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Saturday 21 January 2017

Afognak and the 1964 Tsunami

Author
Driftwood Journey Curriculum


Lesson Summary

Objective
: To give students a first-hand look at what the residents of Afognak Village had to do to avoid the tsunami, and show them the destruction a tsunami can cause to a village.

Outcomes:
  • Students will learn about the history of Afognak Village.
  • Students will understand the destructive power of a tsunami.
  • Students will learn what to do in case of a tsunami warning.
  • Students will interact with Elders to get a first-hand account of history
    Afognak residents watch the Tsunami, Red Cedar of Afognak, page 21
Materials needed:
  • “The Red Cedar of Afognak” book; chairs arranged in a circle
People to be Included: Seven or eight Elders who can recount their Tsunami experiences

Process

Gear up: Show students pictures from “The Red Cedar of Afognak,” showing people on the mountain watching the tsunami. Read that part of the story to the students.

Explore: Reiterate that on Good Friday 1964, everyone from the village had to go up there to avoid the tsunami and they stayed there for three days, until it was safe to come down. Tell them how the water supply was contaminated and why the village residents had to be evacuated and relocated to Port Lions. Ask each of the Elders to tell his or her story of what they experienced and did on the day the earth shook and the tsunami hit.

Afognak store swept out to sea

The Afognak store was swept out to sea

Generalize: Ask them if they know where they would go if there were a tsunami coming near their home. Remind them they have to go to high ground as soon as they hear the warning (could be a warning on the radio or a siren warning). If they wait until they can see the tsunami coming, it’s too late. Tsunamis are much faster than people, so people can’t outrun them. Ask them if they know how the tsunami shaped the history of the Native Village of Afognak. Encourage them to ask the Elders present and/or their own relatives how the tsunami changed their lives.

Afognak and the 1964 TsunamiCampsite Version

Lesson Summary

Objective
: To give students a first-hand look at what the residents of Afognak Village had to do to avoid the tsunami, and show them the destruction a tsunami can cause to a village.

Outcomes:
  • Students will learn about the history of Afognak Village.
  • Students will understand the destructive power of a tsunami.
  • Students will learn what to do in case of a tsunami warning.
  • Students will gather leaf samples for a subsequent activity.
Materials needed:
  • Appropriate outdoor clothes; Zip-lock baggie for leaves
People to be Included: Elders who can recount their Tsunami experiences.

Process

Gear up: Show students pictures from “The Red Cedar of Afognak,” showing people on the mountain watching the tsunami. Read that part of the story to the students.

Explore: Take students on a hike along the evacuation route to the top of the route, where they can look down at the old village, the shoreline and the ocean. Once up there, tell them that on Good Friday 1964, everyone from the village had to go up there to avoid the tsunami and they stayed there for three days, until it was safe to come down. Tell them how the water supply was contaminated and why the village residents had to be evacuated and relocated to Port Lions.

On the way back, tell students to pay attention to the trees they encounter along the way and to gather leaves/needles from the ground underneath the trees for a future activity.
Back at camp, ask each of the Elders to tell his or her story of what he or she experienced and did on the day the earth shook and the tsunami hit.
Generalize: Ask students if they know where they would go if there were a tsunami coming near their home. Remind them they have to go to high ground as soon as they hear the warning (could be a warning on the radio or a siren warning). If they wait until they can see the tsunami coming, it’s too late. Tsunamis are much faster than people, so people can’t outrun them.

For further information log on website :
http://www.afognak.org/education/dw_lesson7.php

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