ALASKA HISTORY

Textbook:	Grade Level: 9-12
ISBN#:	Length of Course: Year
Publisher:	Credit: 1
	Prerequisite: None

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Alaska History class begins with the study of different Alaska native groups before moving on to the Russian Era. The Russian Era focuses on land possession and transactions that occurred prior to the Purchase of Alaska in 1867, Vitas Bering, and the Russian –American Company. Next, students study the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 1971 the history of land claims in Alaska, the thirteen Native regional corporations, and 1991 stocks. The Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act is also explored by examining how public lands and National Wildlife Reserves are allocated and what role Federal Government Agencies have in this process. Areas of major economic contribution, ranging from the harvest of sea otter pelts during the Russian Era to the current day Prudoe Bay oil industry are also studied. The last segment of the class is spent examining WWII and post WWII events, beginning with the Aleut Evacuation, Alaska’s oil and crab boom, the subsistence dilemma and other problems Alaska is currently facing. Each student is expected to complete a project to demonstrate the knowledge they have gained regarding Alaska’s history and its people.

Alaska Content Standards

HISTORY

Standard A. A student should understand that history is a record of

human experiences that links the past to the present and

future.

Standard B. A student should understand historical themes through

factual knowledge of time, places, ideas, institutions,

cultures, people, and events.

Standard C. A student should develop the skills and processes of

historical inquiry.

Standard D. A student should be able to integrate historical

knowledge with historical skill to effectively participate

as a citizen and as a lifelong learner.

COURSE CONTENT

Regions of Alaska

· Show each of Alaska’s major regions, topography, and natural resources

· Identify and locate villages, towns and cities, major geographic regions climatic zones, and physical characteristics of regions within Alaska

Aboriginal Groups in Alaska

· Research and portray the location, lifestyle, and migration routes of Alaska’s major Aboriginal groups

· Identify the six major Alaska Native groups and characteristics of each

· Explain traditional housing, use of available resources, traditional methods of transportation, traditional leadership structures, traditional foods, traditional migratory patterns, traditional technology and inventions, traditional clothing, celebrations, belief systems and afterlife beliefs, traditional role of men and women, tools and technological adaptations, pre-contact populations, trade, use of slaves (or not), methods of warfare, methods of hunting, marriage, wealth, the duties of infants, children, women and men

· Identify similar cultural foundations in the Native groups of Alaska

· Identify similar and dissimilar belief systems and ceremonies within the major Native Alaskan groups

· Compare and contrast pre-contact belief systems of the major Native Alaskan groups

European Exploration and Settlement

· Examine economic reasons for European explorations and show the political and religious influences on Alaska

· Explain why communities existed where they did

· Identify why village settlement patterns evolved the way they did

U.S. Acquisitions to Statehood

· Describe the circumstances of Alaska’s acquisition from Russia and the subsequent booms that have populated Alaska (e.g., gold, military, Homestead Act)

Alaska State and Local Governments and Economics

· Identify the various layers of state government for local to state level organizations

· Prepare a diagram of Alaska’s state and local governments

· Stay knowledgeable of current events within Alaska and be able to discuss their impact on the state presently, the possible future impacts, as well as, the historical basis for the events

· Explain the impacts of past, present, and possible future economies on various groups of people and industries within Alaska

Alaska and the Federal Government

· Explore the impact of natural resources on the state’s economy

· Identify Alaska’s role in the United States and world economies, especially the Pacific Rim

· Understand how Alaska changed following ANCSA

· Explain the positive and negative effects of ANSCA on various groups, Native and non-Native within Alaska

· Explain the role of oil in the development of ANCSA

· Explain the impact of ANCSA on Alaskan Natives born before and after 1971

· Explain the role of village corporations and regional corporations and their impact on Alaskan Natives

· Explain the impact of Native regional corporations on the economy of Alaska

· Predict what the future holds for Native village corporations and regional corporation shareholders, and defense that could positively or negatively have impact on the outcome

· Compare and contrast the Alaska territorial government and present-day state government

· Explain how the United States and the world have been impacted by Alaska’s natural resources

· Explain the positive and negative impacts of natural resources development on various groups of Alaska’s people, and local and state economies both historical and present day

· Discuss how the presence of the military has impacted Alaska paying close attention to early statehood, gold rush era, World War II, and present day contrast how its role changed throughout those time periods

Alaskan Art, Literature, and Culture

· Explain both the scientific theory and local myths and legends explaining the arrival of the first people to Alaska

· Distinguish between information based on fact, and information based on bias and stereotype

· Identify the impact of Western civilization on Native Alaskans, paying special attention to missionaries, educators, whalers, miners, fishermen, doctors and modern medicine, and pilots

Resources:

http://www.alaskool.org