Enduring Understandings

Estimated Time:

Two class periods

Materials needed:

• Alaska's Cultures Unit Narrative
• Alaskool
• Alaska Native Knowledge Network

Lesson Plan:

• Students will read about some Alaska Native leaders and the activities with which they are engaged. They will select a person, a cultural group, or a corporation to report on orally to the class. Information about individuals might include such information as: cultural group membership, education, type of advocacy, employment, and accomplishments. Information about cultural groups might include such information as: activities, projects, issues, and leadership. Information about a corporation might be presented in the form of a collage that profiles members of the Board of Directors. Students are encouraged to show pictures, when possible.
  
  
• The following web sites can be used for this research. www.alaskool.org (for biographies)
  
  
• Alaskool Central (home page) has a direct link to the Biographies section. Of particular interest is the "Excerpts from Profiles in Change: Names, Notes, and Quotes for Alaskan Women.." Women profiled include: Annie Brower, Rachel Craig, Brenda Itta, Della Keats, Georgianna Lincoln, Bertha Moses, Sadie Neakok, Mary Schaeffer, Clare Swan, Fran Ulmer, Alice Wardlow, and Rosita Worl. Other biographies contained in this section are text only. And include: Ronal H. Brower, Sr., William L. Hensley, Roy Hundorf, Julie Kitka, Albert Kookesh, Janie Leask, Oliver Leavitt, Byron I. Mallott and Elizabeth Peratrovich. There is also a direct link from Alaskool to the Alaska Native Federation "Honoring our People" section that contains excellent biographies with pictures, including: Willie Hensley, Peter Kalifornsky, Byron Mallott, Emil Notti, Howard Rock, Walter Soboleff, Morris Thompson, and Elizabeth Peratrovich. Alaskool also provides a link to LitSite. This site contains an interesting section on Alaska Stories: Stories to Live by and Life Stories. Many of these stories are told by Alaska Native leaders.
  
  
• Also on Alaskool in the "Streaming Video" section are three documentaries that provide biographical information and contextual information relevant to the lives of Chief Katlian, Howard Rock and Della Keats.
  
  
• The Alaska Native Knowledge Network web site has a section on Alaska Native Cultural Resources. The menu for the cultural resource button includes links to several Alaska Native cultural groups. Information within the various cultural groups contains links to projects, activities and other descriptions of the contemporary cultural life within each group. www.ankn.uaf.edu (for cultural groups)
  
  
• Students choosing to focus on leadership within an Alaska Native Corporation can use the web site addresses in AK Natives-Economic Leaders.
  
  
• After students present their reports, draw their attention to the list that they generated that described Alaska Native cultures today (Dynamic Nature of Culture Lesson) Ask the students what they have learned in this unit that would result in changes to the original list. Have students write an essay in which they reflect on their major understandings of the history of Alaska Natives after this course.

Alaska Standards:

Culture: A, B, C, E

History: A, B, C

AK History: AH. PPE 3, AH. ICGP 4, AH. ICGP 10, AH. ICGP 8, AH. CC 5

Assessment: