History
Storytelling, History, Place-names
Immersing your curriculum in stories, history, and the knowledge of traditional land names can truly breathe life into the educational experience for Sitka students.
The vibrant Lingít ways of knowing and living continue to thrive in the present day. We encourage you to welcome a guest speaker into your classroom, enabling students to gain firsthand insights into how the past has intricately shaped our present and future. If you are seeking innovative ways to connect your lessons to the local place and culture, we are here to assist you in brainstorming ideas that will enhance your students' learning journey. Let us work together to create a dynamic and culturally enriching educational environment.
Welcoming a Guest into Your Classroom
Prior
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Make contact with guest, phone call is always great!
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Ask how they prefer to be introduced or if they would rather introduce themselves.
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Discuss the goals of the visit with the guest and create an agenda or list of talking points, leaving room for the visit to unfold organically according to the guests' preferences.
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Get permission from the guest ahead of time if I want to take photos or make audio/video recordings of the visit.
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Pre-teach necessary elements so students have an understanding of why guest is visiting, and that the information shared is relevant today (culture is living, not a thing of the past). Make sure behavior expectations are clear.
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Develop a set of questions with students to have ready to ask after guest's presentation.
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Let Principal/Secretaries know of guest's arrival day/time.
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Greet the guest as they arrive and offer something to drink or eat if possible.
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Introduce the guest to the class and re-iterate the goals of the visit.
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Manage student behavior and conduct.
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Actively listen and participate in the lesson, encourage and elicit student participation and responses.
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Have students thank the guest at the end.
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If possible, check in with the guest on their way out to see how it went and if I can improve anything for next time.
During
After
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Facilitate a structured reflection activity so students can process the visit together.
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Thank the guest, ask them for feedback about the visit, and extend an invitation to visit classroom again (if successful).
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Send a gratitude gift
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Student thank you cards (something they learned or appreciated)
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Photos w/card
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Drawings/artwork from students
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Culturally appropriate gift (canned salmon, etc.)
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Share the final product created by students if the guest visit was part of a larger unit or project.