Sing a Song of Christmas!

“Merry Christmas Strait to You” 

Looking back over this past year, we count our many blessings – one of which is your friendship. We wish you good health and abundant happiness! May wondrous sights, radiant lights, and cozy nights be yours this holiday season. Sing along with us, into the New Year (song titles are live links to some of our favs)!!




“Catch All the Fish” 

Nate continues to earn a living doing what he loves… fishing! This fall, F/V Alpine Girl checked off another stellar season in Kodiak. From our Internet search history and the gear that arrives on our doorstep every so often in suspiciously unmarked packages, I can tell that he’s already looking towards the 2014 season; but for now, Nate’s enjoying being Mr. Dad to two toddlers who think he’s better than King Crab! As for me, I miss fishing in Bristol Bay with my Crustacean Sisters and the Sand Man, but summers with the kids certainly have their highlights! This year, the boys and I went a little wild on the farm – gardening, pickling, canning, freezing, drying… We helped raise chickens, pigs, and turkeys (freezers + pantry = full!) and even wet a line a few times on the Kenai so we could smoke us enough red salmon to survive the winter.

“Back to School Again”
At Chapman School, we are sailing towards the second semester at warp speed! This year, I have a delightful bunch of 4th and 5th graders for language arts, am teaching math and reading intervention to students in grades K-3, and advise Forensics, Battle of the Books, and Middle School Student Council.  I truly enjoy the variety of ages! Over and over again, the students shock me with their insight, originality, wit, and innocence.  The way they see the world is so different than I do now, at 30, and I love the periodic thrown backs to what it is like to be 10 and 6 and 14.



“Dinner Bell” Although he remains at the bottom of the charts in the 3rd percentile for weight, there isn’t much Wylie won’t eat… Applesauce, Legos, earplugs, box after box of Annie’s… the list goes on.  He may be small for 21 months, but he’s not quiet. What a firecracker! Wylie’s vocabulary already contains over 500 words, 8 of which are English. The rest are a mix of Aleut, Greek, and Glubberlick – a lost form of communication used by small animals, bunk trolls, and munchkins. His mobility increased enormously recently since he grew tall enough to reach doorknobs. Watching and imitating, tattletaling on the dogs (as well as sneaking them treats), and snacking on toothpaste whenever given the opportunity to slip into the bathroom unaccompanied are among Wylie’s favorite pastimes.

“What’s My Age Again?” Sawyer, now 3, is very much a Big Boy, albeit one who remains deathly afraid of airplanes flying overhead. He tears up the house on his two-wheeler; leaps fearlessly off of his new bunk bed; and bosses constantly in very specific, complete sentence. But he still always has time to stop and give a “kissnahug.” Sawyer is also learning how to dress himself and defies the law of averages by pulling his pants and boots on backwards 75% of the time. When it comes to craft projects, he puts the word “excited” to shame, and is such a sports-fanatic that he regularly takes his soccer ball and goal cones to bed with him. He likes to play Hide and Seek, but always tells us where he’s hiding while we’re counting. We have tried to explain the traditional way to play, but he seems to prefer Hide and Speak.



“V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N” Sawyer, Wylie, and I flew to Ashland this summer. We just can’t get enough of that sunshine, outside pool, and, of course, Tutu Judy!! Highlights were plentiful – including kayaking, the Spearhead Children’s Concert at Britt Festival, Crater Lake, and visiting with Grandma Virginia, Grandpa Bill, Aunt Martha and Aunt Ila at Little Gray Acers. We missed Popeye John, Auntie Chani, and Uncle Jeff – who were busy loadin’ up in Bristol Bay – but were lucky enough to partay with them in Homer in August. Also lively and exciting were our stops in Anchorage at either end of our trip to catch up with Nate’s Grandma Dorothy and his sister Rani and her animated crew. We feel incredibly blessed to have such a tremendous family!!

“Haven’t Got Time for the Pain” While hoisting the generator on one of our camping adventures this summer, I threw my back out. Boy, was that a bummer!! Not being able to move well for over a week was humbling and a good reminder to savor health.  Now fully recovered, I have been getting back into racing. Through running, swimming, and circuit training at our gym in Homer, I have become friends with some inspiring and super fun women. I also recently joined a great book club – the varied and entertaining new literature is a lot of fun! – and have been challenging myself by making a few things other than hats (gasp!) and trying to write more.



"Hunting We Will Go” Nate goes hunting every chance he gets. Moose, deer, bear, Sasquatch… You name it – it’s probably in our freezer. This fall, he started training our new addition – a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Louie (born in September) – who will keep him company in the woods within a year or two. For now, though, she’s content hunting Prawn, whose 4.5-pound frame allows him to slip easily out of her reach and makes for an entertaining dynamic in our home.


Wishing you and yours good cheer and the merriest of holiday seasons. Turn up the tunes and sing your way into 2014…

Let’s plaaaaay the dancing beats!!


XOXO

The Johnsons

Nate, Lila, Sawyer, Wylder, Prawn, and Louie

Memories of Nikki

It is with deep sadness that I sit down tonight to celebrate the vibrant life of my friend Nikki.  


We all - in the end - die in the middle of a story... of many stories. But Nikki's life was taken from us far too soon, and it is difficult to understand why such heartbreakingly tragic things happen to such worthy, wholesome families. 
 

However, huger than my grief over loosing such a special person is my admiration and appreciation for the inspiring woman she was; I am incredibly blessed to call Nikki my friend. This evening, I remember a few of the significant things Nikki taught me, and how wonderful her story made all of ours.

Nikki and I first met as little ones. I don't remember the exact circumstances, but seeing how our boys interact now, I am sure it involved hysterical giggling, floor-rolling, and toy-snatching. 

Over the years, I have many bright memories of Nikki – 

Diving for rings and pennies in the Homer Pool (always with a watchful eye on Bridget so we could sneak in a game of chicken on the huge, red, foam mats when she wasn't looking),

Riotous water balloon tosses, wild whip cream fights, and blindfolded games of stack-the-cotton balls at birthday parties. 

Rapid twirling in matching red party dresses until we fell down from dizziness - skirts fanned out around us.

Building fairy castles at Bishop’s Beach. 

Leaving summer fundraising car washes in water-soaked sweats and big smiles.

Growing up with Nikki was entertaining, exciting, and silly - but it was when we both became mothers that our relationship truly flourished. When she got pregnant with Hank, Nikki started gushing and never stopped. I remember how tenderly she held that little, red-haired bundle when he was first born; how expertly she discussed cloth diapers, homemade baby food, the right kind of vitamins; how she struggled and overcame the pains and challenges of nursing; how she fretted over Hank's colds when he was first exposed to germs at daycare. 

I remember her and Hank soaring down the snow-covered hills on Ohlsen Mountain; her pushing Hank on the swings at Karen Hornaday; us watching the boys drive their yellow toy excavators around Lauren's high tunnel - spit bubbles, "zroom zrooms," and occasional temper-tantrums abounding.

 

Nikki was also an amazing athlete. I have a groggy, adolescent memory of waking up to Nikki doing push-ups and crunches before school on the checkered carpet samples that covered the Fry's basement. I thought she was completely insane. I mean, this was before school! But as an adult, I loved training with Nikki. She pushed me constantly to go farther and faster while running and at Boot Camp. Boy, that girl could move! But my favorite activity was power walking with her up Baycrest or around my neighborhood. We'd chat comfortably, mostly about mundane things - our kids, families, upcoming birthday parties or baby showers. Miles would pass.

A generous and caring friend, Nikki gave me unending advice and support while planning our wedding and was there with casseroles, love, and tiny hats when both my sons were born. She taught me many things over the years - about making creative but simple dinners, planning elaborate Pinterest parties, writing timely thank you cards, building things (I'll never forget how comfortable Nikki was with a drill - she was such a bad ass!).

But most importantly, Nikki taught me about friendship and family. She loved her family. They were the most important things to her. It's incredibly simple, but true. 

Nikki's abiding love for Nate and Hank sustained her. She believed that love happened all the time, everywhere. In the most important way, Nikki was never ironic, never cynical, never pessimistic. I try to learn from that, still.

With her mom, dad and sister; with her husband and son; with all of us, Nikki had a lot of fun. She treasured happiness. I have an inordinate amount of "Nikki on Halloween" memories: carving pumpkins, Nikki dressed up as the Color Blue, passing out candy to trick-or-treaters before we had kids ourselves.

On Hank and Sawyer's first Halloween, Nikki brought over Save U More pizzas and big bags of chocolate. Great costumes, apple cider, and laughter filled the house. At that party, Lauren seemed unusually curious about whether or not the cider was spiked (it wasn't; the rum was on the side) and after she and Aaron left, Nikki and I speculated about her possible pregnancy.  I remember that Nikki was so excited about Hank and soon-to-be-born Wylie and Kellen being in the same class growing up. Looking back, that Halloween evening gossip-session is one of my most cherished memories with Nikki. 


Because of the generous and caring daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend that she was, Nikki Marie Geragotelis will be sorely missed. But greater than the sorrow over her death is the joy that she spread in her life. She touched all of us with her energy, vitality, and sparkle. These will love on forever in our hearts, and we will continue her story. 

Please send your memories, stories, and photos to memoriesofnikki@gmail.com. They are being complied into a book for Hank and the family. There is also a memorial account set up at Wells Fargo that is accessible nationwide at any branch. Checks can be made out to Nikki Geragotelis Memorial. The family plans to create a memorial place for Nikki Geragotelis.

Soon... A Fisher Poem

Crouched on the bow,

Sleep crusting my eyelids half-shut,

I breathe in the stillness.

Ripples echo silently against the aluminum hull.

Mast lights twinkle with stars in the pre-dawn sky.

The fleet sleeps.

Soon, the skipper will rev the engine.

The boat will lurch forward.

I’ll yank the lever and the shrill squeak of the anchor winch

Will pierce my reverie like a flock of gossiping kittiwakes.

Chain will rattle, and my gloved hand will force each icy link to its proper place.

Soon, I’ll switch on the RSW, and its familiar whine will mix with

The aroma of perking coffee and diesel.

I’ll scoop orange globs of powdered Gateraid into my water bottle,

While Ibuprofen numbs my swollen and cracked hands.

The hour will strike and the skipper will signal,

Undetectable but to me.

The buoy will fly

And the net will whirl behind it, out into the chop.

Sharp as Victorinoxes,

My eyes will send the message “backlash” to the hand manning the break

Almost before it even happens.

Someone will shout, “Jumper!”

And the laugh lines around the skipper’s eyes will crinkle

Like a little boy’s on Christmas morning.

“Which side do you think they’re hittin’ from?” he’ll ask,

And hook the net into the current

Whether I shrug my shoulders or not.

A school will light up the net: Brilliant white and blue fireworks –

More exhilarating than any Fourth of July exhibition

Anywhere.

I’ll unhook the gear.

Pow! Pow! Pow!

The plunger will echo, metallic against hard sea,

As wild and robust as my heartbeat.

Another hit, then another.

“They’re poppin’ like popcorn,” the skipper will bellow.

And for a moment, I’ll feel invincible.

Soon, I will snap mesh from gills with a practiced flip of my wrist.

And nimbly slide 5/8” web over sleek, fat salmon bellies,

Once, twice, three hundred times an hour.

I will lift a hatch cover and guide thousands of pounds of bled reds

Into a hold of arctic sea water

With a gentle nudge of an Xtra Tuf.

  

My co-deckhand will pass a steaming mug of burnt casserole

And I’ll scarf it one-handedly, all the while leading the mast line

In a tedious dance over the power roller’s bunny ears,

Thinking – for what must be the six-millionth time –
“There’s got to be a more efficient way…”

I’ll switch my tired, wet hoodie for another salt-encrusted one

On the preface of having to pee.

The VHF will crackle  

And all day, I’ll seasaw between genuine affection for every Pete, Todd and Larry,

Who quell my boredom with their stupid antidotes and blatant boasting,

And red, hot rage for the white torture of their monotonous drones,

So strong that, sometimes, it takes every ouch of willpower

Not to rip that loudspeaker off its mount under the bridge

And hurl it unapologetically into the swell.

Soon, we’ll loose the race against the clock

And end up round hauling the last two shackles,

Stress dripping from our brows to the beat of the second hand.

On the run to the tender, we’ll pick and restack

And when we’re done, I’ll scrub the galley floor,

Scrapping scales off the silverware drawer with a maxed-out credit card,

Not even bothering to wonder at the irony

Of the silverware drawer being cleaner than me. 

Soon, I’ll rip the lassoing tie-up line out of the sky.

The boat will ease alongside the tender

And I’ll meld the stiff yellow fibers around the cleat like butter.

We’ll hook and unhook brailers in rapid succession,

Fingers spinning above our heads,

A signal to the crane operator as we hop out of the way,

Surprisingly nimble with three layers of fleece under our Grundens.

Soon, we’ll pull away from that tender,

And hose in hand, I’ll shimmy across the deck

Belting Tenacious D while my co-deckhand dips brailers

In between fits of girlish giggles.

Then, we’ll bicker pettily over which flavor of ice cream to buy from the fuel barge.

Sunbeams the color of salmon will drip slowly below the horizon.

The crew will huddle around a dog-eared Captain Jack at the galley table,

Sipping grog from chipped mugs

As the boat maneuvers into the slough.

And I’ll meander back up there,

Ready to set the anchor.

But for now, it’s just me.

Standing on the bow.

In the stillness.

And there’s no other bliss
Quite like it.

-Lila Johnson

Middle School Unit on Climate Change

Final Unit Essential Question:

How can digital resources and effective teaching methods be used to integrate Alaska Native ways of knowing and Western scientific methods in order to create greater understanding of, and interest in, geosciences for students?

Intended Audience: 8^th grade science students

Unit Rationale: I have created this unit in order share the knowledge I have gained with my 8^th grade science class. I aim to teach them about climate change and its effects on Alaskan landscape, ecosystem, and lifestyle. I will probably adapt the unit to teach my 6^th and 7^th graders as well.

Goals:

·         To create student and community awareness of the impacts of global climate change on the Arctic landscapes, especially Alaskan landscapes.

·         To create student and community awareness on the impacts of global climate change on the Arctic ecosystems, especially Alaskan ecosystems.

·         To create student and community awareness of the impacts of global climate change on Arctic Natives and other Alaskan residents.

·         To create an understanding of how traditional knowledge and western science knowledge are both useful in understanding geoscience in Alaska.

·         To show how digital resources like those found on Teacher’s Domain and Google Earth can be useful for classroom instruction and student research.

Objectives:

·         Over the course of this unit, students will:

o   Understand what climate change is.

o   Understand why climate change is happening and how the element carbon is involved.

o   Understand how both human practices and natural occurrences are contributing to global climate change.

o   Understand how climate change is affecting Arctic landscape, animal and plant life, subsistence lifestyle, and community homes, roads, and buildings.

o   Interview an elder to learn what effects of climate change can be seen on the Kenai Peninsula over one lifetime.

o   Research Bering Sea organisms to learn how Bering Sea food webs are being affected by climate change.

o   Write a proposal for future research to be conducted on how climate change is affecting the Bering Sea ecosystem.

o   Understand that science and technology can be used to detect and solve some problems.

8^th Grade Alaska State Standards:

The student demonstrates an understanding of the processes of science by: SA1.1 asking questions, predicting, observing, describing, measuring, classifying, making generalizations, inferring and communicating.*

The student demonstrates an understanding that all organisms are linked to each other and their physical environments through the transfer and transformation of matter and energy bySC3.1 stating that energy flows and that matter cycles but is conserved within an ecosystem.

The student demonstrates an understanding that solving problems involves different ways of thinking bySE2.2 comparing the student’s work to the work of peers in order to identify multiple paths that can be used to investigate and evaluate potential solutions to a question or problem. (L)

The student demonstrates an understanding of how scientific discoveries and technological innovations affect our lives and society by:SE3.1 predicting the possible effects of a recent scientific discovery, invention, or scientific breakthrough. (L)

Lessons:

Explore:

LESSON 1: What causes climate change? Why is it occurring?

I created this Power Point to guide instruction on the science behind climate change. In it, I have embedded links to the following digital resources and corresponding discussion questions:

·         Ingredients for Life: Carbon.

o   What is carbon?

o   Why is carbon the basis for life?

·         Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem.

o   What biological processes involve carbon?

o   What is the role of oxygen in the carbon cycle?

·         Carbon Cycle Diagram 

·         Global Warming: The Physics of the Greenhouse Effect

o   What is the greenhouse effect?

o   Why is the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere increasing?

o   How is industrialization increasing the release of nature’s carbon stores?

·         Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming: Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect

o   How does global warming work?

o   Why is excess carbon in the atmosphere causing the earth’s average temperature to increase?

·         Air vs. Water Heat Capacity.

o   Which absorbs more heat – air or water? How much more?

o   Why is climate change happening?

·         LAB: Does a Watched Kettle Boil?

·         Soil Microbes and Global Warming.

o   Are microbes dormant underneath the snow?

o   How do microbes support plant growth?

o   How are microbes contributing to global warming?

·         Earth's Cryosphere: The Arctic and Earth's Albedo and Global Warming.

o   How do the poles help regulate the planet’s temperature?

o   What happens when ice melts and the oceans get bigger?

o   When is it predicted that the Arctic may be ice free? What consequences might this have for the Arctic ecosystem? The world as a whole?

·         Changing Arctic Landscape and Arctic Climate System.

o   What happens when global warming starts to affect the terrestrial cyrosphere – the planet’s inland frozen water storages?

o   What happens to the carbon dioxide that is released when the ice melts?

o   How does melting permafrost affect forests?

·         Earth's Cryosphere: The Antarctic.

o   What is happening in Antarctica as global temperatures increase?

·         How the Arctic Ecosystem Might Change

o   Do you have anything to add to your answer? What consequences might global warming have for the Arctic ecosystem and the world as a whole?

·         Capturing Carbon.

o   What are some ways for humans to help store excess carbon dioxide?

·          Carbon Capture: Where Do We Put It?

o   Any new ideas on ways for humans to help?

·         Climate Change in Alaska.

o   What are 5 specific ways climate change is affecting our state and its residents?

LESSON 2: How does climate change affect us in Alaska?

I created this Power Point to guide instruction on how climate change affects the Arctic landscape, ecosystem, and its residence. In it, I have embedded links to the following digital resources and corresponding discussion questions:

·         Inuit Observations of Climate Change.

o   What are 3 ways the Inuit of Sachs Harbour are directly affected?

·         Arctic Climate Perspectives.

o   What similar problems are the Iñupiaq of Barrow facing? What problems are unique?

·         An Unpredictable Environment.

o   How has climate change affected Native’s ability to predict weather?

o   How has climate change affected animal behaviors and subsistence hunting?

·         A Subsistence Culture Impacted by Climate Change .

o   How is the salmon population affected by climate change? 

·         Hunters Navigate Warming Arctic.

o   How is climate change affecting Native hunters and the communities they supply with food?

·         Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web.

o   What might the sharp decline in the harbor seal and kittiwakes population since 1989 be attributed to? Why?

·         Global Warming Threatens Caribou

o   How is climate change affecting caribou’s feeding and migration patterns and predators?

·         Polar Bears and Climate Change

o   How does climate change affect polar bears?

·         Global Warming Threatens Shishmaref.

o   How is climate change affecting the sea ice and the coastline along the Alaska Peninsula?

o   How is climate change affecting the homes of Shishmaref’s residents?

o   How is climate change affecting Shishmaref’s residents and their food sources?

·         Losing Permafrost.

o   How much has the average temperature rose since the 1960s?

o   How does this affect subsistence lifestyle, according to this video?

o   How much do Alaskans pay to repair damage caused by permafrost to public buildings and roads annually?

Extend:

LESSON 3: What changes have been observed here on the Kenai Peninsula in one lifetime?

Students will participate in the below project to interview an elder in order to learn more about climate change in the Kenai Peninsula.

In addition to the resources hyperlinked into the assignment, here are some teacher resources on incorporating elders into the classroom to review before beginning a project like this:

·         Using Elders in the Classroom by Roby Littlefield includes information and suggestions for involving and working with elders in the classroom.

·         National Resource Center for American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian Elders

·         Educator Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge

·         Educator and School Guidelines for Nurturing Culturally-Healthy Youth

Student Instructions:

To learn more about climate change, interview an elder from our community.

When all the interviews have been complete, we will hold a community potluck to showcase what we have learned from the elders about climate change in our community.

You may interview an elder from your family, or interview a volunteer from the Nilnilchik Native Association.

Procedure:

1.      Review this resource for how to respectfully interview an elder.

2.      Contact your elder to set up a time and place for the interview.

3.      Create a list of at least 10 specific questions to ask your elder about his or her experience with climate change in our community over the course of his/her lifetime.

o   These must be approved by your teacher before the interview.

o   Here are some suggested questions and resources on climate change in our community to help generate ideas for your questions:

§  Suggested questions for interviewing an elder.

§  Kenai National Wildlife’s Climate Change Report

§  Connecting Climate, Landscape by Lindsay Johnson, Homer News 10/28/10

4.      Create a beautiful invitation to the community potluck to give to your elder at the conclusion of the interview. Make sure your name and phone number are on the invitation in case he or she should have any questions.

5.      When you have completed your interview, create a poster board to display what you have learned about climate change in our community. We will share these at the community potluck.

LESSON 4: What can we, as citizen scientist, do about climate change?

·         For the last part of the climate change unit, students will study the Bering Sea and how climate change is affecting this important Alaskan ecosystem.

·         First, students will watch this video about ice’s role in the Bering Sea ecosystem and the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which brings scientists to the Bering Sea to study how climate change is affecting the Bering Sea’s ecosystem.

·         Then, students will learn about how Bering Sea walruses are being affected by climate change through this Power Point, which explains how scientists are monitoring:

o   What walruses are eating

o   Their breeding and young-raising patterns

o   Where and when they are hauling out

o   How climate change is affecting all these things.

·         Finally, students will become scientists like the ones who monitor walruses.

o   In teams, students will choose their own Bering Sea organisms to research.

o   They will use the websites I have provided in order to research how each of the organisms affect climate change and is affected by climate change.

o   They will decided which organisms are the most important to study in order to understand the effects of a warming climate to the entire Bering Sea ecosystem.

o   Then, they will write a proposal to the North Pacific Research Board convincing them that their research urgently requires data to be collected on the upcoming Healy cruise this April.

·         They will follow this handout, which I adapted from Alaska Sea and River Curriculum. Here is the assignment in summary:

·         Choose up to 7 organisms off the list and use the links provided to research them.

o   Make a sketch of the organism in its natural habitat. Remember that a habitat includes food, shelter, space and water. Include sea ice if it is important to meet habitat needs.

o   To which trophic level does the organism belong to?

o   How does it get its energy? (What does it eat?)

o   What does the organism give energy to? (What eats it?)

o   Make an inference as to how the organism would be affected by the rapid melt of sea ice and less sea ice.

• Create a concept map of the ecosystem with your team
• Meet with your team members. Give each team member five minutes to summarize what they found out about their organism’s role in the ecosystem and their inference about how a warming climate might affect it.
• As each person shares their information, draw a picture of the connections within the Bering Sea ecosystem - who eats who, the needs of each organism for sea ice, open water, or land and important connections to people. AND...

• Develop a study plan proposal
• As a group, discuss which of the organisms and connections are most important to study to understand the effects of a warming climate to the entire Bering Sea ecosystem.
• Remember that you are going to the Bering Sea in April and that will limit what you can study.
• Choose up to seven organisms or groups of organisms to study.
• Work together as each team member writes up his/her section of the study plan proposal. Your proposal will have the following sections:
• Descriptive Title
• Objectives (Statements that describe specifically what you intend to study and do for each species; e.g., to observe _____, to measure _____, etc.)
• Hypothesis or Hypotheses (The questions you are trying to answer for each species, stated as predictions)
• Justification (Why is it important that the study be done? Why are the species you intend to focus on the most important ones to the study and questions you are trying to answer?)
• Methods (What type of data will you collect? What technology will you use? Where will you study take place? What is your schedule for samples and observations?)

·         Finally, compile all the research and your study plan proposal either on a Google Website or in a Power Point so it is easy to share with your classmates.

·         Conclusion: Think about the statement: “Physical changes in the environment can change the conditions for life."

• How does it relate to your study of the Bering Sea?
• As you reflect, decide on 3-5 important examples of how climate change may be affecting living things in the Bering Sea.
• In your science notebook, explain why each is important; and why should people care about each of those potential effects.

Resources

Part 1: Bering Sea Research
Physical/geographic description of the Bering Sea, with maps showing bathymetry, currents, habitats, islands, and sea.
Description of Bering Sea ecosystem and wildlife, and threats to wildlife
NASA site with satellite imagery showing and describing physical attributes, seasons and changes in the Bering Sea

Part 2: Organism Research

Brief description and photos of arctic species at risk due to climate change
Descriptions and photos of arctic marine life from diatoms to whales, with links to additional information
Alaska Ocean Observing System: Information and learning activities about marine mammals and birds
Interactive Bering Sea/arctic ecosystem with info on key species:
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Amphipods

Ice Algae
Wikipedia: Ice Algae
NOAA article about algae and other organisms that live within sea ice
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Arctic Sea Ice Core
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Microscopic phytoplankton

Copepods
The Biology of Copepods
Wikipedia: Copepods
Copepods

Krill
National Geographic Krill profile with photo
Wikipedia: Krill

Clam (Macoma spp)
Macoma clam 

Jellyfish
The Jellies Zone
Jellyfish: Oregon Aquarium
Wikipedia: Jellyfish

Sea Urchins
Wikipedia: Sea Urchins
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Sea urchins
Sea Urchin Natural History

Bering Sea Seabirds
Least Auklet
Alaska Seabirds Information Series: Least Auklet
Whatbird.com – Least Auklet
Birds of North America Online: Least Auklet

Black-legged Kittiwake
Alaska Seabirds Information Series: Black-legged Kittiwake
Birds of North America Online: Black-legged Kittiwake
Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds: Black-legged Kittiwake

Spectacled Eider
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Notebook Series: Eider
BBC interview with Jim Lovvorn: Spectacled Eider
Field notes: Spotlight On… Spectacled Eiders

Arctic cod
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Arctic Cod
Wikipedia: Arctic cod
Arctic cod information, description, distribution and ecology

Bering Sea Marine Mammals
Walrus
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice, Walrus
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Fact Sheet: Pacific Walrus Response to Arctic Sea Ice Losses
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Notebook Series: Walrus

Ringed Seal
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice: Ringed Seal
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Notebook Series: Ringed Seal
National Marine Mammal Laboratory: Ringed Seals

Bowhead Whale
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Notebook Series: Bowhead Whale
Bowhead Whales in Alaska
National Marine Mammal Laboratory: Bowhead Whales

Right Whale
National Marine Mammal Laboratory: Right Whales
North Pacific Right Whale
American Cetacean Society: Right Whale

Polar Bear
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game Notebook Series: Polar Bear
Canadian Museum of Nature: Life Under the Ice: Life Under the Ice: Polar Bears
National Geographic: Polar Bear

Evaluate:

·         Students will respond to discussion questions after each digital resources using Think-Pair-Share. They will be asked to respond to some questions in their science notebooks. Their oral and written responses will be evaluated by teacher observation based on completeness, accuracy, and insightfulness.

·         Students Elder Interview questions will be evaluated based on how well they pertain to elder experience of climate change in Alaska. Students will be asked to redo any unsatisfactory questions before conducting the interview.

·         Poster boards displaying learning from elder interview will be evaluated using this criteria:

o    Accuracy of Information – 10 pts. – Your presentation displays each of question and your elder’s answer. Poster Board clearly displays what you have learned from your elder about climate change on the Kenai Peninsula.

o   Visuals – 5 pts. – Pictures and/or diagrams complement written information and help reader to understand information.

o   Clarity and Creativity – 5 pts. – Your presentation is easy to read and understand. Presentation is pleasing to the eye and font and colors are legible.

·         Students’ Bering Sea Research and Proposals will be scored using this rubric.