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Channel Islands Teacher Briefing
Week of November 1-5 1999
This coming month we will be studying Native trade patterns and seafaring in the Channel Islands, learning about the rock and sand art, reading the myths and legends of the early Channel inhabitants, and weaving together a more detailed portrait of the life of the Chumash and Gabrielino. In Science, we will begin our month long exploration of Geography, and you have the option of using the general geography introduction, and then combining it with general studies about the Channel region, or jump into specific studies of individual islands. Teachers in the past have been successful introducing the basic concepts of geography to the students during class time, and then assigning special research topics to small groups where each group adopts a different island to report on. All of these resources are available to you through the Camp web site.
The Camp Expedition Supply Kit includes a laminated map of the Channel region for your class to study, and challenges are included in the online text that will require using the map to find the answers. The Kit also includes a compass for every student, and a corollary activity is suggested online. During summer teacher training, we passed out materials from ESRI that you can share with the students to introduce them to GIS, and we will be sending out the ESRI CD ROM for you to begin working with in class. November is GIS month, with the specific day of observation being November 19th.
Search and Rescue Mission
If you would like to participate in the Camp's Search and Rescue Mission to find the Lone Woman of San Nicolas, but missed its live chat room activity, then we will be making the clues available to you via the Teacher's Base Camp. This activity is intended to wrap up the Island of the Blue Dolphins study section, and move you into the Native American Myth and Legend section where we will be doing reading comprehension and art activities related to the stories in the Camp's Coyote's Storytelling Center.
Geography
We have received a number of requests to receive the loaner GPS units for classrooms, and have ordered supplies accordingly. If you would like to have one of these small units to use in your classroom over the coming months, please let us know. They will be used to help chart resources and events in your local community, and then that data will be combined with other classroom findings as the Camp's GIS server goes online in the weeks ahead. Send any requests to camp@rain.org. When the units we have ordered arrive, we will let you know on the listserv that they are going out in the mail to you directly. We have also received the ESRI CD ROMs for classroom use, and will be sending those your way soon as well.
Upcoming Chats
We are scheduling live chats for students to meet Geographers in the weeks to come. Ben Waltenberger from the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary will be available, and Dr. Bill Bushing who runs the Catalina Island Conservancy will take time out of his busy schedule to answer your student questions later this month. Additional chats are being scheduled on Rock Art, and on Native American Harvest Celebrations.
Fall Community Nights
Let us know if your school can host a Fall Community Night anytime this month, or in early December. These evenings are a great opportunity to get parents more involved in the technology literacy process, to let students share their accomplishments, and to build support for the year end field trip activities. We will provide either a Paleo Dig or a Search and Rescue Mission for your families to enjoy live online, and encourage these events to promote community technology literacy.