“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho

After studying the history of Alaska, my students focused on the culture of Alaska. Alaska is full of unique and interesting cultures. There are many Alaska Native that have participated and still participate in the Iditarod each year. The Iditarod and sled dogs are a big part of Alaska’s culture.

The students in my class recently created a virtual museum showcasing the different cultures of Alaska. Their project began with researching the different cultures and choosing four they would like to learn additional information about. After gathering information, the students had to choose which items they would like to display as exhibits in their museum.

Each group received a template of the virtual museum in their Google Drive folder. They immediately shared the museum with each member of the group. Now, students were able to work on the museum at the exact same time while anywhere. Students were also able to message each other while working on the museum, an excellent Google Drive feature.

Essentially, the virtual museum is a Google Slides presentation, an enhanced presentation. The first page of the slideshow makes you feel like you are looking into the lobby of a museum. There are arrows directing visitors to certain rooms in the museum. When the viewer clicks on one of the arrows or rooms, it changes the screen to the specific room. When the viewer is in the room, they will see the inside of a room in a museum. While in this room the viewer will have the option to click on an exhibit. After clicking on the exhibit, the presentation will direct the viewer farther in the room to read about the exhibit and view an image or video. In each room viewers will have the option to return to the Museum Lobby or the room they came from.

I required each group to include four rooms in their museum. Within each museum they had to include two or three exhibits. Farther in the exhibit room is where the students included a detailed description and an image or video showcasing their featured item. The template provided to the students is very easy to work with. All students have to do is replace their information in the boxes.

If you would like to use the student sample presentation template, click File and scroll down to Make a Copy. It is now yours to do with what you want. Click here to view the student sample Virtual Museum. To begin your tour of the museum click Present in the top right of the screen. Once you are in the lobby, click a room to get started. Enjoy your tour.

Alaska Culture Lesson Plan

Alaska Culture Rubric

NOTE:  The “tinyurl” in the lesson and rubric no longer works.  This is an alternate resource:  Alaskan Native Cultures.

If you have other resources to recommend, we’d love to hear about them.  Email Jane Holmes, Education Director, at jane.holmes@iditarod.com