Business leaders in Alaska cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students' lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation's most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Alaska students have made little progress in math…

Immersive environments hold promise to provide unique and heightened sensory experiences that focus a learner's attention, and thus may be useful learning platforms. In particular, portable planetariums may be useful in advancing conceptual knowledge about the night sky, because they afford learners with Earth-based views of celestial motions,…

This curriculum guide lists science topics and concepts, learning outcomes, and sample learning objectives (in three columns), separately for grades 1-3 and for grades 4-6. Topics/concepts, in the first column, describe the major parts of the subject under consideration. They define broadly the content to be included in the study of each subject…

Alaska is one of the most ideal settings for teaching science. In most of the rural areas, science materials are in abundance starting almost at the school's door steps to a distance as far as a person would like to go. Therefore, it is quite possible to develop science projects for all grades. Some of the projects can be done in the simplest ways…

This handbook is a collection of printed materials that are available to students about the geology, weather, plants, animals and people of Alaska. Topics included are: (1) "Alaska History Line"; (2) "Geography of Alaska" (including maps, rivers, and islands); (3) "Geologic Time"; (4) "Geology" (including…

This document is the fifth educational packet in the Alaska Wildlife Week Series. This unit emphasizes forest wildlife, ecology, and conservation and includes: a teacher's guide with information, interdisciplinary activities, games, and worksheets; a wildlife poster; forest wildlife cards with illustrations and text describing over 100 organisms…

This unit includes six lessons on plants for first graders. It provides a material list for 30 students, book list, unit introductions, schedules, and background information for teachers including evaluation and problem areas. Lessons include: (1) "Living and Non-Living Things"; (2) "Seeds and Other Things"; (3) "Sowing…

This unit contains 15 lessons on Alaskan plants for fourth graders. It describes materials, supplementary materials, use of process skill terminology, unit objectives, vocabulary, background information about five kingdoms of living things, and a webbing activity. Included are: (1) "Roots in Action"; (2) "Chlorophyll"; (3)…

This unit includes 15 lessons on Alaskan plants and trees for third graders. It describes materials, supplementary materials including books and films, use of process skill terminology, unit objectives, vocabulary, background information (including the information source), field trip organization, succession, and major plants. Included are: (1)…

The ecological theme of "We all need each other--the web of life" serves as the focus of Alaska's fourth annual wildlife week and as the emphasis for the activities in this guide for primary teachers. The packet of materials contains: (l) an introduction (explaining the theme); (2) table of contents (indicating each lesson's objective…

This program assessment instrument was developed to identify criteria for excellence in science in Alaskan schools. It was designed to be used by administrators, professional staff and community representatives to assess science programs. The instrument contains categories of items which are to be rated on a five-point scale ranging from "not…

Described is a program which includes a toolkit of user-friendly ideas for teachers and hands-on activities for elementary school children the purpose of which is to prepare students to make informed decisions about Alaska's mineral and energy resources. Discussed are the development, contents, and implementation of the program. (CW)

Wildlife is often described as one of Alaska's most important and valuable resources. Helping wildlife can take many forms. This document contains the directions and parts of two games for use with the "Alaska Wildlife Week" materials. The games "Brant for the Future", a simulation of bird and human interactions in the Pacific…

The ecological theme of "We all need each other--the web of life" serves as the focus of Alaska's fourth annual wildlife week and as the emphasis for the activities in this guide for upper elementary teachers. The packet of materials contains: (1) an introduction (explaining the theme); (2) table of contents (indicating each lesson's…

This unit of study is designed to teach the science of wild animals to students in the primary grades. Included are a list of materials for the unit, a discussion of the use of process skills, a list of unit objectives, vocabulary, teacher background information, 13 lessons, 3 quizzes, and a unit test. Lessons are oriented toward hands-on process…