Explain: The formation of the landscapes in Alaska is very interesting. Sitting at the top of the ring of fire, we see a vibrant mix of changes. Volcanoes and earthquakes make you feel like you are part of something bigger.
Cultural connections to the landscape are so evident here in the north. Down south, I grew up near a Morongo Indian reservation and the connections are not are abundant. Here, folks need to be very good at living where they live.
The different cultural backgrounds across the state represent a common core of concerns with a variety of specializations. When I lived on the Yukon and the elders and others so kindly took yet another new teacher from the south and taught me how to get around and eat, I realized that it would take me a great deal of time before I was as comfortable with the dangers as my teachers were. They knew how to read the ice and sandbars on the river in a way that I never figured out. I think I helped them a bit though when I would get stuck on a sand bar and point them out.
Fishing on the lower Yukon is heaven on earth if you like to eat great king salmon. Those fish come into that river fattened up for the run to the Yukon Territory. They are so good. Oil content in lower Yukon Kings is so high that there was a market for the fish turned into flakes. At that time, in the early 0's, commercial openings still happened and the locals could make a little money. It sounds like the runs are having a tough time right now.
Fish camp is a great place to spend time and connect both with your environment and companions. The annual migration from town, out to camp, is the coolest thing. A working vacation is built right in to every year and everybody smells like smoked fish.
Daylight plays a huge part in the summer as in the winter. Those days are so long you can work forever without getting tired. You'll go fishing for 8 hours and get back and cut and pack fish for 2 more hours and then a basketball game will start up at 11:00 at night on the outdoor court over at the school.
Extend: I have been looking around for information about the geological history of Kodiak Island and I must be doing something wrong. There is a geologist in town that I can ask and he will likely have digital resources I can point to. Google Earth makes the point well about the layout of the island and how the local history, pre Russian influence, was so tied to the water, fish, and sea mammals.
Evaluate: Teacher Domain resources are terrific. The length of the clips and the focus is perfect for classrooms. In the short period of time that I would like to devote to a video, I need it well produce visual, interesting, with instructional language. And I really like the ability to demonstrate with the interactive graphics. Getting the students to say "cool" is very nice in a classroom.
3 Colleagues:
Dave Sather,
I fit into several of your categories living here in Kodiak. We have chickens and I just butchered 2 pigs that we raised all summer. We are from California and grew up very urban. And now we fit very neatly into the group of rural living with urban roots. I suppose my kids will move to a city and moan about eating things that they once fed.
I was surprised at first when I heard about the idea of Ducks Unlimited and how a hunting group would be so into conservation. Now living in a fishing town, I more than get it. Even the bottom trawlers are concerned about the health of the sea.
Matt Hunter,
I like the comparative pictures from the top of the mountain. That is pretty cool.
I would have a heck of a time with your challenge in my math class. One of the reasons science is fun is for the relevance to life. The kids know that they are learning information that will be used and referred to all of their lives.
Eric Ellefson,
The images are great. Your discussion makes the point well that we need to be careful in how we honor and speak about knowledge and not demean in any way the value of knowing that is different that ours, whatever "ours" we are talking about at the time.
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