Folklife Resources for Educators

Materials Related to Human ecology

There are 3 titles in this list.

The A:shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices
by National Museum of the American Indian
http://www.nmai.si.edu/education/files/poster_zuni.pdf

Teaching poster for grades 6-8 that examines the reciprocal relationships between the land and the A:shiwi people, also known as the Zuni, including how they have adapted to the semi-arid climate of New Mexico through a centuries-old farming technique known as "waffle gardens." Lesson plan includes background on how Native peoples have used observation and experimentation to develop science-based agricultural practices and also how A:shiwi waffle gardening reflects the traditional values of their culture. Poster meets national curriculum standards for Social Studies. (10 p. PDF)

Sponsoring Organization:
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW
Washington DC 20560
(202) 633-6996
http://www.nmai.si.edu/

Other Organizations:
Scholastic, Inc.

(800) 724-6527
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/index.jsp

The Catskills: A Sense of Place
by The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Inc.
http://www.catskillcenter.org/index.php/-catskill-center-/our-programs/education/sense-of-place

A series of five curriculum guides designed for grades 3-12 about the natural and cultural features of the Catskill Mountain Region. The five guides include: Module 1: Water Resources of the Catskills (208 p. PDF); Module 2: Geography & Geology of the Catskills (191 p. PDF); Module 3: Ecosystems of the Catskills (231 p. PDF); Module 4: Human History of the Catskills (165 p. PDF); and Module 5: Culture & Arts / Building Catskills Communities (192 p. PDF). Each module contains a bibliography of resource persons, publications, Web sites, and New York State standards-based lesson plans. A printed copy of the modules can be ordered at cost from the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development.

Sponsoring Organization:
Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, Inc.
PO Box 504, 43355 Route 28
Arkville NY 12406
(845) 586-2611. ex. 108
http://www.catskillcenter.org/

Culturally-Based Curriculum Resources
by Alaska Native Knowledge Network
http://ankn.uaf.edu/Resources/course/view.php?id=2

Culturally responsive curriculum resources for the study of Alaska native knowledge systems and ways of learning. Database includes units, lesson plans, activities, and background material for use in the K-12 classroom, geared primarily for use in the curriculum fields of math and science. The materials are created within a culturally aligned curriculum framework reflecting indigenous knowledge systems, and incorporate oral tradition, learned skills, traditional practice, folk medicine, and native ecological perspectives which make them valuable for application in social science and humanities curricula.

Sponsoring Organization:
Alaska Native Knowledge Network
University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756730
Fairbanks AK 99775-6730
(907) 474-1902
http://ankn.uaf.edu/