This week’s reference to the Alaska Native Knowledge Network site introduced me to some incredibly interesting curriculum. This particular link takes you to a glossary of terms from A-Z with lesson plans for children to learn all kinds of relevant cultural information and the corresponding names/terms in the Indigenous languages. The subjects and lessons vary from mathematical concepts and terms essential for survival to edible plant names in both languages. The greatest thing is that all of the curricula is adaptable and could be used at a local level. I intend to incorporate the idea of edible/medicinal plants and their names with my earth science 11 group. It will be my goal to introduce the local Aboriginal groups and how and why they used the plants as the first peoples here, but also to demonstrate how that information is useful to all of us today.
The glossary also has links on: gun safety, animal skinning, weather predicting, survival skills. It is pretty awesome!