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Traditional Art

Formline, Carving, Toolmaking, Wood Sculptures, Sewing, Beading, Weaving

Traditional Art

Weaving traditional arts into various curriculum areas offers a multitude of possibilities.

Whether you are seeking a dedicated lesson focused on a specific art form or seeking ways to seamlessly integrate it into your existing curriculum, we can assist you in connecting with skilled artists who can enrich your students' learning experiences.

Welcoming a Guest into Your Classroom

Koolyeik teaches the TEK class about preparing deer

Prior

  1. Make contact with guest, phone call is always great!

  2. Ask how they prefer to be introduced or if they would rather introduce themselves.

  3. 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. 

  4. Get permission from the guest ahead of time if I want to take photos or make audio/video recordings of the visit.

  5. 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. 

  6. Develop a set of questions with students to have ready to ask after guest's presentation.

  7. Let Principal/Secretaries know of guest's arrival day/time.

  1. Greet the guest as they arrive and offer something to drink or eat if possible.

  2. Introduce the guest to the class and re-iterate the goals of the visit. 

  3. Manage student behavior and conduct.

  4. Actively listen and participate in the lesson, encourage and elicit student participation and responses.

  5. Have students thank the guest at the end. 

  6. 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.

Classroom guest holds up wooden formline art.

During

Student and guest work together on the beach.

After

  1. Facilitate a structured reflection activity so students can process the visit together.

  2. Thank the guest, ask them for feedback about the visit, and extend an invitation to visit classroom again (if successful).

  3. Send a gratitude gift

  4. Student thank you cards (something they learned or appreciated)

  5. Photos w/card

  6. Drawings/artwork from students

  7. Culturally appropriate gift (canned salmon, etc.)

  8. Share the final product created by students if the guest visit was part of a larger unit or project.

Contact Us

SSD Cultural Department

907-966-1542

Address

Southeast Alaska Career Center (SEACC)

205 Baranof St.

Sitka, Alaska 99835

Community Links

Sitka Kids

Community Resources (pdf)

SNEP Newsletter

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