K-12 Outreach with Kali School

Permafrost unit bulletin board. Credit Dianne Shirrell, Kali School

In spring 2021, members of the NNA-IRPS project team collaborated with Kali School principal and teachers in Point Lay, and with the help of outreach coordinators at UIC Science in Utqiagvik, on the development of 7 hands-on, place-based lessons related to permafrost and cold climate housing. They included two lessons for Grades 1-2, three for high school students, and two for all ages. Six of the lessons are included in the packet below. (Dianne Shirrell, the elementary school teacher we worked with, adapted one of the lessons into a poster project and created a beautiful classroom bulletin board to showcase the students' work and the vocabulary they learned.)

We also participated in virtual classroom visits by Zoom with students in February and May. NNA IRPS team members created several introductory and instructional videos and lesson kits. Equipment and supplies were mailed to the school, including a temperature probe for measuring snow depth and temperature and a thermal imaging camera and iPad. Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC) interns working on the NNA-IRPS project also completed a library of worksheets and lesson plans for future years.

 

Lesson Materials