Parkwise - Living in Kenai Fjords: Overview

Left to right: Stellar Sea Lions; Bald Eagle Student Drawing; Black Bear; Rockwell Kent Jr., Sketch

Some students have the good fortune to have a national park in their backyard. Almost everyone else has access, at least, to a quiet, natural place or park where they can observe the wonders and beauty of the natural world and think about the questions that nature provokes. Moose, bear, Orcas, spruce, hemlock and sea otters inhabit the natural world of coastal Alaska. What vegetation and animals inhabit your locale? Do you have spiders? Deer? Redwoods? Oaks? Alligators? How many of these are located near your school?

Kenai Fjords National Park's stunning beauty was one inspiration for this Website. The park is wild and rugged country, home to huge whales, playful Orcas, colorful nesting puffins, raucous sea lions, and blue-tinged glaciers. The other inspiration came from the nature journals created by 20th century artist, Rockwell Kent.

In the early 1900s, Rockwell Kent and his nine-year-old son, also named Rockwell, lived on Fox Island, adjacent to what would one day become Kenai Fjords National Park. In 1918 and 1919, father and son spent seven months chopping trees for firewood, cooking, skating and exploring the terrain. They also sketched and painted what they saw on the island and wrote letters and entries in their journals. Today's students can learn much from what Rockwell Kent called his "wilderness adventure" and, hopefully, be inspired to create their own nature adventure.

Whether you live in a big city or near wilderness we hope you will be able to take your students outside to enjoy the natural world and, then, come back into the classroom to discuss, illustrate, and write about your discoveries. This Website's lesson plans and interactive components are designed to support you and your students in your outdoor explorations.

Lessons throughout address and integrate national standards in Geography, Language Arts and Science.

The Unit is designed for students in grades 3-8. In order to accommodate this broad age range, many activities, handouts, extensions and challenges are addressed to older or younger students. To meet younger students' reading abilities, you may read and share background information or, for older students, have them read "Teacher Background" material in conjunction with "Student Background" information.

Overview

Background

Unit Outline
(1) Geography of a place shapes the life functions and culture of its human inhabitants. (2) Cultural history is influenced by geography. (3) Kenai Fjords appeals to all of the senses. (4) People want to preserve scenic and environmental areas for many reasons: to protect the culture, to preserve the beauty, to learn more about the geography, geology and history of an area, to protect the area's wildlife and biomes. (5) People travel to other places for different reasons: to experience the culture, enjoy the natural beauty, learn more about the area's history, enjoy its recreational opportunities. (6) A nature journal describes and "preserves" the wilderness. (7) A personal journal can be a legacy of time and place from a different point in history.

Final Activity: Creating a Legacy
Make, record and share observations of the natural world through a variety of media.

Final Activity Assessment

Instructional ResourcesA listing of resources used in the student activities and a glossary.

National Standards
Social Studies, history, geography, English/language arts