Online Learning Resources for Alaska
Here are some links to sites we found helpful to learn more about Alaska.
Molly of Denali (PBS)
The Home page for this Alaska based kids show has many hands on learning activities. Plus the show and their podcast are both educational and entertaining.
Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center in Alaska
Learning Lab resources about Native cultures, Distance learning lessons, Community videos, Conversations
Athabascan Winter Studies The Dene’ Indigenous People of Interior- Kindergarten Unit
Written by FNSBSD Alaska Native Education. It is geared toward native students living in Alaska, but also includes crafts and stories to learn about their history and culture.
Cultural Knowlege from the. Alaska Native Heritage Center
Beautiful video links sharing Alaskan Native culture through history, how-to’s, Story telling, and language.
Alutiiq Museum Online Exhibits - The Alutiiq museum has a lot of resources to learn about the people living in the Aleutian Islands
Printable lessons about Alutiiq traditions
Hands on activities based on Alutiiq Crafts
Denali National Park Junior Ranger Program - Peruse the National Park Website to learn more about Mount McKinnely, its history, and the surrounding area. Then you can send off a packet to receive a wooden ranger badge.
Alaska History Timeline Unit (Free with email sign-up)
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act - Important law taking action to give more power back to native people over Alaskan land. Some celebrated it and some mourned that it was not enough.
Additional activities that we incorporated into our study.
Alaska is home to many different people groups and subgroups, even though they are often lumped into 4 main groups. One way that communities are grouped and identified are by their languages. We used this map by the Alaska Native Language Center to talk about how Alaska is home to many different people groups. I printed the map out on card stock and cut the map into about 10 pieces and then we pieced them together as a hands on activity.
Carving with Soap Craft - Whether it is carving stone petroglyphs or wooden totem poles in the South eastern panhandle, stone lamps in the north west, or statues as a part of art and spiritual life in the Aleutian Islands, carving shows up as a skill that is applied across Alaskan history and present. After reading and learning about some of the carved items in Alaskan Culture, we incorporated this soap carving craft as a hands on activity.
Aurora Borealis Art - After reading about the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, we made our own chalk depictions. This was just one of the ideas listed on the Museum of the North (UoA) website here.
We also watched the Molly of Denali Episode “What makes the northern lights” found here.
There are also some recordings of Inupiat elders telling traditional stories about the northern lights here. Some involve stories warning that the lights will take your head if you disturb them so they may be too intense for young children.
Salmon Life Cycle - After reading about the Salmon life cycle, we printed these life cycle wheels that someone posted on Pinterest and colored them.
Native American Culture: Git-Hoan Raven Dance downloaded from PBS LearningMedia, https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/natam.arts.dance.gitraven/native-american-culture-git-hoan-raven-dance/. Rights to use this asset do not expire.
Asset Copyright: Copyright KET 2012
Native Alaskan Dance and culture - To learn more about dances that are important to Alaskan people we watched videos from the PBS learning media like the one shown above as well as this one that explains more about the dances. Many of the traditional dances where lost when colonists came in and forbid native cultural activities. People like David Boxley in the linked video had to recreate them after much research. After we watched we talked about the movements, the music, the dress, and the diversity of the members of the dance group. This video shows dance from the Tsimshian of the south eastern panhandle of Alaska, but we also watched a video from the Aleuts in the south west and talked about similarities and differences between the dances.
We also watched this episode of Molly of Denali called “Seal Dance” that talks about how native Alaskans incorporate the dances from their heritage now even though they were lost.
Model Birch Bark Basket Craft - After watching a beautiful video we found on the National Park Services website here about how Dena’ina Elder Helen Dick makes birch bark baskets, we watched the above video and made our own basket models out of twine (for the roots) paper or fun foam (for the bark). Watching the video where Elder Helen dick could share her process, experience, and cultural perspective was very important to us before incorporating this activity because her values and respect for creation and creator are shared in the video in addition to her beautiful handiwork.
My daughter’s birch bark basket model. She chose to serve blueberries with it after completing it.
Alaska’s Flag and Statehood - We printed this worksheet, colored the Alaskan Flag, and also read about its design with the book “Benny’s Flag” on YouTube.