Bringing

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Bringing Inupiat Traditional Knowledge Into The
Classroom
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Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative is working to
integrate the indigenous community and culture
into the education system.

• Benefits already seen include
• Increase in student achievement scores
• Decrease in dropout rates
• Increase in number of students attending
  college
• Increase in number of students in fields of
  science and math

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Program Success Includes

• Giving community a strong role in
  implementation and design.
• Organized around contemporary rural Alaska
  life.
• Project centered, community-based approach.
• Maintain flexibility!

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Native knowledge
Western knowledge
Educators
Education
Elders
Contemporary life issues
Community
Local culture/history
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Elder and Community Participation

• Positive identity and increased self esteem of
  students.
• Improved relationship between school and
  community.
• Increased orientation of teachers in the school
  and community.

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Photo courtesy of IHLC, Barrow, AK
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Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

TEK is a cumulative body of knowledge, practice,
and belief based on observation and experience
and handed down through generations by cultural
transmission, about the relationships of living
beings with one another and with their
environment.
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Inupiat Weather Expertise
A lesson with up to three activities which
incorporates science, language arts, and public
speaking.
Activity 1 An elder speaks to your class about
their local weather/climate change knowledge.
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Elder Arnold Brower of Barrow
Changes in climate have affected local plants.
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Elder Sadie Neakok of Barrow
Climate change has affected when freeze up
happens each year.
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Elder George Leavitt of Barrow
Changes in climate have affected permafrost and
frequency of storms which has increased erosion.
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Have Your Class Document Local Elder Knowledge

• Website
• Poster
• Booklet
• Video

Photo courtesy of IHLC, Barrow, AK
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Inupiat Weather Expertise
A lesson with up to three activities which
incorporates science, language arts, and public
speaking.
Activity 1 An elder speaks to your class about
their local weather/climate change knowledge.
Activity 2 Students use traditional methods to
observe weather patterns and keep a daily weather
journal.
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Traditional Weather Predicting Webpage created
by Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle of Nome
www.nomeschools.com/balvanna
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Inupiat Weather Expertise
A lesson with up to three activities which
incorporates science, language arts, and public
speaking.
Activity 1 An elder speaks to your class about
their local weather/climate change knowledge.
Activity 2 Students use traditional methods to
observe weather patterns and keep a daily weather
journal.
Activity 3 Students act as local forecasters
and present a weather report in Inupiaq to the
class.
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Activity 3 Inupiat Weather Report

• Watch local TV and newspaper weather reports.
• Prepare short weather report to give to class.
• Create weather map on posterboard.
• Rewrite script in Inupiat language.
• Invite elders to classroom to listen to weather
  reports.

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Elders
are a great link between
Community
School
They can share their

• Inupiat language and culture
• Understanding of environment
• Knowledge of climate/weather