Module V

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









ENGAGE: After teaching first grade for many years, several years back in my career, I am brought back to the science lessons that were so much fun for the kids to ponder. I presented a small closed box to the class and told them that were four things inside the box that are needed for all plants and animals to survive on earth. I would shake the box, in order to let them know that indeed something was inside. We would brainstorm what their ideas were and then I would slowly pull out a small vial of "water". We would then discuss the importance of water for their survival. I would shake the box again. We would brainstorm more ideas. (Comically, over the years they tended to be quite sure that there was some money inside the box.)



As I pulled the next item out of the box, which was a hard dirt clod, they were stumped. "Why do we dirt to survive, Mrs. Ross?" they would say. Well, I explained it was important because it helped us grow our food, and as important, it helped to grow plants that our McDonald's hamburger or chicken nuggets ate before becoming a human food source. When we had much discussion of how "soil" and water were extremely important for us to survive, I shook the box again. But, there was no sound coming from the box. I opened it to show them that there were in fact two scientific things let in that box that, if they did not have them, they would die. They were pretty quick to come up with "air" and with time spent repositioning the box toward the windows, they would be able to come up with "sunshine". Nova states in nicely in a short video called Ingredients for Life: Water provided by Teacher's Domain.





BOTH SOURCES OF FOOD, PLANTS AND ANIMALS,


NEED AIR, SUNLIGHT, SOIL AND WATER TO SURVIVE.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: HOW ARE CLIMATE, CULTURES AND OCEANS ALL CONNECTED?
Without the multiple systems that cause the oceans and the climate to continually sustain warming and cooling, nothing would be able to live on the planet Earth.

EXPLORE:
BUT, WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR FOOD AND WATER SOURCES WHEN OUR CLIMATE GETS TOO WARM OR TOO COLD?


The official word out is that our planet is currently going through a global warming period. In looking back millions of years at the history of the earth, global warming and cooling have both happened before. Many periods occurred before humans were walking on Earth. The more advanced we become in our earth studies and science discoveries, the causes become easier to pin point and identify. In the past warming periods on Earth, when humans were not here, the effects of natural phenomenon such as volcanoes or were responsible. Cooling periods or ice ages, may have been caused by were casued by orbital variations.



The current scientific opinion states that the body of observations give a picture of a warming world and that there is strong evidence that in the last 50 years most of the warming can be attributed to human activities. Are humans the only reason for the climate changes occurring on our Earth? No, but what humans are doing by adding to the greenhouse gases will make our earth's climate change. As the earth is warming our natural water sources are in danger. Currently, with 97% of Earth's water containing salt it is important that we all work together to reduce our contributions to a future without a productive climate cycle.



EXTEND and EVALUATE: It becomes clear that as each day goes on, we need to do what we can to educate our future societal members about the processes that are happening in their everyday lives, which may have a negative impact on their survival by the time they reach their thirties or forties. The following are educational pieces that are available to begin the teaching process.






http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/BluePlanet.htm


http://education.jlab.org/reading/water_cycle.html


http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sawater.com.au/NR/rdonlyres/657AC917-D6E3-4E55-AAD1-38119A0ACBB4/0/diag_water_cycle.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.sawater.com.au/SAWater/Education/OurWaterSystems/The%2BWater%2BCycle.htm&h=311&w=500&sz=46&tbnid=OmOr21t4wFsLmM:&tbnh=81&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwater%2Bcycle&hl=en&usg=__3YVWQDSDfReehpgVZV7aEPCfpbw=&ei=ZOOKS86iCpDAsQP8o8SGAw&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CA8Q9QEwAw

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_cycle


http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/


http://www.epa.gov/kids/


http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/

Module IV

Essential Question: How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and cultures?

Definition of student:

-a learned person

-a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

-one who is devoted to learning

-one who attends school

-one who studies or examines in any manner

Sri Lanka 2004

There are several possible ways to look at answering this question.

When the students I work with heard about the recent earthquake in Haiti, some were motivated to find out where Haiti was located. Others were influenced by their parents to become active in various groups; e.g. girl and boy scouts, church groups, etc., in having bake sales, making mittens to sell, or other fundraising activities to raise money to send to the survivors. Probably 80% of the students in my school come from middle income families who have educated their children about natural disasters as they become news. Even in our community where avalanches, tsunamis, earthquakes and flooding can effect anyone on any given day, the children in my school are pretty much protected from the devastation of any occurring in our area, with the exception being if one of their family members is killed by an avalanche while on an outing in the mountains. The volcanoes are close enough that they can drop ash, but chances are, like in the case of one of the most recent Redoubt explosions, not so much ash that they would be greatly impacted. Earthquakes happen all of the time in our area. We could have a large one like in 1964, but the valley would probably not be devastated by a tsunami and damage from the quake would probably be fairly isolated to individual situations. Certainly, the coastline in the Knik Arm would be susceptible to more damage.

(In searching for other teaching aides to help me, I found an interactive website that I can use with my students as a visual teaching assistant to help them to better understand the earth's natural disasters.) http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment//natural-disasters/avalanche-interactive/

If a student were attending school at Sabaragamuwa Affiliated University College in Sri Lanka during the Indian Ocean earthquake that triggered the deadly tsunami, they would have a huge learning curve about the effects of geoscience related phenomenon such as continental plate movement and possible occurrences. That student would be living with the culture to see first hand devastation and death. If they had not lost anything personally, they would be changed forever after being a witness of such great loss. They would feel the emotions related to being with people who had lost someone or something. They would be able to look at the big picture and realize that it could happen all over again, anytime, any day.

In Alaska Native cultures, as well as many, many others, oral histories were told to the continue the knowledge that the elders had gained by all their years and experiences. They included all details that were needed to share about the past when they found a better way to do something and better ways to think about something. In the case of the villagers who settled on river banks, their stories would tell about the years or times that the floods came and what they need to stay safe. Their story would include the things that they learned about flooding cycles, weather predictors and ways of surviving the disaster. Alaska Native cultures who lived in the interior even along rivers would pass on stories about forest fires that were started by lightning which were devastating to their families existence. They would teach their young about watching for weather patterns during low rainfall seasons and how to be cautious if the conditions are just right for a disaster to happen. Lastly, Alaska Native cultures who lived along the coastal mountainous regions would have oral stories that told of times when their people were lost in avalanches or killed due to volcanic eruptions. They, too, would have histories to pass on the students, their children, which would teach them how to be aware of the environment around them, as well as, ways that were more safe to use if those things occurred to them individually.

In the general education system of the United States, stories about a cataclysmic event can help students to develop an interest in the geosciences behind the event. The media gives them some idea of who the peoples are that were affected. Depending on the students level of awareness, they may become apathetic to the situation and want to reach out to the community whose world has been changed. They can then be empowered to do what they can to make a difference. When they become involved, a natural segway is formed for them to establish a knowledge base about the culture and the nature that surrounds that culture.

Module III: Blog

Module III: Part 1- First section


I was born on the panhandle of Nebraska in a town called Sidney. I only lived there for two years, but I have family there still and it is the area where my Dad grew up through his teenage years. The landscape is quite flat, however there are lots of small rolling hills. In American history, it is part of a larger area which were called the plains as the Western movement was occurring. There was lots of prairie grass and buffalo were abundant. As people settled there it became farming country. To this day, my family owns and farms land around Sidney. The elevation typically varies from 4,000-4,800. Wells are used for a water source to irrigate and provide a source of water for humans as well as many farm animals.


The history of the land was well documented on a site that I have listed below.
http://www.geosciences.unl.edu/~tfrank/History%20on%20the%20Rocks/Teachers/Plan%20files/Ford_GeohistNE.pdfE.pdf


I found out that before North America was completely formed that the land where Nebraska is now went through many transformations. For millions of years it was under the ocean and at one point the waters receded and the land between the west coast of North America and the mid-west was all one piece. It stayed that way for many more millions of years. It appears on the link about that at one point the Rocky Mountains were being pushed up higher from the pressure caused by the subduction zone on the west coast of what is now the United States. When this occured, the land in Nebraska became lower than sea level and it became covered with the ocean waters again. The water was coming in from the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Proto-Carribean Sea to the south. Aproximately, 50 million years ago the land became ocean free mammals started to be able to survive the sub-tropical climate. During the middle of the Miocene epoch about 15 million years ago, Nebraska was home to four species of horse, rhinos, elephants, camels, deer and many species of birds. Tragically, 12 million years ago, Yellowstone erupted and all the animals were killed from the ash fall.




EVALUATE:





Module III: P art 1- Second Section





ENGAGE, EXPLORE and EXPLAIN: I spend about two hours checking out Alaska. It amazes me how the indigenous peoples of our state were able to survive no matter where they lived.




One of the spots I visited was the Aleutian Chain. Google earth shows how drastic the subduction zone is along the south, southwest and west side of the land mass and islands. Earthquakes and volcanic action certainly impacted the peoples lives. Volcanic ash would have helped to produce a rich soil for grasses and plants. The abundance of ocean animals would have given them a rich source of meat and vegetables. The winds that are produced through the changes of air currents would have caused them to build homes that were low to the ground. Because of the continuous winds, trees were not able to grow very tall, so the materials that they had to build with would have been limited. Fresh water for drinking was probably not an issue, as rain would have fallen frequently enough for them to collect and save. As well, each isolated group of islands has its own volcano, which would have collected snow and ice in the winter, which would have melted in the spring. Many islands and the main land have rivers that contain fresh water year round.







EXTEND:








































































Fish processing plant and cannery in Old dock on the Aleutian Chain.


Snug Harbor.



I had may more pictures for the section of images with labels, but the time it took me to get these two placed correctly was enough to discourage me to put anymore. There must be a shorter way that I am not aware of doing, because I had to drag these photos from the top of the blog to the bottom, which displaced other photos and then that became a fixing nightmare.

Evaluate: Google Earth is helpful in understanding connections between peoples and places. I have spent so much time with this project of learning that I'm not sure how I could use the activities I've done at the elementary level. Maybe it would be useful for middle or high school.

Module III-Part III

EXPLORE, EXPLORE and EXPLAIN: When the tectonic forces cause plates to collide, there will most likely be an earthquake. Earthquakes occur frequently along all plate intersections where one plate is forcing itself down below another plate. At the intersection, it is called the subduction zone. Volcanic action occurs in these places as well. When the one plate sides below another, the earth's crust that remains on the top is forces to lift and wrinkle, forming mountain ranges.



EXTEND: Addition resources from teacher's domain that I found that would be useful to teach/learn about geological changes on the Earth.

"Glaciated Landscape"

"The Grand Canyon: How it was formed?"

"Exploring the Arctic Seafloor"

"Deep Time and the History of Life"

"Plate Tectonics: Further Evidence"

and many, many more!



I could use these resources with my fourth and fifth graders. They all are intensive needs identified. The visual and auditory part of the these resources would be easier for them to comprehend.


EVALUATE: The materials that I have explored to get to this part of my blog have been especially useful for the same reasons as for my students. They are animated, visual, interactive and auditory.



Module III: Part IV

ENGAGE, EXPLORE AND EXPLAIN: Some Athabaskan peoples are located along the Yukon River. It provides them a way of transportation to and away from places by boat. The river carries there yearly subsistence of fish and provides them with water. These peoples depend on rivers to supply the needs. They also depend on the animals who use the same rivers.

Tlingit peoples have an opportunity to benefit from plants and animals from the land and the sea. They use the moon and the weather to predicate what source of food will be coming available to them next.

The Yupik people also benefit the land and the sea. They use the seasons to show them the beginning of a new food source becoming available. Berries and some fish in the fall, grasses and plants in the spring, fish in the summer, whales and most likely walrus or seal in the fall and winter.

The Inupiaq people depend on some fish from rivers and a lot on ocean fish and mammals.

All the groups hunt moose, caribou, musk ox and bear for sustenance when the animals are close enough to attain. In the past, all the groups use items that are available to them to build shelter for their families.

Cultural connections: If Alaska Natives live by rivers and the ocean, they are susceptible to the possibility of moving their homes if the ocean or river takes over the ground that they are living on. Floods, violent sea storms, heavy rains, etc. can all make a physical landscape change. The Alaska natives that are still living in a subsistence life style have a spiritual connection with their physical environment. They respect the spirits of animals, landforms like rivers, storms and tundra and/or taiga plants.

Example: In Shishmarif, they have had to build a sea wall to protect the homes and businesses. The violent storms are eating away at the land. When the Yukon River flooded Eagle last year, they lost many of their homes and structures. When there is more water in the river than the river can hold, the water fills homes, businesses and churches. The people end up moving to higher ground until the water subsides.

EXTEND: Rural students are challenged by being isolated from the white world that they are being taught history about in history classes. These same students are taught the ways of a subsistence living based on a spiritual relationship. They are taught to respect their elders and when they come to urban or semi-urban areas and go to school, they do not communicate the way of the white world. While there is nothing wrong with there communication style, it can be perceived by a teacher from a different culture, that they are ignoring and ignorant when neither is true.

The Chevak native teachers role is to learn about ways of the white world so that they can help prepare the native students in villages for experiences that they may have outside of the village. The visiting teachers need to do the same, but in reverse. Urban students in Alaska benefit greatly by knowing as much as they can about the Native Alaskan people.

The migrant education program and the bilingual program are the only ones I know about in my school district. My brother's wife works for Alyeska Pipeline. She is an Athabaskan from the Tyonek area. Her current job is to work with high school students to prepare them for applying for good jobs, interviewing skills and ultimately help them attain employment.

A sense of place has to be within each individual person in order for them to feel like they belong. Living close to the land allows individuals to feel the cyclical relationship that humans have with their existence. People that live in an urban area often cannot appreciate the value of a meal, because they do not have a connection with their environment. The Alaska native population has respect for nature. Nature provides them with an existence. The native peoples take from nature, but they always give back to it as well.

Preface to post for Module II:

In the past, I have had a difficult time understanding what all the hoop la is around Facebook, group sites and blogging. Especially, when those forms of communication are negative, hurtful and one-sided. Hog wash, I call it! From my life experiences, I have learned that humans come in varying opinions. Some far right, some far left, when realistically, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Maybe it's simply that I'm just in the middle. But, I'm happy this way. I am seemingly able to make sense of my world.

I spend a lot of my real time outside enjoying my animals and the fresh air. After a long day of teaching, I find, that is the place where my inner spirit finds peace. Hence, forms of communication that require that I sit in front of a dazzling computer brain are not my first choice. Often, the only drive I find for using them is out of necessity; e.g. bank balances.

As I grow and stretch using this blog spot to complete my assignments (necessity), please forgive me if any, or all of my communication is, in fact, hog wash!

Essential Question; How is everything connected from the perspectives of indigenous peoples and Western scientists? What are the advantages to knowing both ways?

Everything is connected simply because the indigenous peoples have and will continue to interact with the plants, animals, weather, water sources and land that the Western scientists are now professing to be understanding based on the scientific processes of study. To groups of different peoples are looking at the same biological, geographical, geological patterns of a land. While it seems that their motivations were similar, I do not see exactly how one could say that their were the same.

One group began this study out their destiny of origination and have fine tuned through observation, trial and error, when and wherever their survival needs could better be met. The basic needs for water, food and shelter were their motivators. But, through all of their previous existence, current existence and future existence, they have and will believe that it is their spiritual connection, which has given them answers when they were needed. The indigenous peoples are in tune with the individual spirits of each and every natural life force with which they coexist. They hold deep respect for nature.

Scientific study has had many Western motivators. I am sure that there are few scientists that have gone out into the Alaskan country side to conduct a study just for their own growth, curiosity and experience. However, since Westerners started influencing our United States, most all of their motivation has had a political agenda. Western scientists have performed millions of scientific studies on our Alaskan nature, that either confirm something that Alaska Natives have felt, noticed, and/or possibly survived. The indigenous peoples have had first hand experiences, since time immemorial, Western scientists have been sent to confirm our nature's state of existence by someone with a political agenda.

So, the connection I see is in the subject of study. The motivations, one being spiritual respect and an intimate relationship with the lands and their inhabitants, and, the second being primarily political agendas, are not very connected at all.

The amounts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polychorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Arctic haze, and the slight warming trend being documented are alarming to all peoples. The indigenous people's will go on working through issues. Western scientists will go on studying and reporting all the negative stuff to the political group that is backing them.