U.S. education generally portrays science from the Western perspective. As a result, students from different cultures, also referred to as nonmajority students, often struggle to relate material learned in class to their own cultures and lived experiences. Cultural relevance is gaining momentum in broader education reform movements to relate…

During 2010-2012, three professional development workshops brought together K-12 educators and scientists conducting research in the geographic and ecological context of Alaska's three large marine ecosystems (Bering Sea/Aleutians, Gulf of Alaska, and Arctic Ocean). Educators successfully applied new scientific knowledge gained from their…

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 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)…

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…

This document is a comprehensive directory of Federal offices, programs, and facilities for K-12 education in mathematics and science for the Northwest Region. The purpose of this directory is to assist educators, parents, and students in attaining the National Education Goals, particularly Goal 4: "By the year 2000, U.S. students will be…

A natural science resource booklet for teachers and students contains detailed materials for teaching and learning about Alaskan wildlife. Each of nine chapters provides background subject information, suggested learning activities, tear-out pages of review questions for students to answer, and supplementary notes for teachers which include…

Biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of life in this planet. In order to be fully appreciated, biodiversity needs to be experienced firsthand, or "experientially." Thus, the standard classroom lecture format is not the ideal situation for teaching biodiversity and evolutionary concepts, in that student interest and understanding are…

This teacher's guide and accompanying videotape present the JASON Project. The guide features a workbook format using an interdisciplinary approach to include geography, climate, biology, history, geology, culture, and literature. The JASON Project targets grades 4-9 and involves real life science with the inquiry approach and multimedia…

The Alaska Science Consortium, the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI), and the Alaska Department of Education have collaborated on developing standards-based, culturally relevant science curricula that effectively integrate indigenous and Western knowledge. This handbook is designed to assist teachers in developing and teaching culturally…

This teaching packet is designed to teach Alaskan students in grades 4-6 about Alaska's seabird populations, the worldwide significance of seabirds, and the environmental conditions to which seabirds are sensitive. The packet includes a curriculum guide (containing a teacher's background story and 12 teaching activities), a separately published…

This science curriculum was written to inspire rural Alaskans, primarily Alaska Natives, to find science in their local environment. The author lived a subsistence lifestyle in the Alaskan bush for over 30 years and claims that understanding science has often kept him from being stuck out in the woods. Section 1, Skills, Tools, and Craftsmanship,…

The Alaska Educational Program for Intercultural Communication (AEPIC) brought together teachers to share their practical methods of incorporating community-oriented, multicultural components into their daily teaching schedule. Designed as regional in nature to allow for a sharper focus on the area's Athabascan culture, the workshop was attended…