Grade Level: 6-9

Suggested Time

• Two to three class periods (with additional out-of-class time for the Check for Understanding activity)

Multimedia Resources

• Living on the Coast video
• Bowhead Whaling and Its Impact Flash Interactive
• Iñupiaq Whale Hunt video
• Arctic Climate Perspectives video

Materials

• Observing Your Environment Worksheet PDF Document
• Bockstoce Study Chart PDF Document
• Chart paper [You may want to use self-adhesive chart paper or have tape on hand to display the completed charts.]
• For each group of 3 — 4 students: poster boards and a set of markers

Before the Lesson

• If possible, arrange computer access so students can work in pairs or small groups.
• Print and copy PDF documents for each student.
• Prepare a list of environmental changes that were brought on by human activity in your local region that students can research for their final project. If possible, focus on changes that had noticeable and/or measurable effects. For example, students could look at how the introduction of a human-made structure, such as a dam or shopping plaza, into a natural environment has affected that environment.