Lessons & Units
A database
of lessons and units searchable by content and cultural standards,
cultural region and grade level. More units will be available soon.
You can use Acrobat Reader to look at the PDF version of the Cover
Sheet
for the Units and Self-Assessment
for Cultural Standards in Practice.
Winds
And
Weather
by Jonas Ramoth and Sidney Stephens
Appendix D - Interdisciplinary Integration/Extension
This weather unit focuses tightly on traditional/local and contemporary/universal
ways of observing, measuring and predicting weather. These weather studies could
be greatly enhanced by both considering weather within an interdisciplinary
framework and by linking weather studies with other, relevant science concepts.
A partial brainstorming of potential areas for further study follows. Language Arts
- Weather journals*
- Tape record or videotape Elders telling weather stories
- Find as many words as possible that describe the weather. Make a book.
- Write and put on a short play about the weather.
- Pretend you are a warm front moving in after 2 weeks of 40 below. Write
a story from that perspective.
- Write original stories/poems about the weather.
- Compile and illustrate an anthology of poems about the weather.
- Brainstorm weather phrases from home and illustrate
how they relate to life in general. Examples: "rain
check," "the calm before
the storm," etc.
- Listen/read about weather in the news
- Do a survey of people's attitudes
about the weather
- Math
- Measure temperature, wind speed, precipitation. Record measurements and
show in graphic form.*
- Compute maximum, minimum and average temperature over time*
- Use graphs to explore annual temperature cycles*
- Create scale comparing quantitative and qualitative measures of temperature*
- Estimate cloud cover on a daily basis*
- Music
- Research and tape or video record local songs/dances related to weather.
- Compile and sing songs with weather as a theme.
- Share what you have learned about weather in the form of a song, dance or
rap.
- Make a sound map of you community on different weather days and try to explain
the differences.
- Listen to symphonies depicting weather/seasons and reflect on their relevance
to you. ( If you were writing a winter symphony, would it be the same or different?
How? Why?)
- Social Studies
- Work with one or more Elders or Traditional Forecasters to gain local knowledge
and perspective on weather. Keep a record of this work. *
- Observe and record how the weather affects community activities.*
- Investigate safety and survival as it relates to weather.*
- Investigate changes in weather activities then and now (e.g. what did people
do at 40 below before oil heat, snow machines and TV?; what do they do at
40 below now?)
- Compare weather and weather forecasting in your community to weather in
another community.
- Compile a winter games book for your community.
- Examine the economic impact of weather in your community e.g. cost, abundance,
scarcity of food, fuel, clothing, housing etc.
- Investigate how other cultures through time have regarded and explained
the weather.
- Art
- Illustrate personal weather stories or stories told by elder.
- Create a mural or diorama depicting community activities related to weather.
- Research and illustrate the influence of weather on local art.
- Illustrate weather sayings.
- Create a series of mood paintings or drawings based on how the weather affects
you.
- Create posters or video on safety and survival.
- Research an artist who seemed to capture the elements in his or her paintings.
Learn about his or her life and try to paint a painting in that style.
- Related Science Topics
- Water cycle
- Snow (crystal formation, physics, as insulation, adaptation to etc.)
- Overflow
- Insulation
- Plant and animal adaptations to weather
- Global Climate Change
* indicates inclusion in existing unit plans
Standards
Section I - Observing Locally
Section II - Understanding Wind
Section III - Connecting
Globally
Appendix A - Selawik Weather Information from
Jonas Ramoth
Appendix B - Assessment
Appendix C - Weather Resource
List
Appendix D - Interdisciplinary Integration
Handbook
for Culturally Responsive Science Curriculum by Sidney Stephens
Excerpt: "The information and insights contained in this document will be
of interest to anyone involved in bringing local knowledge to bear in school
curriculum. Drawing upon the efforts of many people over a period of several
years, Sidney Stephens has managed to distill and synthesize the critical ingredients
for making the teaching of science relevant and meaningful in culturally adaptable
ways." |
