Witnessing Environmental Changes
https://mpbn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nasa09.sci.life.eco.witness/witnessing-environmental-changes/#.WOOrxo61vXE
https://mpbn.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/nasa09.sci.life.eco.witness/witnessing-environmental-changes/#.WOOrxo61vXE
Haskell Indian Nations University
This video segment examines the issue of climate change from the perspective of Native Americans. The video segment was adapted from a student video produced at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas.
Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
Grade Level
Regional Focus
Topics
Climate Literacy
This Video builds on the following concepts of Climate Literacy.
Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- Students could locate the setting of this video and investigate, using other resources such as drought maps and satellite images, changes in the area over the time span that these elders describe.
About the Content
- Paiute elders describe the changes they have observed in their surroundings, especially those related to water, and the effects of these changes on their way of life.
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Comments from expert scientist:
Scientific strengths:
- Background essay gives current statistics about the indigenous population in the world and in the United States
- Elders explain the differences they have observed in fish, rain and heat over the years
- This resource doesn't include a whole lot of hardy scientific material (facts, data, etc.) but would be a good introduction to climate change affects; the stats of fish decline, rain decline and temperature changes.
About the Pedagogy
- Video portrays the reflections of two Walker River (Nevada) Paiute Elders who describe the river and surrounding mountains as they were in their childhood and how much they have changed since then, primarily in terms of availability of water and food.
- Background essay about indigenous knowledge and discussion questions provided.