Curriculum Materials

Students dive in, taking on the role of a killer whale using echolocation to find prey and learning about the role of sound in the underwater world.

Glacier Bay National Park has a dynamic glacial history. Through this distance learning program, students will learn about glacial formation and its impact on the environment.

Glacier Bay National Park is a special place for all people to visit and explore. In this distance learning program, students will join a ranger on a virtual boat trip through Glacier Bay, while learning about the animals, glaciers, and people who make this park their home.

Glacier Bay is a vast wilderness that is home to many animals, including birds, mammals, fish and, historically, people. Through this distance learning program, students will learn that each animal has special adaptations to survive in the cold waters and snowy mountains of Glacier Bay.

The transfer of Alaska from the hands of Imperial Russia to the United States represents a major turning point in the history of Alaska, the United States, and Russia. Given that the transfer ceremony took place in Sitka, in what was then the Russian city of New Archangel, our park is uniquely suited to educate students about the growth and change of Russian America and the myriad of social, economic, and military changes that occurred in both the Unite States and Russia.

Activities for children to learn about sea otters in Alaska.

The Fur trade, as well as the trade of other natural goods and resources, was a significant driver in the European settlement of North America. Between the French and the British, North American became divided over the issue of fur hunting, trapping, and trading- with Native Americans becoming caught in the middle of these European nations. The same is true in Alaska.

For nearly 70 years, the Russian American company oversaw a colonial empire from their seat of power in the Russian colony of New Archangel- but founding a colony on the native land of the Tlingit people was no simple task. In this robust, place-based distance learning program, come the Battles of 1802 and 1804 that occurred right here in Sitka, while discussing important historical themes like conflict, colonization, and the rights of indigenous peoples.

How and why Russians came to and settled in Alaska is not only important for understanding Alaskan history, but also contains themes necessary for students to understand important historical ideas/concepts like trade, colonialism, and the rights of indigenous peoples. In addition, the efforts of Russian and other non-Alaskan native fur hunters had severe scientific, environmental, and cultural effects on this region and its indigenous peoples.

Our "Bears of Glacier Bay" curricula unit is divided into three lesson plans, each taking one class session to complete. They are part of our "Middle School Scientists" series that explore the fascinating research and resources of Glacier Bay National Park.