Camp W.A.T.E.R.

Program

Camp W.A.T.E.R.
Juneau School District
10014 Crazy Horse Drive
Juneau, Alaska 99801

Contact

Peggy Cowan, Assistant Superintendent
Juneau School District
Phone: 907/463-1700 ext. 218
E-mail: cowanp@jsd.k12.ak.us

Information for this profile was compiled from a grant abstract, interviews, and from the Camp W.A.T.E.R. Performance Report (Calkins, 2002)

Camp W.A.T.E.R. at a glance:

• Middle school
• Wilderness exploration
• Adventure
• Tradition (Tlingit)
• Exploration
• Research (math and science projects, and Native Ways of Knowing)

Background

Camp W.A.T.E.R. is a summer math/science camp for middle school students sponsored by the Juneau School District in partnership with L'Koot Kwaan-Chilkoot Culture Camp.

In operation for five years, the program has been primarily grant-funded; the 2002 program was funded with the first of a five-year National Science Federation Equity grant. There is no charge for participants.

Thirty-five to 40 campers spend three and a half weeks learning mathematics and science skills through two perspectives—modern scientific methodology and traditional ways of knowing from Tlingit elders. The camp's four objectives are:

• To strengthen student commitment, particularly Alaska Native students' commitment to stay in school and enroll in math and science courses
• To teach participants natural science and mathematics topics through data collection and analysis and illustrate the importance of math and science in their daily lives
• To model and exemplify the connections between Alaska Native traditional knowledge and western ways of knowing
• To emphasize career exploration and introduce resource management and other science and mathematics careers as career options

Criteria for acceptance into the camp have been developed based on teacher recommendations, student interest, and mathematics and science performance. In an application, the students answer questions about their prior experience in camps and interest in science; complete a mathematics "site" problem to determine basic math skills; and write an essay explaining why they want to attend camp and their goals for learning.

A teacher recommendation form is completed by a mathematics or science teacher, or by an Indian Studies/Cultural Resource Specialist. The form asks about the student's abilities in math, written and oral communication, leadership, working with others in groups, and other abilities relating to social maturity and common sense.

Programming

The first week is an orientation to Native Ways of Knowing, science, outdoor survival, and group-building activities. During this week students gain an understanding of the scientific method and choose a topic for their sustained investigations. In previous years, all the students participated in the same project—collecting water samples and using laboratory instruments to analyze the data. After receiving feedback from staff and campers, it was decided to use the previous year's study as a model for demonstrating the scientific method, and to have the children choose their own topic of interest. A sampling of some of last year's projects includes:

• Traditional vs. commercial bug repellents
• Breaking strengths of wood
• Antibacterial properties of plants
• Comparing speed with numbers of paddlers in a canoe

During this week students interview nine scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Laboratory, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These scientists also helped students develop their science projects and provide helpful feedback in one-on-one interactions.

The children next go to a traditional Alaska Native culture camp, L'Koot Kwaan, near Haines, a five-hour ferry ride from Juneau. Each day starts with science mini-investigations, then a Native song/language instruction and ends with a Native story. During the day students rotate between science, which starts with direct instruction and ends with doing their own project, with visits by scientists and Elders on alternating days.

The children are mentored and taught Native Ways of Knowing by local Elders. One year, Walter Soboloff, a 94-year-old local Elder worked with the children. Each day starts with science investigations, then a Native song or language instruction, and ends with a Native story. During the day students have direct science instruction lessons and work on their science projects, with scientists and Elders visiting on alternating days. The children learn much about the Tlingit culture including how Tlingit people created art, hunted, fished, and lived. Stories and legends are told around the campfire; children hike and learn the history of Tlingit clans living in the area; and learn Tlingit math, a series of activities incorporating Tlingit art and culture with mathematical facts and concepts. They are taught how to maintain the health of streams and rivers, and how to care for the natural world. In addition to Elders, camp staff, and teachers, there is a small crew of high school counselors, many of whom attended the camp as children.

Campers then travel to Admiralty Island, a wilderness location in the Tongass National Forest. Here students do hands-on scientific experiments, explore life on the water via canoe, and begin to understand more of the local and regional natural history.

During the last week students publish their scientific findings, further interview scientists, prepare and present a multimedia display of their camp experiences, and set personal goals for the next year. A final potlatch, to which parents and families, scientists, and Elders are invited, is the culminating event of the summer. After Camp W.A.T.E.R. ends, students work with scientists and Elders on self-selected science projects and prepare entries for the Southeast Native Science Fair.

Community and Family Involvement

Native Elders and local scientists were teachers and mentors for the students throughout the program. The program is truly a community event: more than 85 parents, family members, and community members attended the potlatch and presentation of projects. Parents were asked to evaluate the program. Here are some of their comments:

• Camp W.A.T.E.R. gave my son more confidence and from what he says, he learned a lot.
• Observing sea life at Mitchell Bay was an area that interested her very much.
• She is very enthusiastic about the whole Camp W.A.T.E.R.—activities, travel, etc.—everything she learned and explored. She talks non-stop! (Calkins, p. 9).

Evaluation and Outcomes

Camp W.A.T.E.R. was evaluated by an external evaluator in the year following the 2001 summer camp. The report looked at the goals for the program and evaluated the status of progress toward the goals.

The children were asked to share two things they learned about science and science investigations. The variety of answers helped evaluate the degree to which the campers focused on the science goals of the camp and to the degree which they were aware of science and math in their everyday life at camp:

• Alder leaves are a good source to repel bugs ... It works better than commercial bug dope
• How to tell what sex a crab is
• We learned how fast the river flows in culture camp
• For my science investigation I learned that the hardest part is the background and the procedure

Perhaps the most revealing parts of the evaluation report are the case studies that look at the impact the program has had on certain students. The students and their teachers are interviewed at the end of the first semester after they attended Camp W.A.T.E.R. According to the teachers and the student himself, one boy became much more motivated in school and made greater progress in mathematics and science achievement. He also gained confidence and learned more cooperation skills working with others. In the sixth grade he had a C plus in science and an F in math. By eighth grade, after he attended the camp, he had a B in science and a C- in math. The boy reported that his Camp W.A.T.E.R. project on firefighting "changed the way I thinks about my future." He states "Math has always been my worst class, all my life, except when I can use it like I did here."

The report sums up the evaluation with the comment that "the projects met the overall goal for greater student ownership and long-lasting effects—students wrote with more detailed knowledge of and pride about their projects than they did about other components of the camp." (p. 1). These projects, which received widespread publicity in the community "helped bolster support for increased culturally appropriate, place-based learning activities for Native students" (p. 1).