Alaskan Books for Alaskan Students

Funded Aug 11, 2024

My students have greatly enjoyed reading our Alaskan books! When this project was created and funded, I was slotted to teach third grade but have since been moved down to Kindergarten. The connection to rich Alaskan stories seemed important for the 8 and 9 year old students but I have since discovered it is even more so for my littles who have even less knowledge of Native Alaskan culture.

We read the totem pole story and they wanted more and more information. We looked up pictures of different totem poles and learned about what the different animals symbolize, watched videos of how to make them, and found the areas mentioned in the book on a map. They begged to read it over and over!

We read the Berry Magic book and they shared stories of how they go berry picking with their families and all the different things they make with our Alaskan berries. We learned native Alaskan words such as akutaq (also called Eskimo Ice Cream) and qaspeq (the type of shirt many native Alaskan women wear while picking berries due to its large front pocket). My newest student, a transplant from a village on the far west coast, lit up brighter than I have ever seen at hearing us use the language he hears at home. He was filled with pride to share the words he knows and his connection to the concepts in the book.

They can't wait to continue reading from our special Alaska book bin and learning more about this amazing place in which we live. Thank you for helping to fill our classroom with wonder, excitement, and connection to the culture surrounding us in our beautiful state!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Jamroz