Our group tackled Standard D, which talks about drawing parallels between traditional cultures and modern cultures, building knowledge from global sources rather than the more in-the-box ‘standards.’

For the poster our group took the common story of Romeo and Juliet that most students have heard of and took it to different settings–what would this story look like in the science class? We realized salmon die after they mate and made the connection. Meanwhile in traditional Tlingit cultural practices there was (and still is) a cultural taboo about marrying within your moiety, so Romeo and Juliet rather than coming from different houses might both be Ravens.

Standard D is all about not dismissing cultural differences, but celebrating them and recognizing the way they are reflected in our own cultures.

Standard B: A culturally-responsive curriculum recognizes cultural knowledge as part of a living and constantly adapting system that is grounded in the past, but continues to grow through the present and into the future.

I remember that for our group it took us a little while to think of culture as a changing system, but once we got on that tack we realized how many options there were. We settled on how boarding schools changed native Alaskan culture because they had such a big influence on how things are now.

Culturally Responsive Curriculum Standard E can be summed up in the short phrase, “Think Globally, Act Locally”. The main goal of this standard is to have students put their local experience into a global context. By thinking globally, students may gain an appreciation for the impact that their community can have on a global scale.

One potential lesson could be for students to research the traditional hunting and fishing practices. From this point, students would look into how Fish & Game determines game management regulations and compare that to the traditional practices previously researched. I think that it would be really neat to bring in a panel of various community leaders from the game management arena to discuss how they use local insight to try to develop responsible game management practices.

The cultural standards for curriculum, section C, deal with six main points:

1. Using the local language
2. Use the local place
3. View community members as teachers
4. Incorporate cultural knowledge in the state curriculum
5. Use modern tools and technology to explain cultural knowledge
6. Be sensitive about others’ cultures

In my own personal French class, I imagine it will be easy enough to incorporate all of these points except for the first one if the first is relating specifically to Tlingit instead of English.

A culturally responsive curriculum uses the local language and cultural knowledge as a foundation for the rest of the curriculum.

Standard C is all about grounding your lesson in place. In our case, place is Alaska. For me specifically, I will be in an 8th grade language arts classroom in Anchorage, which has a very diverse population.

I see myself incorporating a lot of Native stories into the curriculum, which will allow the student to explore and appreciate the culture. The lesson plan that I am developing right now taps native oral storytelling. We are looking at the Tlingit story, Strong Man. After we examine the original story then we are going to look at the modern day comic retelling of the story. This is an example of how we can tap into the culture and then help students understand how the ideas and values presented are still relevant today.

Inviting an elder to come into the classroom for the first reading (or telling in this case) would be awesome. Then we could hear the language and ask questions. We could learn some new vocabulary that we can incorporate into the lesson and the classroom. I think having an actual person telling the story helps kids realize that these oral traditions are not just a thing of the past.