Module IV: Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunami, Oh, My!

by,  Kris Owens

Explain: What new learning have you taken from this module?
Two new pieces of learning  for me this week was in the technology aspect of this course.  The first was how to properly put links in my blog entries!  The second was how to use the measuring tool in Google Earth. I am confused about how to take a screen shot though!


It was also fun to learn about a unit of measurment I had never heard of called the smoot.  If ever I find myself in  Boston, I will be sure to check out the Harvard bridge. 


New information about the Earth's geology was revealed to me as I explored the chain of volcanoes extending from the Hawaiian Islands to the tip of the Aleutian chain.  I realized I had never been aware of this geological feature connecting Alaska and Hawaii.

The tsunami section of this module filled in many blanks in terms of Lituya Bay and the tsunamis that have occured there. Learning about the Fairweather Fault Trench and the massive rockfall caused by an earthquake, helped me to understand what generates the massive waves that have occurred in this bay.

As I located this bay with Google Earth, it became clear that I had somehow had it geographily misplaced in my mind. I was suprised to find out that it is in Southeast Alaska. An interesting link that I discovered as I explored this topic further can be found at  geology.com .  It is loaded with maps, photos, and first-hand accounts of the 1958 tsunami.

Extend: How can/will you use this week’s resources and/or others in your community in your lessons?

One of our themes at Fireweed Academy (the school where I teach) is "change." In science, we focus on our changing earth. Students are introduced to plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, the ring of fire, and cultural connections. Many of the resources used in this module will enrich these lessons greatly.

Evaluate: How useful, insightful or relevant are this module’s information and resources for you?

This module 's information and resources are very useful and relevant for me. Being able to use Google Earth in new ways, will help me to guide my students towards increased information about our planet, as well as the Google Earth program. We have previously used the feature showing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and had explored the Aleutian Trench. However, I had not thought about using it to explore other geological features such as the Fairweather fault trench and the Hawaii Island/Emperor Seamount chain.

During our studies of our changing earth,  major events such as the Lituya Bay tsunamis usually come up. It is great to have additional resources about this event, and a better background in what caused these events. Another major event of the 20th century that we investigate, is the eruption of Novarupta in 1912.  It is considered to be the greatest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. This is an event that many people haven't heard of, and is always interesting for   students to learn about. Information about this volcano and eruption can be found at the Alaska Volcano Observatory  website.  The photo below is from Novarupta - NASA Science, another great source for information. 

Three colleagues -


Cheryl :  I especially enjoyed Cheryl's entry for module III and the picture of her father standing in the crack created by the 1964 earthquake.

Michelle:  The road leading out to Hoonah's Icy Point looks like a great place to explore. I am curious about it's history. Was the tunnel originally for a road? Why and when was it turned into a road?


Alison:  Like Alison, I also enjoyed learning about the smoot unit of measurement. Another interesting blog to check out talks about the smoot, and other unusual units of what the author calls "folk measurment."  See - The Mickey, the Smoot, and Other Unusual Units of Measurement

Three Blog Visits - Module III

Martha Gould-Lehe:  http://mglehe.blogspot.com/2010/10/favorite-place.html

Martha gave a great example of how landforms shape culture with the Yukon River and the Athabascans who live there.  I also checked out the site link she provided, “Stories of Our People.”  This is a great link.  Thanks!  

"Stories of Our People" are posted courtesy of KNBA 90.3 - online at http://www.knba.org/

http://www.alaskool.org/resources/audiovisual/StoriesOfOurPeople.Intro.htm#AleutInternment

Janet Reed:  http://culturalconnectionsinearthscience.blogspot.com/

For some reason, I had a hard time reading Janet’s blog.  The first paragraph looked great, until after the comment about the movement of the Pacific Plate.  From here, all I see is vertical letters, like this –

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I saw other participants had posted comments indicated that it should be readable.  The comments were intriguing.  For example, what did Kathy agree about concerning kinesthetic learners? Hoping next time I visit, whatever was wrong with the site or my computer is fixed!  

Sabrina Sutton:  http://ssutton-ssutton.blogspot.com/

I read Sabrina’s response to module II.   She brought something forward that perhaps others have felt in similar circumstance.  That is growing up embarrassed about one’s ethnicity or culture.  It was wonderful to hear how that has changed over time.  She found guidance in finding pride in her heritage, and guidance in “western ways of doing things.” 

I also enjoyed reading about the beginning-of-the-year potluck for new teachers, the science fairs, and the science camps.  Exploring what types of fur make better winter gear, or which driftwood smokes better fish, are exciting, meaningful, ways to connect science with real life.   

Explain, Extend, Evaluate: Module III

by Kris Owens

1. Explain: What new learning have you taken from this module?

Increased Google Earth skills -

• I learned how to pan, rotate, and show various layers.
• I learned how to drop a pin on a location.
• I learned that if the view is fuzzy, try turning off layers and starting over!

From the articles, videos, and the PBS presentation I watched (Gates of the Arctic: Alaska's Brooks Range) I learned:

• Three Koykun rules to live by -
1. Don't overhunt. 2. Don't waste. 3. Put things back (what you can't use).
• That the culture of the Koyukin people changed rapidly as western technology became more prevalent.
• That the early Europeans in Alaska that were successful (able to survive and thrive in this landscape) learned what the country offered and from the people that lived here.
• The village of Anuktuvuk Pass formed when some of the nomadic Nunamiut, put down roots. Did their lives improve? In some ways it did. Infrustructure developed, in the form of mail service, transportation (airport), and the delivery of supplies.
Change came fast. People began having to deal with bills, water, light, and housing. They were suprised that they had to pay/work for houses, and needed to get used to a western lifestyle and a cash economy. How could they integrate their lifestyle, including the hunting of caribou, sheep, and moose, into this cash economy?

2.  Extend: How can/will you use this week’s resources and/or others in your community in your lessons?

I will be more knowledgeable when using Google Earth in leassons. In addition, many of the media resources present interesting ideas and/or tools related to topics my students encounter. While all of the media shared is very useful, two that really clicked for me were the video, "Plate Tectonics:  An Introduction",  and "Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker." These will both work out well with one theme we explore called, "Our Changing Earth."

3.  Evaluate: How useful, insightful or relevant are this module’s information and resources for you?

The information encountered can only serve to enrich the topics that are explored with students. The technology skills improved by exploring Google Earth, and sites encountered, such as the "Rock Cycle Animation" are highly useful and relevant to topics taught in the 3rd - 6th grade level, as well as age-appropriate.

Cited resources:

Plate Tectonics:  An Introduction http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.plateintro/

Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.shake/

Rock Cycle Animation
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.rockcycle/

Gates of the Arctic:  Alaska's Brooks Range - available from
http://www.alaskageographic.org

Explore Alaska - Module Three

by Kris Owens

Essential Question: How are landscapes formed and how, in turn, are cultures shaped by their landscapes?

Whether it is the mountain the man must climb in order to eat fresh goat meat, the birch-bark canoe a family fishes from, or the bridge we must cross in order to get to work, landscapes affect and shape culture.  Much of how a landscape looks, is the result of geological processes over time. Sometimes, sudden changes in landscapes occur, or even new landscapes emerge quickly. In addition, living organisms that inhabit a particular landscape, can have an impact upon how it looks and changes.

Geological Processes are primary shapers of our landscape and environment. It is interesting, how they are often tied in with other systems, such as the climate patterns that created the ice-ages, which in turn, caused geological forces to occur. While geologic ice-movement caused fluctuating sea-levels, these in turn, had an impact on global climate patterns, and the migrations of people and other animals, to new places. Once again, the interconnecteness of everything stands out!

Tectonic-plate movement, with the resulting formations of mountain ranges, deep-ocean trenches, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are also significant shapers of landscape. In addition, weathering and erosion are long-term agents of change to a landscape. The formation of landscape, due to geological processes, can also occur quickly. A good example is the formation of the island of Sursey in 1963, with the violent eruption of an underwater volcano.

While much of how a landscape is formed, occurs over time, landscape formation and change can occur relatively quickly, and even suddenly. This can be the result of events ranging from the eruption that led to the formation of Sursey Island, to the impact of living organisms on an environment. Since moving to Alaska in 1982, it has been interesting to witness relatively quick and dramatic changes to familiar landscapes. One example was the impact of a spruce-bark beatle infestation on landscapes and the oranisms that live here.

In 1982, I flew from Anchorage to Homer for the first time. Coming from the metropolitan New York area, I was unprepared for the beauty of the landscape below. We flew over ocean, lake-country, and dense, spruce forests. After landing in Homer, and exploring more of the peninsula, it was clear that much of the landscape was dominated by spruce-forested land.

The first signs of change occured in the Cooper Landing area. When driving the Sterling Highway for the first time in a long while, I noticed the death of large stretches of trees, along the sides of the mountains that the highway cuts through. I wondered what had caused this massive change, and found out it was spruce-bark beetles. Eventually, the insects impacted most parts of the Kenai Peninsula. In our area (southern peninsula), the death of trees, and later wind-storms and wildfires, transformed the forested landscape, into a much more open one, with some young spruce, and a higher predominance of cottonwood, birch, willow, alder, grasses, and wildflowers. Much of this landscape became more prone to wildfire (standing dead) and erosion.

Other quick changes in my personal experience, have included those resulting from geologic eruptions (the change in height and terrain of a volcano), to "100-year floods" (we had two!) that altered the courses of many local rivers and streams. A very dramatic example of fast change, included the recent collapse of part of a cliff located near the bottom of the popular Diamond Creek Trail, just north of Homer. The collapse caused a massive uplift, raising tidelines up 20 ft.

The interconnection between the organisms that inhabit a place, and the landscape, is another interesting loop to explore. For example, the spruce bark beetle epidemic described earlier, had a rippling effect on the plants and animals (including humans) that live in this place. Animals that relied on the forest for habitat, no longer had the habitat they needed, and moved (at least for the time being) to places with more suitable habitat. People worked hard to clear the dead spruce from their lands, winds blew trees down, forest-fires burned, and erosion increased in certain areas. Conditions emerged that were conducive to new plant and animal inhabitants, and were less conducive, to many organisms that previously lived in the forest habitat.

Economic effects also resulted, ranging from jobs created, such as tree-clearing, to individuals and businesses bearing the cost of tree-removal. Finally, much of the old-growth forest has been lost, affecting the hunting and gathering of those who participate in these endeavors, as well.

Cultures are a part of the woven fabric of a landscape. They are affected by the landscape they inhabit, and in turn have an effect on these landscapes. The structures that they live in, as well as the food that they eat, are directly tied to the landscape they inhabit. An interesting example to consider, when thinking about this, is the use of the same trails over thousands of years, by caribou. The trails become a part of the landscape. The people living there know of and use these trails, as part of their way of surviving and living. The caribou become woven into their culture and life, as food, as clothing, and as part of their culture (story, song, dance, celebration, traditions).

Recently I was lucky enough to catch the video presentation, "Gates of the Arctic: Alaska's Brooks Range." One elder interviewed in this PBS presentation, described how caribou had been part of her life since she was born. She described being raised with caribou and how many different ways she had eaten it in her life, from broth that she drank, to meat that she chewed. At one point she stated it was, "a guide." Without it, she asked, what would she eat?

The impact culture can have on landscape and the envirnoment, is also a point to consider. A dramatic example of this was the draining of wetlands located along the southwerstern Iraq - Iran border. This draining was ordered by Sadam Hussein, in the 1990's, at least in part due to the lack of support by the people called the Marsh-Arabs, who inhabited this area. The draining transformed this landscape from a lush, water-filled landscape, to a desolate, barren one, in a very short timel.

Impacts on living organisms were profound. Migrating birds, fish, and mammals such as the smooth-coated otter, are only a few examples of wildlife impact. The Marsh Arabs who live here, used reeds as materials for homes, canoes, and tools. They relied on the plants and animals that inhabitated this landscape for food and shelter, and it shaped their culture as well. The interconnection of environment and culture, is readily seen in this example.

How do landscapes affect culture? They affect where and how people live, while adding to culture in the form of their music, stories, traditions, and ways of being. In turn, cutlures imact and shape the landscapes they live in. Along with the ways in which people and other living organisms form and shape landscapes, there are long-term geological changes to consider, such as those caused by tectonic-plate movement. Short-term change, and even creation of landscapes, also occurs. All of these factors, culture, geologic forces, and sudden-change, are woven together to create the tapestries of the landscapes and cultures of Earth.

Links to Explore:

Bering Strait Had Profound Impact On Ice Age Climate

Clip from Gates of the Arctic:  Alaska's Brooks Range: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg2rTTIZ_Bc


Surtsey - Iceland's Island of Fire -
http://explorenorth.com/library/weekly/aa042601a.htm

Rebuilding Eden -  http://discovermagazine.com/2003/sep/breakeden

Restoring the Mesopotamian Marshlands in Southern Iraq - http://www.landandwater.com/features/vol47no5/vol47no5_1.html

Ma'dan: Marsh Arabs - http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Ma-dan-Marsh-Arabs.html

Cliff collapse likely cause of uplift </MCC HEAD> - Homer News http://homernews.com/stories/071509/news_3_004.shtml

Posts of Interest

http://pathstoknowledge.blogspot.com/ - Visited Marilyn's blog this morning and found a common thread in our thinking.  I have recently been reading about the importance of integrating the sciences as opposed to teaching one strand of science in isolation.  In reflection, I realize that this is somthing that happens frequently in our classroom.  I believe that this may be more easily accomplished in elementary classrooms as we are not focused on one specific subject area, such as physics.

http://ehhayesexplorealaska.blogspot.com/
This post offers new insight into module 2 of Explore Alaska. A new way to look at the meeting of western science and traditional native knowledge was suggested. This was to consider how western science can compliment traditional native knowledge, as opposed to how traditional native knowledge compliments western science. It prompted the thought in my mind, that they can each enhance the other. After reading this post, I am very excited to learn from my fellow classmates. Thank you.
http://indiancrkghetto.blogspot.com/
enjoyed Konrad Mittelstadt's take on module 2 of Explore Alaska.
"Explore Alaska! - Alaska Native and Western Perspectives on Earth's Systems,"
Matt Hunter


Visited his post and was blown away by the beauty of where he lives.
Envious! His posts on module 2 presented some intereseting spin-off ideas from the material presented. Again, I am impressed by my classmates and hope I can offer a tidbit of the knowledge and experiences their posts reflect!
Ernestine Hayes
 http://akknow.blogspot.com

Native Ways of Knowing and Western Science - Connecting, Learning, and Growing Together

By Kris Owens

Something I have heard about before, has been the idea of "native ways of knowing." I had not realized how vague the idea was for me, until reading and hearing more about this type of knowledge, and gaining a better understanding of the perspectives of some native Alaskans. Previously, my ideas centered on the belief that this type of science, resulted from the people and cultures native to a place, having their own, almost, homegrown science. This seemed to be based on years of experience in dealing with the environment of an area, the wildlife of an area, the climate and conditions of an area, and all of the connections in between. While this is true to a degree, the layers are much deeper than I had imagined, and the knowledge held much more closely than I had realized. The mission statement, of the Alaska Native Science Commission(<http://www.nativescience.org/about/concerns.htm>), empahsizes the importance of taking this perspective into account when scientific investigations are being carried out, in regions where a great deal of native-knowledge and culture exists. The importance of all members of the culture, being responsible for different aspects of this knowledge, was also a new one for me. For exmaple, that a native Alaskan woman, might have more information to offer in a particular area, than another member of their community, is an intriguing and an imporant idea.

An idea that grabbed my attention, was that the Innuit consider themselves the natural guardians of the world. One speaker brought to mind the idea of the canary in a coal mine. That it is able to warn in advance of trouble, is similar to the idea that the Innuit, having observed the environment for thousands of years, are also able to give early warning of changes in their environment. The Innuit peoples' belief of Inua or Sila, also brought forth a theme that seems to run through both traditional native knowledge, and to a greater degree as time goes by, western science. This idea, that everything is connected, seems to be a more internalized belief for native cultures, that has emerged over time, and through accuimlated observation and experience. In terms of western science, its seems to be a more recent development, as well as a more deliberate and constructed set of connections. The willingness to identify and understand those connections seems to be universal.

How recent, this idea that everything is connected is, in terms of western science, became evident last week, as my 3rd-6th graders viewed a viideo-clip from You-Tube. This clip, "25 Discoveries that Changed Our World" (<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGTijOPnxiw>) focuses on how the idea of an ecosystem emerged. We learned that the idea of ecosystems is a relatively new one, with previous study of the environment based mainly on observation of the environment being studied. After the dustbowl and other environmental disasters took place, the need for viewing the environment as an interconnected system, became more important.

The interconnectedness of scientific knowledge, across fields, across cultures, and across perspectives, became a new topic in my classroom, as I was introduced to these ideas last week. It is sure to become a much more common topic, from now on. Tying what my students are learning about in science, to where we live, as well as to native ways of knowing - the wealth of knowledge possessed and sometimes shared - will also become a greater empahasis in my classroom

Google Earth and the Land of My Birthplace....

By Kris Owens

Barrier islands, as defined by NOAA are -

"Elongate accumulations of sand that are separated from the mainland by open water in the form of estuaries, bays, or lagoons." 

source:  (http://www.csc.noaa.gov/beachnourishment/html/geo/barrier.htm )

My birthplace, Long Beach, New York, is located on a barrier island, off the south shore of Long Island, New York. The funny part is, I never knew anything about the geology or geography of this place where I was born, until I began exploring it with Google Earth this past weekend.

Turns out, it is part of a string of barrier islands, known as the New York City and Long Island barrier islands. They divide the Atlantic Ocean, from the lagoons south of Long Island. These barrier islands etend 120 miles across Long Island's coast. Winds, waves, currents, storms, and tides, are continually causing change to this system of islands, bays, channels, wetlands, and beaches.  

In addittion I found out, that Long Island was formed by retreating glaciers of the ice-age, 21,000 years ago, and is part of a glacial moraine. Glaceirs melted and receded to the north, leaving rocky, north-shore beaches, resulting from glacial debris. South-shore beaches were left sandy, the result of outwash sand. Today, the beaches of the south-shore of Long Island, including Long Beach, are clean and white, offering recreational and educational opportunities to all who live and visit there.

Long Beach itself is a small small, narrow island, just 2 square miles in area. It is about 3.5 miles in length, and averages about .5 mile in width. As one can imagine, surf from storms causes a great deal of beach erosion on the ocean side, and artificial dunes are used to help protect much of the shoreline. There are three bridges which connect it to the mainland, Long Island. The various ecosystems of Long Beach, as well as the other barrier islands, support a wide and diverse range plant and animal species. As children playing on the beach, we would encounter evidence of a variety of fish, sea-birds, shellfish, marine plants, jelly-fish, and marine mammals. It is a place vastly different from where I live now, but equally as interesting and important!

Exploring the place I grew up with Google Earth led to a great deal new knowledge about a place I thought I knew. Running into terms such as "barrier islands" and "bight" led to further exploration, and a deeper understanding of where I began my life on this planet. The idea of interconnectedness emerged once again, as I noticed the influence the ice-age has had on both the place where I was born, and where I live now. Using Google Earth ourselves, and with students, is a pathway to enhanced understanding of our world in terms of landmarks, geography, geology, culture, and more.

Images of Long Island taken by NASA - These files are in the public domain because they were created NASA <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA>. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted".

Google Earth Images - Long Beach, NY

We Are Always Learning... Blogging and Teachers' Domain

by Kris Owens

This week, I began a course called "Explore Alaska! - Alaska Native and Western Perspectives on Earth's Systems."  The learning began right away, with what felt like a whirlwind introduction to blogging.  I have never blogged before, and although a little confused at times, the blog has been established!

Through this first module of the course, I was also introduced to a resource called, "Teachers Domain." Looking for resources on the web to use in the classroom, can be a time-consuming process. It is always wonderful to find a site that is easy to use, and has current, well-organized, matched-to-standards materials.  Teachers' Domain (http://www.teachersdomain.org/) is new to me, and looks to be just such a site. 

In the past, I have relied heavily on Discovery Education as a source of digital media (http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ ).  Like Teachers' Domain, it also offers a wealth of curricular resoures, digital materials, and support materials for educators. A weakness has been that the videos offered are often dated, with a recent one my class viewed being made in the 1980's.  This was a short video-clip on ecosystems.  While the concepts being emphasized were just what I was looking for, the students quickly judged the video as being older.  It seemed that as soon as they believed it to be older, they became more skeptical of it's accuracy and revelance, and tended to focus more on how old it was.  After watching several video clips from Teachers' Domain, it appears that the media being presented is very current, cutting-edge material.  The support materials it provided for each video-clip I viewed, were extensive and useful as well. 

The Frame-Focus-Follow-up approach to integrating video and media into a lesson, was modeled as we explored the site and viewed a video called, "When Did the First Americans Arrive?"  This approach involves framing the video, by giving it a context; focusing the viewer, by providing specific questions or information to look for; and then following-up the video, with discussion, description, and reflection on ideas and concepts presented. The effectiveness of frame-focus-follow-up was evident as I viewed and reflected on the clip.

This particular video presented a wealth of information in a short amount of time.  It was fascinating to learn of the evidence that caribou, fox, and bears, were able to survive the ice ages, and to consider the possibility that humans had as well.   The video also filled in "gaps" in my knowledge of the Bering Sea land bridge.  While familiar with the land-bridge, the explantion that the weight of the glaciers during the ice-age 11,500 years ago, drew water out of the ocean, lowering sea-levels worldwide, exposing this land-bridge, was new to me.  In terms of the main question (when did the first Americans arrive?) the idea that knowledge is constantly evolving was evident.  The video clip highlighted the notion that as evidence is gathered, theories evolve and change. 

The reality of Teachers' Domain as a practical resource  became clear to me as  I explored the site further, looking for materials and media to supplement what we are currently working on in my 3rd-6th grade theme studies.  Being able to narrow a search to grade levels, content, and media type, made it easy to find materials related to our current topic of ecocystems.   As a result, students will be completing an interactive web activity, as well as viewing a short video-clip, as they learn about ecosystems this week!

Favorite Places

Summer in Alaska is one of my favorite times.  There is nothing like a little trout fishing on a quiet lake, as the sun gets lower in the sky.  This particular spot is in the Swan Lakes Canoe area.  The canoe trails of this area, which include connections to lake trails, the Moose River, and the Swanson River, offer fishing, wildlife viewing, and just plain relaxing.  There is nothing like swimming with the loons!