow lending to the greenhouse affect? And, it makes me wonder how the space shuttle is so adept at avoiding collisions with them. I wasn’t able to figure out the weather layers in Google Earth. I’ll have to go back and play around with that more.

Extend

I will definitely use many of the resources in my classroom. I have several folders created in TD and add to them with every new module. This weeks’ sites were particularly helpful in explaining weather fronts and ocean currents. Below are new links I found useful. They address the concepts of coastlines, oceans, and the last is a link to Aleut stories and legends. There’s a wonderful story about how the wind originated.

Three Colleague

Dave Sather 

The painting was very intriguing and the information on the explosion of Krakatoa was great.
Dan Adair 

I liked his resource image of the currents. He seems very knowledgeable.
Janet Reed

She figured out Google Earth and inspired me to go back in and figure it out.

 




Resources:

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.coastenv/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrrJTzXwKx8&feature=player_embedded#!

Image of garbage dump in Barrow, AK












http://www.native-languages.org/aleut-legends.htm
Scroll down to Origin of the Wind: Aleut legend about the doll-warrior who released the winds.

Climate, Culture, and Oceans

Oceans
Essential Question:
How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?
Oceans
Essential Question:
How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?


    Climate, culture, and oceans are so connected it is like asking how arms and legs impact the body. One isn’t complete without the other. Oceans cause climate while climate influences oceans, and culture evolves, adapts, and utilizes both.
    At this point in the class, after reading, responding, and viewing all of the videos, I am even more in awe of our planet than ever. Our ancestors lovingly, and respectfully said, “Mother Earth” because they sensed the connectedness of everything.  And, as an Athabaskin, this planet “watches” and holds me accountable for my actions or lack of them.


Three ways I might use the resources in Module V in my classroom:
1.   You Tube! I really am disappointed that ASD blocks access to You Tube in district classrooms. After watching What causes Earth's Seasons, I was so impressed.  The simplicity of the illustrations and the explained science behind “seasons” was something any kid could get. ( I need to find a way in behind the firewall!)

2.    I’m also going to use Try this Trick – (I’ve bookmarked it). I am going to use a circular surface and shine a light behind it and then tilt the object to show the shadow gets smaller – less direct surface area to absorb direct hits from our source of physical existence – the sun. I hope this works, as it is so elementary to understanding earth science.

3.   I didn’t really understand Check Out the ThermoHaloPycnocline Graph Found Here. I understood the whale dive and the difference in temperature and density, but I didn’t get the plot the yellow line because I didn’t see a yellow line ☹. This module was full of information, some advanced and very useful for high school teachers, so I didn’t feel too badly “not getting it”.
  
Resources:
Climate videos
    

Several Climate Videos.
Preview and download short, broadcast quality video clips on a range climate topics. Each clip is accompanied by a web preview and suggested script.



Climate change in Alaska

 Bear in Denali National Park.
One of the many species climate
may affect in Alaska.











Three things I learned:

1.  I had never thought of the different densities of water at the surface, although I knew different densities existed with depth. I’ve certainly observed surface densities mixing when muddy river water met clear mountain streams, but I had never thought about them resisting mingling. My mind’s eye takes me to the muddy Yukon meeting a clear flowing tributary and seeing the clear water hold its own for several hundred feet before being swallowed by the more powerful river. I always felt badly seeing the clear water swirling and mixing and then disappearing, but I had not connected it to the resistance because of differences in density.

2.  The experiment with the balloons was so eye opening. It really showed how water has such density that it can absorb heat to a large extent. It was a great demonstration of how water holds heat to the earth.

3.  I also found our that icebergs in the cold regions of earth do not get so heavy that they sink.  It is the salt that gets squeezed out of them as they freeze that settles beneath due to its density. Then when the salty mixture comes up, it replenishs the top layer of the ocean with nutrients. Who would have thought!

Three colleagues:
1.    Cheryl Williams. I was impressed with her understanding of the content. So much so that she found humor! I was straining to digest much of the material!

2.    Dan Adair. I liked his comments of using more visuals in the classroom. They are out there. We just need to find them.

3.    Janet Reed. I liked her bringing us back to cycles, and I liked her link to Shishmaref and the ocean erosion there.

Module IV

Three ways I might use the resources in Module IV in my classroom:

1.    The Teacher Domain sites are invaluable to building a visual understanding for students and teachers alike. They explain the Pacific Rim of Fire visually, which cannot be reproduced in words. Using Google Earth to locate places and to calculate distances is also a wonderful tool to any teacher's toolbox. I will definitely use it.
2.    I would use the TD and You Tube resources to reinforce the idea that the earth is a dynamic, powerful “being” under our feet. And, many cultural stories stem from trying to make sense of this dynamic, and many times catastrophic, display of power, which occurs as a result of earth’s turmoil with itself. Things we earthlings depend upon to be consistent just isn’t over time. And as such, in ancient times a great respect for Mother Earth was created because she had the power to create and destroy. Today, modern science elevates itself above such reverence, and therein lies the disconnect between academia and culture.
3.    Resources:
Volcano Woman
Volcanoes around the world

Three things I learned: 
1. Two types of earth's forces that cause volcanoes: hot spots and plate action;
2. I know about the controversy on Hawaii over the observatories. I’ve heard speakers for both positions and watched documentaries concerning the cultural history and relevance of the mountain. What was new information for me was the need/desire to build a new structure. I agree with the native traditional perspective. Use what is there – upgrade or whatever, but another structure would not only be an eye sore, but also, negating native Hawaiian traditional values.
3. How to use the ruler in Google Earth. That was cool! My class is writing to students in Craig, AK so I will go on Google Earth and show them the community and use the ruler to show that Craig is about 733 miles from Anchorage.

Three colleagues:
Ernestine Hayes.
 I appreciate her cultural comments and her perspective on land. I also love her comments, which include comments from Paul Marks. All indigenous people lived by the moon. We Native people have 13 lunar cycles to our year. The western way of thinking had to cram 2 full moons into one month to make all of the full moons fit into a 12 month year. And when 2 full moons occur in one month we say, "Once in a blue moon". How blue got associated with 2 full moons in one month is a story I don't know.
Konrad Mittelstadt.
I really liked Konrad’s research into traditional stories.  His relaying of the Tlingit legends of a monster frog living in the bay that created a death trap is so relevant to me. Native people have observed phenomenon, and their stories tell “tales” if the listener can make the conscientious link between culture and “science”.
Tracy R. Pulido.
 I liked her humor laced with  a reality check. I think all of us who have survived from the land feel we have a reasonable chance of making it if the world does go to “hell”. 

Module III - Landforms and Their Impact on Cultures

Module III
    Module III explores the idea of connectedness between culture and landforms. Exploring how landscapes formed and how, in turn, they shaped cultures by their landforms is not only interesting, but also a fundamental necessity in understanding any culture.
.    The Yupik, Cupik, Athabaskin, and Tlingit cultures were featured in the Teacher Domain episodes. Each is very unique in certain aspects of their culture, and this uniqueness stems from restraints and opportunities afforded by the local, regional landforms and geological processes in their area. Each of these cultures had to find ways to live in harmony with what was around them.
For example, the Athabaskins along the Yukon River use the river for transportation, survival – both subsistence and non-subsistence, and aesthetics. The river is constantly being traversed by boat, snow machine, dog team, automobile, or serving as a landing strip for airplanes. In turn the river brings fish, barges, water, and wood. And, there isn’t a more astounding and beautiful sight on earth as when the “sun dogs” appear or the moon is being reflected from the white ribbon of river ice.
This same river can be menacing when it swells and floods or becomes so turbulent it swamps boats. The Athabaskins living along this river have a “centered” respect for what it “is” – beneficial, beautiful, and threatening. The Yukon connects the people to the land. It provides for them, and they in turn have come to love and revere it.
When I say the river brings wood that may sound strange to someone who hasn’t lived along the river. During spring break up, the river delivers all kinds of driftwood. The water is high from melt off, so trees along the banks often loose their grip due to erosion and become part of a journey to the sea. Natives along the way look for good logs and then go out in boats to drag them ashore for use. I have watched this and heard constantly phrases like, “Let that one go for our relatives down the coast” or “That’s a good one, we should get it”.
    I used the Yukon River and the Athabasin culture for my primary source to show how landforms create a connectedness with the people subjected to them. But, I would also like to say that in Tlingit country I felt that same sense of reverence from them toward the cedar and sea. In Aleut, Unangan, country the wind and sea hold tradition and life in their hands. The Inupiat and Yupik have the true tundra and sea, which also have a hold over them. Each season has its gifts and challenges. All of our cultures are tied intrinsically to the land, and its formations - from which a predictable life was carved and established.
    People living in an urban area cannot begin to develop this sense of reverence for the landforms unless they leave the comfort of their living rooms and venture out into the surrounding “wildness”. This is a challenge for Native people. How can this value for the land be kept alive if we don’t expose our children to all of its features? With so many rural families moving to urban areas, this should be a point of concern. If we lose the connectedness to the land, then we cannot be good stewards of it.
    The concept of Pangaea explains commonalities among fauna, flora and ethic groups living on different continents. It seems to make sense, and it seems to be an accepted theory. How else do we get the Himalayas? And, some awesome, dynamic force pushed Denali to a height unequaled on the planet from base to summit. It had to be colliding landmasses of some sort. Weathering and erosion are natural forces of nature like birthing, living, and dying when the time comes – if one is fortunate to live the full circle.
    In Anchorage, like most places in Alaska, it is easy to see the impact of geological forces at work. We have the Chugiak Mountains forming a semi-ring around the city. We have Mt. Redoubt, Sleeping Lady, and the Valdez-Chugiak Faults in our back yards. I will use the resources on Teacher Domain showing how the geological forces formed different mountain types, and how these forces are dynamic even today.
    Goggle Earth is wonderful! I looked at the island of Attu because my dad fought there in WWII. He told me how difficult it was to route the Japanese out of the hills in the fog and terrain. Then I contrasted Attu with Wrangell to show how different the land was for the Aleuts. I find this type of teaching invaluable as students are pushed to examine and evaluate how the Aleuts had to adapt during their interment.
 Unless we look critically at all of this, and appreciate what it means to “adapt”, then we are misusing our opportunity to “teach” and we are robbing students of the opportunity to synthesize, evaluate, and apply new knowledge.

Three Colleagues:
Matt Hunter of Sitka. I loved his pictures and my granddaughter goes to MEHS. 
Lila's blog also caught my eye. I liked her ideas and on intergrating Native knowledge and western science.
Ester Gust's blog is another one I visited. I am interested in hearing other Native perspectives and how they are using the ideas in the course.

Where on Earth Was I Born

I was born in a log cabin located on the Kuskokwim Riverin Alaska. There was no hospital, just some trappers, my mom and the landlady of the trading post. The place is named Medfra and was, at one time, an active and viable trading post for trappers, miners and local Native people. It is surrounded by low hills and still has an airstrip where a small plane can land. I was gifted the small cabin I was born in, and it is still there.
Medfra:
63° 6'24.00"N
154°42'51.00"W

module II Weekly 3

3 Questions & 3 Colleagues

3 Questions
      1. Explain: What new learning have you taken from this module?

I am still puzzled over what Einstein’s theory really is. I took my best stab. I think I’m not posting in the right place because I saw only one person who answered the blog on their blogger page I found. Other than that, I found several ideas, concepts, and information that are profound. I am Alaska Native, so most of their world view I knew. What was an “aha” was how using traditional knowledge and western science together can help both parties and farther the goal(s) of humanity.

      2. Extend: How can/will you use this week’s resources and/or others in your community in your lessons? 

I  will use Tim Bauer’s blog to show the Aleutians; and I will use Teacher’s domain to show how traditional Native people love and connect to the environment.

      3. Evaluate: How useful, insightful or relevant are this module’s information and resources for you?
The module usefulness is very complete. I thought some of it was repetitive, but that was only because I had included my thoughts in prior responses and felt like I might be starting to sound like a CD stuck on REPEAT. All of the domains contains excellent information. I enjoyed them, but honestly, waited too long before starting this week’s assignments.





3 Colleagues
Alongside your writing, blogs should also include appropriate images and links to related resources the author has found.

I’m not sure what “link to” means, but these are the blogs I visited and commented on:
1.    http://ehhayesexplorealaska.blogspot.com/

2.    http://kuehlexploresalaska.blogspot.com

3.    http://westernmosttown.blogspot.com

Galileo: Sun-Centered System

Galileo: Sun-Centered System
EXPLAIN
    Galileo's discovery of our Heliocentric (Sun-centered) planetary system challenged traditional knowledge at the time because it stated the earth was not the center of the universe, and that there were imperfections in the created heavens. In Galileo’s time challenging the traditional knowledge meant challenging God and the layperson of his day could not even contemplate such an atrocity.
    Traditional knowledge sometimes can become an obstacle to better understanding when there are religious values involved. Even today, there is strong religious influence in our national politics and moral issues in values and science, e.g. embryonic cell research. I can only guess at the demons almost everyone associated with Galileo!


EXTEND
    Using careful observation made available by “new technology” Galileo was ale to not only chart the movement of Venus, but also its changing shapes. He systematically charted and drew his observations of Venus and of other heavenly body movements. Presenting this quantitative evidence, Galileo was able to argue the Copernican theory and defend his heliocentric theory.  Galileo’s findings showed how things were connected through his systematic approach when gathering evidence and careful drawings.

String Theory: A Strange New World
EXPLAIN
    Einstein challenged traditional knowledge by suggesting gravity and electromagnetism travel at the same speed. He challenged our long held truths purported by Newton about the laws of gravity. He believed a unifying force, which he longed to discover, held everything together.
        (I’m not really sure how Einstein demonstrated that everything is connected, but I’ll take a stab at it.) He knew that gravity depended upon the movement, mass, and position of everything in the universe – nothing is isolated or can be isolated and maintain itself. One thing exists and because of this, it has an effect upon everything else.


EXPLAIN
     Space missions and satellites helped integrate the sciences and shape the way we understand our planet by providing close up pictures and exposing data over time. Storm patterns have been, and can be, tracked. Temperature fluctuations and the over all impact from this can also be traced and graphed with correlating implications for the planet. We now have a more complete composite picture of our planet and just how fragile it is because of space missions and satellites.
     Many different pathways for the flow of matter and energy drive Earth’s System(s).  It seems heat is at the catalysis for setting all of them in motion. Heat is absorbed in the atmosphere, water, and land. Heat escapes from earth’s core creating volcanoes and earthquakes. All of this infusion of heat affects weather, temperature, and life on earth. It is all connected.


EXTEND
    Our growing understanding of Earth as a System has changed our view of the world and our place in it by making us see just how small we really are, while at the same time just what an impact we can make on our systems. We have the power to eliminate ourselves through pollution, over harvesting, pesticides, over population, disease. So while we are “small” we are also “huge”!

EXPLORE SOME MORE
    Everything is connected literally and metaphorically. Like the song says, “We are all made of star dust”. What an amazing thought! The stars are us and we are them….) I like that concept. While it seems things are so vast they can’t be understood or harnessed, all I have to do is look down at my hand and know the atoms making it up also make up the known matter.

Traditional Knowledge

ENGAGE
Traditional Native Knowledge
The Native understanding of Spirit understood from a western point of view encompasses the known universe and world. Spirit is essence. A tree has a spirit because it is part of what has been created, and a rock has a spirit for the same reason.
Inua is the inner spirit of living beings. We breathe and have life so we have an Inua – a soul spirit. Sila, to my understanding, encompasses the Inua, (inner spirit), but expands it to the forces like wind, air, the cosmos. Sila is like a God force – all over at the same time, moving and intelligent.

EXPLORE
In People of the Arctic it is very obvious how tied to the land the people are in their total being.
ENGAGE
Traditional Native knowledge systems differ from Western science knowledge systems primarily in the approach they each take to looking at the world. One is holistic and the other is part to whole. The values of the Native knowledge system are to respect the entire whole, while the Western value system is to know the whole.  They compliment each other by striving to understand problems through observation, gathering of information, and predicting outcomes based upon the data gathered.

Alaska Native Science Commission
EXPLAIN

    Native knowledge systems help western science understand local environments while western science helps Native people understand the long-term effects that may be caused by environments far away from theirs.
EXTEND

 ANSC and AFN perspectives help inform me by highlighting the major concerns of Native people and environments. They not only inform of issues, but also accentuate the proper protocol of how outsiders might “properly” come into an area and conduct an investigation.

EVALUATE
I personally do not see how Native people can be left out of science at any level. The Aleut people had very sophisticated knowledge of the human body, and all Native tribes knew the plants of their area and how to use them. Their stories have been handed down so there is longevity showing how the environment or the people have changed over time. One science would be deficient without the other.

Everything is Connected

EXPLAIN
The most fundamental difference between traditional Native knowledge and Western science is the difference in their worldviews. Traditional Native people easily embrace spirituality as part of being whole. Nothing can be whole without acknowledging physical and spiritual importance. Western science emphasizes the segmented to build a physical whole and does not acknowledge a spiritual realm as having any bearing upon final products or outcomes.
Another big difference is how the information is passed along and given credibility. For Native people the emphasis is on oral stories and personal experience. For Western science it is what is written and recorded – what can be proved empirically.
A third difference is in the utility of the information. Native people don’t need to “know” everything about something to believe or use it. Westerns tend to need proof, to know how and why things are what they are. They pull apart, dissect to discover while Native people don’t feel the drive to know something to that level to appreciate its function and place.
Some of the common beliefs and practices between Traditional Native people and Western science are cycles. Both see the value and interdependence of cycles in a closed system. Both parties value honesty, open-mindedness, and observation. They both look for a repeated event or pattern for verification of an idea or hypothesis.

EXTEND
    One of the major benefits of applying both Traditional knowledge and Western science is respect. Native students learn to value the stories they’ve heard, and both parties spend more time looking at information with a shift in perspective.
    Science experiments can be designed based upon commonly held beliefs to see if there is truth in them or are they just nice stories or superstitions. One story I use with my astronomy unit is the Old Woman who Held Back the Tides. It’s from the Tlingit Moon and Tides unit. The class always thinks it’s just a nice story until we get the tide books out and plot the tides over a month. Things like this are so powerful and give learning a purpose.
Certainly the use of elders and scientists are resources to tap into as added sources of infromation. The Internet has great sites and interactive lessons, which should not be overlooked as well.

EVALUATE
Knowing both ways creates a more solid, integrated mindset. The stories aren’t just “pooh- pooh”, but are heard with a new ear. If a Native student was told that wormwood is good to keep mosquitoes away and they just believe it, then there’s no integration or value in Western science. But, if they use that information as a springboard to investigate the chemical properties of wormwood and find out that it has one or more ingredients (chemicals, compounds) that repel mosquitoes, then they have used both “eyes”. Knowing and proving are powerful propellants!
Another benefit is lending credence to oral traditions and survival techniques. The power of observation, making notes of surroundings whether mental or written, and then extrapolating those observations to arrive at a conclusion also gives credibility to the observer.

Favorite Place

This is kayaking in Prince William Sound out of Whittier, AK.  It is a peaceful and safe area with very experienced guides. Whenever I have friends visit I do my best to get them to experience this event. The lady in the kayak with me is a first time visitor from OK.  We had a blast and she went away with, not only unique memories, but with an enlarged sense of what she was capable of!

Introduction: Week 1