Alaska

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Alaska
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Created by Angela Williams For EDCI 5314
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• This presentation will present basic information
  about the state of Alaska.
• The information in this presentation will provide
  a basis for the audience to compare Alaska to
  their own state.
• The audience could be anyone who is interested in
  the state of Alaska, but does not have much prior
  knowledge about Alaska. The presentation was
  created specifically for elementary students in
  Virginia. The presentation could be used to
  prepare the students for a unit about Alaska, or
  to review concepts covered in a unit about
  Alaska, or to compare Alaska to the students own
  state.
• Prerequisite skills/knowledge
• - Ability to use a mouse.
• - Ability to read.

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Alaska
Geography
Animals
The Northern Lights
Culture and Traditions
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Geography
Denali (Mount McKinley)
Glaciers
Earthquakes
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Denali (Mount McKinley)
Mount McKinley is the tallest mountain in North
America. It is 20,320 feet tall. Mount McKinley
is also called Denali. Denali is an Athabascan
Indian name meaning The High One.
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Glaciers
Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over
many years, compresses into large, thickened ice
masses. Glaciers form when snow remains in one
location long enough to transform into ice. What
makes glaciers unique is their ability to move.
Due to sheer mass, glaciers flow like very slow
rivers. Some glaciers are as small as football
fields, while others grow to be over a hundred
kilometers long.
Geography
Alaska Menu
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Earthquakes
Alaska has from 10-20 earthquakes every day! The
largest so far was the Great Alaskan Earthquake
in 1964. It killed 131 people and caused 300-400
million dollars in damage. The earthquake was
felt in all parts of Alaska, and even parts of
Canada and Washington, and it created waves up to
70 meters high.
This was a 6-story apartment building in
Anchorage after the 1964 earthquake.
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The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
Aurora Borealis is also known as the northern
lights. It is a fantastic light show! It is
caused by electricity that passes through a thin
gas and it causes a spark or glow. The
electricity comes from particles from the sun
that come in contact with the earth's atmosphere.
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Alaskan Animals
Eagle
Musk Ox
Killer Whales
Snowshoe Hare
Grizzly Bear
Porcupine
Polar Bear
These are just a few of the many animals that
live in Alaska. Can you think of more?
Caribou
Moose
Alaska Menu
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Eagle

• The bald eagle is the national bird of the United
  States.
• It is not really bald but its head and tail are
  covered with white feathers.
• Bald eagles can weigh 8 to 14 pounds, and their
  wings can spread up to 7 ½ feet across.

Animals
Alaska Menu

• Eagles are not very good hunters, so they usually
  eat dead animals or steal food from other
  animals.
• It is against the law to kill or have an eagle or
  any part of an eagle, including feathers.

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Musk Ox

• The word Oomingmak (for musk ox) means "the
  animal with skin like a beard" to the Inupiaq
  speaking Eskimos.
• They are usually 3-5 feet tall and weigh 500-900
  pounds.
• The musk ox coat and hooves keep them warm in the
  cold arctic weather which can reach 70ºF.

Animals

• The soft underfur of the Oomingmak is used by
  native people to create many knitted items. They
  use the fur of them
  muskox because it is one of the warmest furs
  known to man. Native
  people call this underfur "Qiviut".

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Killer Whales

• Male killer whales, or bulls, average 19-22 feet,
  and usually weigh between 8,000-12,000 pounds.
• Females, or cows, average 16-19 feet, and usually
  weigh between 3,000-8,000 pounds.
• Killer whales produce clicks and sounds that
  resemble moans, trills, grunts, whistles,
  squeaks, and creaking doors.

Animals

• They live in groups called pods, which usually
  have 5 to 30 killer whales. In Alaska and
  Antarctica, groups of more than 100 killer whales
  have been seen.

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Polar Bears

• Polar bears live only at the very northern tip of
  Alaska.
• They do not hibernate.
• Their white fur helps keep them camouflaged in
  the snow, but underneath their fur, they have
  black skin. The black skin absorbs heat from the
  sun and helps them stay warm.
• They are great swimmers!

Animals

• They have fur on the soles of their feet to keep
  them from slipping on ice.

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Porcupines

• Porcupines are usually 25 to 31 inches long, and
  they usually weigh 13 to 18 pounds.
• The porcupine has excellent senses of smell,
  hearing, and taste, but its eyesight is poor.
• They are covered with quills which they use for
  protection.

Animals

• Porcupines keep their backs to predators and
  swing their tails like a club.
• Some Native Americans and other people eat the
  meat from porcupines and use their quills for
  decoration.

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Grizzly Bear

• Grizzly bears and brown bears are the same kind
  of bears.
• They can be 6 ½ to 7 feet long, and weigh 330 to
  825 pounds.
• They eat about 80 to 90 pounds of food every day.
• They eat mostly grasses, flowers, and berries,
  but they also eat fish, insects, and other small
  animals.

Animals

• They have long claws (3 to 4 ¾ inches long) which
  they use for digging for food.
• They hibernate during the winter months.

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Snowshoe Hare

• They are yellowish to grayish brown in the
  summer, but turn white in the winter.
• They have large hind feet which help them move
  around in the deep snow, like snowshoes. Thats
  how they got their name!
• When they are born, they learn how to hop almost
  immediately.

Animals

• Snowshoe hares rest in the daytime and eat at
  night.

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Caribou

• Caribou are usually 4 to 5 feet tall and weigh
  about 500 pounds.
• Their antlers are about 3 feet tall!
• They can sleep in water.
• Caribou hide is often made into blankets,
  clothing and shelter. The antlers and bones are
  used to make toys, tools and weapons. Many
  people eat meat from caribou.

Animals

• They shovel snow in the winter to get to the
  moss and lichens under the snow. Thats what they
  eat.
• Caribou are also called reindeer.

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Moose

• Moose are the largest members of the deer family.
• Baby moose weigh 28-35 pounds when theyre born,
  and grow to 300 pounds by the time theyre 5
  months old!
• Female moose can weigh 800-1300 pounds, and male
  moose can weigh 1200-1600 pounds.

Animals

• Only the bull moose have antlers and they fall
  off every winter.

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Culture and Traditions
These are just a few examples of culture and
traditions in Alaska. It would be impossible to
show everything about this topic!
Clothing
Subsistence Lifestyle
Iditarod Dog Sled Race
Music and Dance
Blanket Toss
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The Five Feathers On A Dance Fan
Represent First Feather - Yupiks of the land
Second Feather - animals of the water Third
Feather - birds of the sky Fourth Feather -
animals of the land Fifth Feather - fruits and
wild vegetables
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Seasoned dried fish strips are a tasty snack.
Many Natives depend on king salmon, halibut, and
other fish for food and income.
Many Alaskans also depend on meat from caribou
and moose.
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Long ago, hunters would put one person on a
blanket and toss them high into the air to scout
for food, as there were no trees or tall
buildings to climb up and see far away. The
scout, when tossed high, could look around and
find animals and point the hunters in the right
direction. Today, the blanket toss is performed
at many festivals and celebrations in Alaska for
a fun way to preserve a cultural tradition.
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Mukluks are like tall moccasins made of fur and
animal skin. They are waterproof and very warm.
A parka from long ago and a modern parka.
A kuspuk is a lightweight coat. Mothers carry
their babies in the back of the kuspuk.
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The Iditarod Dog Sled Race is an annual tradition
in Alaska. It was started to keep alive the
tradition of using dogs and sleds as opposed to
snowmobiles and four-wheelers. The race is over
1,000 miles from Anchorage to Nome. A special
award is given to the last person who crosses the
finish line. It is called the Red Lantern award
because, as a joke, they used to say that the
last person was so far behind they needed a
lantern to find the way to Nome. Now it is a
symbol of perseverance and honor.