Alaska
Journey to the last frontier! Learn about the 49th state on the anniversary of its admittance into the union (January 3, 1959). Each of these activities meets a variety of state and national standards for technology and core subject areas.
Grades K-2
Alaska’s geographic location far from the contiguous 48 states makes it different in many ways from the other states. Share with students some books about Alaska, discussing interesting facts and observations as you read. Then have students use Visual Mapping software to illustrate similarities and differences (climate, activities, wildlife, etc.) between where they live and Alaska.
EasyTech units: Visual Mapping Basics
Grades 3-5
Discuss how Alaska’s location and the axis of the Earth result in phenomena known as Midnight Sun and Polar Night. Have students use the Web to research more about this, and then use Spreadsheet software to log the length of days (daylight hours) in Juneau, Alaska and the city they live in. Have students use graphing tools to graph their results.
EasyTech units: Spreadsheet Basics, Graphing in Spreadsheets
Aha!Science units: Earth and Space Science: The Solar System
Grades 6-8
Have students use the Web to research information about Alaska and then plan an Alaskan vacation. Where would they go? How would they get there? Where would they stay? What activities and events would they enjoy? Students should create a Word Processing document that outlines the trip (with information, an agenda, and images) and should use Spreadsheet software to create a budget for the vacation, including travel, lodging, recreation, and other expenses.
EasyTech units: Web Browsing, Word Processing Software,
Spreadsheet Software
