Lesson
GRADES
K-12
Activities:
1. Students will work with the Tribal Council, Elders and
other agencies to identify the watershed for their area. In
doing this, they should become aware of , through
discussions with the Elders, the historical importance of
this watershed and the area encompassed by it.
2. Once the watershed has been identified, the students
should mark the area on their maps. This can be done by
drawing in, coloring, or by the use of an overlay.
3. The students will need to determine by visiting the
watershed (small portions that are accessible) the direction
of flow. Then using a map, determine the flow route of the
water from the mountains to the ocean. They may wish to
locate on their map any other Village, town, etc. that also
occupies or shares in that watershed.
4. The Tribal Council and Elders can help the students
tremendously in understanding the recent past, current, and
historical uses of this watershed. Students should work with
them and, if feasible, contact the University of Alaska
archives for any information or photos that might be
available showing the use of this watershed.
5. The students may want to contact the National Park
Service to gather information about the current fish
species, populations, and their habitats in the watershed.
With this current information, they should compare it with
the historical information and with Elder knowledge of the
area.
6. The students should access those areas of the
watershed that they are able to and gather information
relating to:
* water quality ( pH, pollutants, contaminants,
etc.)
* water temperature
* water turbidity
* water conductivity
They should collect data by observation, Elder knowledge,
and by western science methods.
7. Students will build a model of the watershed. This can
be done with arts and craft materials as a diorama, or as a
mechanical working demonstration model.
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