Positives

• The lesson plan is available in English and Spanish.
• Students will learn how the Yup'ik way of life persists even though the people have had to make adjustments in recent decades.
• Beautiful cinematography will draw students in.

Additional Prerequisites

• The lesson plan contains valuable background information that the teacher should share with the students prior to viewing the film.
• The film was produced in 2013, so some of the information may not be up to date.
  

Differentiation

• Social studies, geography and history classes could research the history of the Yup'ik people and learn how European colonialism and the United States' purchase of Alaska have impacted their traditional ways of life.
• Social studies and economics classes could discuss how the dependence on fossil fuels for transportation has had a negative impact on the Yup'ik people's traditional subsistence economy.
• English or art classes could study this watercolor painting by artist Jill Pelto that depicts the decline of the salmon population in the Pacific Northwest and compare the artist's statement to Ray Waska's assessment of the changes in the salmon population.
• Other resources on this topic include this video and activity about how the Athabaskan people of Alaska are impacted by climate change, this video on climate change in Barrow, Alaska, and this podcast about the negative effects of the industrial fishing industry on ecosystems.