Molly of Denali - Family & Community Learning 2011-2012 by MilpitasInfo.com

FACILITATOR GUIDE A multi-generation engagement program designed to activate creative and collaborative learning using PBS KIDS meedia and resources

The contents of this document were developed under a cooperative agreement (PR/Award No. U295A150003, CFDA No. 84.295A) from the U.S. Department of Education. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. MOLLY OF DENALI™ is produced by GBH Kids and Atomic Cartoons in association with CBC Kids. Molly of Denali, Trademark/Copyright 2021 GBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. PBS KIDS and the PBS KIDS Logo are registered trademarks of Public Broadcasting Service. Used with permission. By using the enclosed materials and holding community workshops, you agree to indemnify and hold CPB and PBS, their affiliates, officers, directors, and employees harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising in any way from the workshops, including by way of example, without limitation, personal injury and property damage to workshop hosts and participants.

About the Show Welcome to the MOLLY OF DENALI™ Family & Community Learning (FCL) workshop! This guide is designed to support you in facilitating a series of four engaging workshops around the PBS KIDS program MOLLY OF DENALI. For a general overview of the FCL format, review the Family & Community Learning Overview Guide, a companion to this MOLLY OF DENALI facilitator guide. Please use them together as you plan, prepare for and facilitate your workshops. The learning focus for this workshop is about literacy and informational text—text whose main purpose is to convey information. This FCL fosters learning goals for informational text through:

Active video viewing and discussions

Collaborative, hands-on activities

Engagement with, and creation of, a variety of informational texts

Digital game play

About the Show MOLLY OF DENALI is an animated PBS KIDS series that follows the adventures of feisty and resourceful Molly Mabray, a 10-year-old Alaska Native girl. MOLLY OF DENALI is the first nationally distributed children’s series in the U.S. to feature an Alaska Native lead character. MOLLY OF DENALI is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop informational text knowledge and skills, while also highlighting traditional Alaska Native values. In each episode, Molly’s life and adventures are enhanced, illuminated and broadened by using and creating a variety of informational texts (including books, online resources, field guides, historical archives, Indigenous knowledge passed down by Elders, maps, charts, posters, photos and more).

In Molly’s world, community members engage in traditional arts and crafts as well as time-honored hunting and fishing methods. At the same time, characters in Molly’s world also use the internet, smart tablets, laptops, cell phones and other everyday conveniences of modern life.

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About the Resources About the Show

MOLLY OF DENALI is a multimedia project. It includes animated stories, live-action videos, digital games and hands-on activities that support children in using informational texts to solve real-world problems, accomplish tasks, meet their needs and wants, satisfy their curiosity and teach others. These resources are available via PBS KIDS broadcast, YouTube and video-on-demand services, the MOLLY OF DENALI website, PBS LearningMedia, the PBS KIDS video and game-play apps and the Molly of Denali app.

The MOLLY OF DENALI website and app are set in Molly’s fictional town of Qyah (pronounced KI-yah), Alaska, and includes four main games (“Sled Dog Dash,” “Fish Camp,” “Beading Art,” and“Denali Trading Post”), plus multiple mini-interactions where players can help members of the community with tasks like picking blueberries and finding agate stones. The app includes a “grown-ups” section that provides families and other caregivers with tips for playing the games with children.

The four FCL workshops utilize the MOLLY OF DENALI video content and digital games to complement learning through hands-on, real-world experiences. Through this FCL series, you will model for families how everyday interactions, including a variety of media and collaborative activities, can work in concert to support learning and foster engagement. 4 4

Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06 • • • •

What is Informational Text p. 6 Alaska Native Values p. 10 Creating a Community Mini-Museum Exhibit p. 13 Virtual Engagement p. 18

Session 1: Investigating Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 • Goals and Focus p. 20 • At-a-Glance p. 23 • Materials List p. 26 • Workshop Rundown p. 28

Session 2: Learning About Each Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 • • • •

Goals and Focus p. 44 At-a-Glance p. 47 Materials List p. 50 Workshop Rundown p. 52

Session 3: Exploring My Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 • • • •

Goals and Focus p. 62 At-a-Glance p. 65 Materials List p. 67 Workshop Rundown p. 69

Session 4: Celebrating Family Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 • Goals and Focus p. 80 • At-a-Glance p. 82 • Workshop Rundown p. 83

Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 • • • • •

Spotting Scope Instructions p. 92 Trail Mix Recipe p. 93 Stars in My Life Template p. 94 Recommended Booklist p. 95 Tips Sheets p. 98

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Introduction

Informational text is text whose primary purpose is to convey information. Informational text can be printed or written words, images, oral language, videos, websites, etc. Purpose is key when determining whether or not a text is informational text. Understanding how to find, use, and create informational text is essential to STEM and social studies learning, success in the workplace and citizenship. Informational text can be found in many places. The internet provides a rich environment for informational texts. Informational texts are also found in bookstores, libraries, homes, museums, grocery stores and even bus stations and subway stops! Through MOLLY OF DENALI, families will learn that they can use informational text to: Solve real-world problems Satisfy their curiosity Take advantage of opportunities Teach others Accomplish tasks

What is NOT Informational Text? It is important to note that literary texts (e.g., fantasy, drama, poetry), while a valuable part of children’s literacy development, are not informational text and are not the focus of MOLLY OF DENALI. Because children in the Ready to Learn target audience are less likely than their higher-income peers to receive exposure to informative/explanatory texts, we prioritize this type of text in MOLLY OF DENALI. 6

Types of Informational Text There are many different types of informational text. All of them have as a primary purpose to convey information, but within that, they have more specific purposes. Informational text also includes oral information, an important component of how Indigenous knowledge and lessonsare passed down from generation to generation. The following table details five types of informational text and their relative importance in MOLLY OF DENALI episodes, games and activities.

Teaching Families about Informational Text Families do not need to know the names and definitions of the different informational text types. Your role is to highlight for families how informational text is a natural part of our daily life and to support them in using and creating informational text. For more information on informational text, please refer to, “Using and Creating Informational Texts at Home” by Crystal N. Wise and Nell K. Duke and “Informational Text for Young Learners” by WGBH.

Welcoming Different Languages and Literacy Levels Families attending the workshops may have different literacy and language levels. Let families know that all reading, writing, and comfort levels with English are welcome. During the workshops, encourage families to produce informational text in the language they are most comfortable. Families can also be encouraged to share information orally through video recording, another valuable form of informational text!

INFORMATIONAL TEXT

PURPOSE

EXAMPLES

to convey information about the natural or social world

information book about science and social studies topics (e.g., frogs, Egypt); reference books such as atlases and fiels guides; some websites and apps; some magazine articles; some pamphlets; some posters

Procedural or How-To

to teach someone how to do something

text on how to carry out a science investigation; text on how to make something, such as an entree or craft; text on how to navigate to a particular place; text on how to administer first aid

Biographical

to interpret and share the experiences of a real person

profiles of individuals (e.g., on the web, on television); books that are biographies

Nonfiction Narrative

to interpret and share the story of a real event

the true story of a specific historical event; the history of a nation’s development

Functional

to support the carrying out of everyday tasks

schedules, weather charts, lists, forms, basic labels, signs

Informative/Explanatory

Alaska Native Values Set in the fictional rural Alaskan village of Qyah, MOLLY OF DENALI is designed to share and educate children—and grown-ups about Alaska Native culture and values. Alaska Natives are people who are indigenous to Alaska. A collection of widely-held Alaska Native values ground and guide the series, digital games, and learning experiences for kids and families. Based on principles of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, kindness, empathy, generosity and self-awareness, these values are foundational to children’s social and emotional development and civic responsibility. In addition to its focus on informational text, the FCL weaves Alaska Native values into the workshops to provide families a holistic perspective of Molly’s community and the opportunity to think about and connect these values with their own. We believe these values will likely resonate with families and communities who have a broad range of traditions, customs, wisdom and expectations. We encourage you to engage families in exploring how these values connect with their own. Part of telling the Alaska Native story is dealing with complex, often challenging issues. These are incorporated into MOLLY OF DENALi in age-appropriate ways, with great respect and sensitivity. This respect and sensitivity should carry through all of your workshop discussions. By highlighting and celebrating Alaska Native culture, these workshops are an opportunity to recognize and celebrate each family’s culture while honoring the experiences of others. For more information on Alaska Native culture and the world of MOLLY OF DENALI, see the “Alaska Native Culture” background reading by WGBH.

1. SHOWING RESPECT TO OTHERS Each Person Has a Special Gift

2. SHARING WHAT YOU HAVE Giving Makes You Richer

3. KNOWING WHO YOU ARE You Are an Extension of Your Family

4. ACCEPTING WHAT LIFE BRINGS You Cannot Control Many Things

5. HAVING PATIENCE Some Things Cannot Be Rushed

6. LIVING CAREFULLY Your Actions Have Consequences

7. TAKING CARE OF OTHERS You Cannot Live Without Them

8. HONORING YOUR ELDERS They Show You the Way in Life

9. SEEING CONNECTIONS All Things are Related

Connecting with Your Community/Land Acknowledgement

For example: “In the Alaska Native tradition, let’s take a moment to recognize and acknowledge the Indigenous People’s land on which today’s workshop is taking place.”

A good way to model the Alaska Native values is to learn and share about the Indigenous people of the land where your family engagement workshop series is taking place. This practice can be shared and repeated at the beginning of each workshop.

In Boston, MA, an example Land Acknowledgement would be, “We’d like to start the day by acknowledging this land that we have gathered on together, which has been a site of human activity for 13,000 years. This land is the territory of the Massachusett and their neighbors the Wampanoag and Nipmuc Peoples, who have stewarded this land for hundreds of generations.” Use this map to find more information about Native American, Indigenous and First Nation people’s native lands: https://native-land.ca/

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Contact and connect with local Indigenous organizations, community centers and Tribal councils to include and involve in the MOLLY OF DENALI family engagement workshops. Start with an introduction of your team, information about the workshop series and that you are looking to uplift local tribes through this engagement experience. A great example is WFSU Public Media’s virtual museum that incorporates local Muscogee cultural information. Visit: https://wfsu.org/education/molly-of-denalivirtual-museum/

For additional scaffolding on teaching about Indigenous people and Land Acknowledgements, please visit PBS Learning Media. pbslearningmedia.org/collection/molly-of-denali/ pbslearningmedia.org/resource/honoring-indigenous-experiences-media-gallery/pbs-all-stars-lessons/ pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amplifying-indigenous-experiences-video-gallery/all-stars-lessons/ 12

Creating a Community Mini-Museum Exhibit Through the MOLLY OF DENALI videos and digital games, families will get to know Molly Shahnyaa Mabray, her family and friends, and her community in Qyah. The workshop experiences will help families connect what they learn from Molly’s world with their own.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Molly’s Elders gave her the native name of Shahnyaa (SHAAH-NYAH) which means “she informs me.” Molly loves to inform and share about the people, places and things in Qyah and her surrounding community. Similarly, in this FCL, families will share information about their communities. Just like Molly, grown-ups and kids will create informational text together to inform an audience beyond the FCL about their community. Over the course of the four FCL workshops, families will create artifacts for a mini-museum exhibit that will represent what is important and special about their local community. 13

In each workshop, kids will create an informational text artifact to be included in a familygenerated “community museum exhibit.” Finished artifacts will include sculptures of local animals with placards, biographies of community members, a community map showing important or significant locations, and placards that explain traditions. Artifacts can also be a picture or video. In addition to writing a placard, families can record themselves sharing facts, or draw pictures to convey information. These alternatives can encourage younger kids or grown-ups, who may be struggling with written text, to still create informational text and contribute to the mini-museum. For privacy reasons, consider recording only the families’ voices while filming the artifact. Courtesy of KET

Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

The exhibit will be displayed in a digital and/or physical space. For digital exhibits, consider displaying the community museum exhibit through your website; photo library sites; and/or semi-private or closed social platforms commonly used and disseminated in your community. For physical spaces, consider using carrying cases or boxes with a lid (i.e., shoe boxes or gift boxes) to create physical displays that are portable and can be set up in multiple community locations. 14

Ideas for Staging and Sharing your Museum Exhibit: Host a pop-up museum at your local library, community center, and/or PBS member station lobby to share with and inform both community members and visitors. Host an “opening reception” and ask families to invite extended family, friends, and community members to attend and see the unveiled mini-museum exhibit. The reception could be scheduled at the end of the last FCL session. Provide or have families make invitations to invite community members to the reception. You might also consider hosting a “Potlatch” or potluck, a communal meal, along with the reception. This ties in nicely with the last session that is all about sharing traditions, including sharing recipes.

Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Create a digital version of the museum, archiving familygenerated artifacts to share electronically with families and with an audience beyond the FCL. Some examples could be a digital photo album or a collection of photos or videos on a video hosting platform such as through a station or partner’s social media or website. Pair up with another group that is hosting a MOLLY OF DENALI FCL (such as another PBS member station) as your pop-up pen pal and exchange physical/digital pop-up museum exhibits. One suggestion is to create a “suitcase” museum where all artifacts are stored in a suitcase that can travel easily and be physically set up in different locations.

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Since the mini-museum will live beyond the FCL workshop series, have families fill out media consent and release forms so that the museum exhibit can be shared with the larger community.

Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

What is the Purpose?

Research shows that informational text is best learned in the context of real-world exploration. Creating a mini-museum provides families with a compelling reason for exploring, learning and creating informational text. Explain to families where the mini-museum exhibit will be displayed and who the audience might be (community members, out-of-town visitors, etc.). Ensure that your exhibit is available to people beyond your immediate workshop participants. Sharing what families create with others separated by time and space gives added purpose to the artifact creation. If you plan to create a digital version of the museum exhibit, ensure that you have tools such as smartphones, tablets, or scanners available to take photos of and/or scan museum artifacts. Designate a digital folder or space for these artifacts that is shareable with families and your larger museum audience. Be sure to collect media release forms so that you have families’ permission to share their artwork, photos, etc. 16

Beyond the FCL Workshop

The museum exhibit will live on after the four workshop sessions. Since it will be shared with a wider audience, consider how you might share the information in the museumbeyond the scope of the workshop series. Some ideas to explore may include:

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If time and budget allow, schedule screenings of the MOLLY OF DENALI videos as separate events.

Using images and videos of the museum to promote your organization’s family engagement work in the community with current and potential new partners. Conveying your organization’s impact with local or state leaders (when appropriate). Sharing successes and impact with donors to help fundraise for and implement additional family engagement activities. Courtesy of KET

Previewing the Molly Episodes

To fully engage with the informational text learning goals in each MOLLY OF DENALI episode, we recommend FCL families view the entire episode story (11 minutes). Show the episode story during the “Eat” portion of the FCL. During “Explore,” the facilitator will review a clip from the episode that highlights the informational texttype of informational text families will be creating with their artifacts. Set up a tablet in the Digital Center that is preloaded with the video. An alternative option is to ask families to watch each session’s MOLLY OF DENALI video before the workshop.

Courtesy of KET

Virtual Engagement

Consider hosting a 30-minute pre-workshop virtual “Meet & Greet” session. Use this time for families and facilitators to get to know each other and preview workshop sessions for grownups. Take this opportunity to understand whether families include individuals with differing abilities and/or disabilities, family dietary restrictions, language preferences, and other information that will help you design an inclusive and equitable experience. Lean into community partners to help understand the strengths and needs of families that will inform your workshop design. Learn about which virtual platforms and mediums of communication families are comfortable using and are approved or commonly used by partners such as school districts or libraries, etc. Most virtual meeting platforms also allow you to create polls. Use this tool as a temperature check during the workshop, and/or at the end of each session as a quick way to gather feedback from families.

Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin / photo by Mouna Algahaithi

Courtesy of Louisiana Public Broadcasting

Go over the workshop sessions and preview content. Briefly introduce informational text and the Alaska Native values. Set the stage for families to have conversations before and after workshops about their own values, local community values and how these may compare with Alaska Native values. Organize materials by session in binders or folders and place them in bags before distributing to families at home. Also consider delivering food to families at home before the workshop, so that everyone can participate in the “Meal” portion together. 18

Session 1 INVESTIGATING ANIMALS

Courtesy of KET

“Live Carefully — Your Actions Have Consequences” 19

Investigating Animals: Goals and Focus Learning Goals In each session, families will engage in experiences that support the primary MOLLY OF DENALI informational text learning goal: To use informational text they access and/or create to meet their needs and wants, including to help them solve real-world problems, to satisfy their curiosity,to take advantage of opportunities, to teach others and to accomplish tasks. Each of the four workshop sessions also supports a secondary learning goal. For session 1, it is choosing the right text for the right purpose. Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

NOTE The informational text learning goals are concepts that are meant to help facilitators guide families’ explorations but do not need to be explicitly stated to families. Families should be focused on the experience of using and creating informational text. Courtesy of KET

This Session’s Molly Story “Suki’s Bone” explains how artifacts can be displayed in museums and how placards are used to convey information about the artifacts. Families will create an artifact (animal sculpture) and a museum placard about an animal in their community for the museum exhibit.

This Session’s Artifact:

A sculpture and placard about a local animal.

Session Priorities Families will: • Learn about informational text and ways we use it every day. • Use field guides to investigate and gather information about a local animal. • Create an artifact and a museum placard about the animal. • Develop and strengthen positive attitudes toward accessing, using, and creating informational text.

Alaska Native Value Introduce the Alaska Native value of “Live carefully – your actions have consequences’’ to center and ground the experience of this session’s workshop. Throughout the center activities, encourage families to discuss how we can live more carefully and protect local animals and their environment. Invite families to discuss how the Alaska Native value connects with their own family and community values. Encourage families to observe and discuss living alongside animals in their communities and being careful and thoughtful about how we interact and take care of the natural environment around us.

Concepts/vocabulary to incorporate throughout the workshop: Informational Text: Text whose main purpose is to convey information. A text can be written words, images, oral language, videos, websites, etc. We can use informational texts to solve everyday problems, satisfy our curiosity, take advantage of opportunities, teach others and complete tasks. Value: An idea or guiding principle we practice that is important and meaningful to our family or community. Artifact: An item made by humans that has special meaning.

Courtesy of KET

Observe: To use all five senses to gather information about people, objects or places; to notice. Investigate: To use our senses to make observations and gather information to explore a topic or problem. Field Guide: A book that identifies and provides facts about wildlife such as birds and animals and the natural environment such as plants and minerals. Museum Placard: A type of label used in a museum to share important information about a museum object. Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

Investigating Animals: At-a-Glance Eat

(25 minutes)

Welcome families. Sign everyone in, pass out conversation placemats and name tags and invite everyone to eat. Show the full episode story, “Suki’s Bone.” Have everyone introduce themselves and introduce the structure, goals and focus of the Family & Community Learning workshop series. Preview the workshop.

Explore

(40 minutes)

Introduce the concept of informational text and its purpose with a selection of everyday examples. (See appendix for a list of suggested examples.) Watch a clip of “Suki’s Bone,” which the families have viewed in full before attending the workshop. Introduce and discuss the idea of creating a mini-museum exhibit. Invite families to choose an animal, distribute “Molly & Me: Museum Planners” and set up the museum placard activity.

PLAY Facilitate family learning and play at three centers in the following sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center

Families will look through kid-friendly field guides about local animals to find information about the animal they chose for the museum exhibit. Families will gather information and take notes in their Molly & Me Museum Planner. Families will then create an animal sculpture with a museum placard based on the information that they gather.

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center

Families make a “spotting-scope” to take home to help explore their natural environment.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center

Families play the “Fish Camp” game found in the PBS KIDS GAMES and MOLLY OF DENALI app. They can also watch the full MOLLY OF DENALI story, “Suki’s Bone,” if they didn’t view it ahead of time.

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Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

To manage the number of families at each center, you may consider staggering or rotating families through the centers. Families will, most likely, need to spend a larger portion of their time at Molly’s Research & Writing Center compared with the other centers.

Extension Ideas If outdoor space is available, incorporate an outdoor classroom as part of “Molly’s Research & Writing Center.” Lead families outside to explore and observe local nature. This can also help families choose an animal to include in the museum exhibit. Load tablets with the free Seek by iNaturalist app. Recommend to families to download Seek by iNaturalist if they have smartphones. Through image recognition, the app can help families identify and learn information about plants and animals in their community. Connect with local Indigenous groups that may have informational text and knowledge to share about animals, birds, insects and/or the surrounding environment. Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

SHARE Bring families back together to share their contribution to the community museum exhibit: a museum placard with their chosen animal sculpture. Preview the next workshop. Share take home materials: MOLLY OF DENALI field guide and digital resource postcard. Goodbye until next time! 25

Materials Safety Note: Items used throughout the FCL can pose safety and choking hazards (straws, rubber bands) and/or allergic reactions (fish crackers, latex balloons) for young kids. Bring this to grown-ups’ attention and encourage adults to provide careful supervision of kids when using these items.

Eat Name tags Meal

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Gather field guides of animals and nature from your local library. If guides about local animals aren’t readily available, consider regional or state field guides.

Conversation placemats Episode story, “Suki’s Bone”

Explore A bag with a variety of familiar examples of informational text: Map or Globe Recipe Kid-friendly field guide Kid-friendly biographies Food box/container with nutritional info Board game instructions

A tablet loaded with Google maps and directions, a weather app, the website of the local library, etc. (See appendix for additional examples) Computer, projector and speakers “Suki’s Bone” video Photos of local animals (8” x 10” or larger), one for each family

Courtesy of WCNY

PLAY

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Molly’s Research & Writing Center A selection of kid-friendly print and/or digital local field guides of local animals and nature books

Molly & Me Museum Planner and pencil

Modeling/air-dry clay

Crayons

MOLLY OF DENALI coloring pages

Consider reusing kid-friendly eating utensils as carving and modeling tools to create animal sculptures.

Kid-friendly carving and modeling tools such as popsicle sticks, forks and spoons

Tooey’s Make & Take Center DIY “spotting-scope” instruction sheets

String

Markers and crayons

Modeling/air-dry clay

Tape

Child-safe scissors

Cardboard tubes and rolls

Glue

Additional craft supplies such as pom poms, glue, glitter and stickers

Construction or butcher paper

Trini’s Digital Media Center Computers or tablets with an open search browser and preloaded apps Add child lock protection or enable parental controls on search browsers on tablets or desktop computers.

Download tablets with “Fish Camp” digital game from the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app and “Suki’s Bone” episode Headphones

SHARE Computer and projector “Bird Sanctuary” video

TIP MOLLY OF DENALI field guide and digital resources postcard

To continue exploring beyond the workshop, families can download the free Seek by iNaturalist app on a smartphone or tablet. Through image recognition, the app can help families identify and learn information about plants and animals in their community. (See app details in the digital resource postcard.) 27

Investigating Animals: Workshop Rundown Eat

(25 minutes)

• As families arrive, invite them to get their food, start eating and use the placemats for conversation and activities. • Encourage families to notice the conversation prompts related to the image and the Alaska Native value on their placemats. Point out the conversation placemats and encourage families to talk about what they see and ask each other questions. • Show the full MOLLY OF DENALI story, “Suki’s Bone.” • Clean up meal and gather together as a whole group. The placemats are designed to engage kids while the family gets settled and enjoys their meal. The prompts on the placemat are tied to each week’s theme/topic and can be used by families and facilitators to spark conversation. If you plan to screen the episode during “Eat,” allow ample time for families to engage in the placemats before showing the episode story.

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Encourage families to eat upon arrival. This will ensure there is adequate time for introductions and to acquaint families with the FCL model.

If time is a constraint, model questions for a picture walk with the placemats.

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Use a strategy, such as “Hands in the air, eyes on me,” throughout the sessions when you need to regain the families’ attention. Being consistent will reinforce the routine.

Eat

(25 minutes)

Welcome This first session is important as you kick off FCL and work to establish your community. During this session, everyone will get to know one another, the space, and the tools and tech that will be used throughout the experience. This session should focus on setting a positive tone for having fun and engaging with informational text through play.

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Create a friendly environment by playing music and having facilitators greet participants as they arrive.

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We recommend having one facilitator for every four families to ask guiding questions and assist families at centers.

There may be a wide range of language and literacy abilities among grown-up participants. Gather this information during the recruitment process and make sure you have facilitators, including bilingual facilitators, to support and guide grown-ups as they gather and use various resources. Some examples include: •

In what language(s) do you communicate with your kids?

•

What language(s) are you most comfortable reading and writing?

Courtesy of KET

Introductions and Preview Starting with you, go around the room and have each family briefly introduce themselves.You may want to follow the Alaska Native custom of introducing the names of each family member, the name of parents and grandparents (including those not attending the session), and where each person comes from. This can be a powerful way to acknowledge families’ rich histories.

Alaska Native custom of introductions: Share as much or as little as you feel comfortable. • Your name • The origin or meaning of your name • Your parents’/wise Elders’ names and where they grew up • Your grandparents’/wise Elders’ names and their cultural background • Anything else that you want to share as part of your story Families come in many different forms. You may have grandparents, aunts, neighborhood friends, guardians and other wise Elders with kids at the workshop. As the facilitator, create a welcoming environment that allows families to share what they are comfortable sharing, even if that means nothing at all. Ensure that all types of families are welcome and what they do or don’t share is respected.

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Introductions take time. Consider using the Alaska Native Introduction frame with families for about 5-10 minutes per person. If time is a constraint, consider having families introduce themselves in small groups, and switch groups at the next session. Another way for families to introduce themselves is to use the Stars in My Life handout to share about the caring people in their lives. If you choose to use this framework, consider at least introducing yourself with the Alaska Native Introduction as an example.

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Introduce land acknowledgements during family introductions.

Another approach to introductions is to ask kids to talk about the “stars” in their lives or wise Elders they look up to and are close with, including the grown-up who attended the FCL workshop with them. (See Appendix C.) 30

After introductions: • Encourage families to share if they have watched MOLLY OF DENALI. • Ask families to share what they know about the show and characters and/or why they chose to attend the Family & Community Learning Workshop. • Give a brief introduction to MOLLY OF DENALI. You might say, “MOLLY OF DENALI is a PBS KIDS series set in a fictional village near Denali in Alaska. It’s called Qyah (pronounced Kye-yah).” The main character is 10-year-old Molly Shahnyaa (Shaah-nyah) Mabray. Molly and her family are Gwich’in/Koyukon/Dena’ina (Guh-wich-in/Ko-yu-Kohn/Den-ah- in-ah). These groups represent some of the eleven Alaska Native tribes that live in South Central and Interior Alaska. Alaska Natives are people who are indigenous to or originally from Alaska. Molly’s mother, Layla, is a pilot and her father, Walter, is a wilderness guide. Together they run the Denali Trading Post, which is a kind of store that sells different tools, supplies and materials for the community. Molly’s grandfather, Grandpa Nat, is a volcanologist — someone who studies volcanoes. (You may also want to explain that a volcanologist is a type of geologist, someone who studies Earth’s layers of soil and rock.) Molly’s two best friends are Tooey and Trini. Molly also has a dog named Suki. • Introduce PBS KIDS Family & Community Learning, a series of interactive sessions that invite families to explore, make and play together using PBS KIDS media and hands-on activities.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Describe the structure of each session and its four parts—Eat, Explore, Play and Share: Eat: Families will share a meal and have time to get to know one another. Explore: Grown-ups and kids will build knowledge about a topic. Play: Families will notice, wonder and connect as they visit a series of play-based centers and engage in hands-on and digital activities together as a family. They will apply their knowledge about the topic and develop skills in understanding the purpose of and creating informational texts. Share: Families will share discoveries and connections to their everyday lives and view a short video (interstitial) of real kids using and creating informational text. 31

Over the course of the four workshops, each family will research and create displays about their community to share with others, including information about the people, places, animals and traditions that are special to the families. The display will be their own community “mini- museum.” Set up the purpose of the mini-museum with families by saying something like, “Molly’s Elders gave her the native name of Shahnyaa (Shaan-nyah) which means ‘she informs me.’” Molly loves to inform and share about the people, places and things in Qyah and her surrounding community. Like Molly, we are going to share information about our community. We will create a mini-museum with information and artifacts about what is important and special about us and our community to share with others.” Preview today’s topic—Investigating Animals—where families will learn about animals from informational texts such as field guides and online websites, choose an animal that lives in their community, and create a museum placard to share information about their animal artifact. At today’s FCL, families will: • Explore informational text and understand how we use it to learn and share information. Play and learn together at hands-on and digital activity centers in a sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center - Kids will use field guides to gather and record information about a local animal in their Museum Planner. The families will use their research to create a museum placard along with an animal sculpture for the mini-museum. It is important to use and create informational texts for a clear purpose. Emphasize that in each workshop, families will be creating different pieces of information to help others learn about our community.

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center - Families will make “spotting-scopes” to take home to continue to explore animals in their natural environment.

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3. Trini’s Digital Media Center - Families can play the “Fish Camp” game found in the PBS KIDS GAMES and MOLLY OF DENALI app and view the session’s MOLLY OF DENALI story, “Suki’s Bone.” • Share about and add the animal sculpture and museum placard they created about a local animal to the community museum exhibit. 32

Explore

(25 minutes)

As families wrap up eating, introduce the Alaska Native value on the placemats: “Living carefully—your actions have consequences.” Invite discussion by asking families questions such as: • What does this mean to you? • How can we live carefully within our family and the world around us? • What are some ways we can live carefully to take care of plants, birds and animals around us? Introduce Informational Text Explain that the goal of this workshop series is to explore how we use information to help us learn and discover new things and share our learning with others. We use informational texts every day! Intro Ideas: Invite participants to pick an example out of your bag of informational texts, one at a time. Ask: • What is it? • What kind of information does it tell us? • How/when/why do we use it? Ask participants to stand up, raise a hand, or do a dance if they have: • Used a map • Used a dictionary • Looked at a bus schedule • Read the newspaper • Read instructions for a game Explain that informational texts help us solve everyday problems, satisfy our curiosity, take advantage of opportunities, teach others, and complete tasks. It can also help us learn about our community. Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Gather families together and show them a field guide. This can be any field guide about animals in your area. Describe what a field guide is and what it does. Prompt kids to make observations of the field guide. You could ask questions such as: • What do you think you can learn from this type of book? • Have you seen or used a field guide before? • How will this field guide help you learn about animals you have seen in the community?

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Insects are animals too! Encourage kids to share about all kinds of animals found in their community.

Co-Viewing the Video View the MOLLY OF DENALI episode “Suki’s Bone” (highlight clip from 3:50-5:30). Provide some background information about the video to help orient the group to what they are about to watch, such as, “When Molly’s dog Suki finds a bone with special markings on it, Molly, Tooey, and Grandpa Nat visit a museum to find out if it is an important artifact. They learn how placards help give us important information about what we see in a museum.” Ask families to pay attention to the museum placards and what information they convey in the video. After watching the video, ask questions such as: • What Alaskan animal did they see in the museum? • What information did they learn? • How did they learn this information? • Explain key vocabulary: ‘artifact’ and ‘placard.’ (See page 8 for definitions.) • What animals do we see in our community?

Encourage families to think about the Alaska Native value of living carefully in relation to the video. You can ask: • Why is it important to learn about animals in our community? • What are some ways we can live carefully so that animals in our community can live safely in their homes or nests?

Molly and Tooey went to the museum to learn more about their community and the natural environment around them. We’re going to create a museum to help others learn about our community and the natural environment around us! Introduce the artifact families will be making together for the community museum exhibit: a sculpture and a museum placard of a local animal. Show the note-taking pages and template for the museum placard in the Museum Planner. Discuss what type of information is helpful and important to include in a museum placard. You can say, “To go along with our animal sculpture artifact, we will research and gather information to create a museum placard that explains more about the animal. Our museum placard will include a label that tells us the name or type of animal and some important facts about it. These facts may include what the animal looks like, where it lives, what it eats and interesting facts about how it survives in nature. The sculpture and museum placard you create will be added to our community museum exhibit so that visitors to our community or people who live here can learn about the kinds of animals that live in our community.”

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

Preview the three centers for families and share the sequence of centers to visit first and last. Show families the example of Molly modeling a placard in the Museum Planner. Families will take notes in the Museum Planner before creating their own animal placard. Invite each family to choose an animal photo from your collection for their sculpture and placard. 35

PLAY

(45 minutes)

Families can move between the three centers at their own pace, moving to the next activity when their child is ready. They are always welcome to revisit centers. Prior to the workshop, make a sample “spottingscope” for Tooey’s Make & Take Center and a sample museum placard with an accompanying sculpture for the community museum exhibit so grown-ups see a model of the finished products.

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Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

Add a “Kid Corner” for younger siblings and/or kids that need a break from all of the environmental stimuli. The corner could be part of the “Research & Writing Center” or as a separate center. Include age-appropriate books and MOLLY OF DENALI coloring pages and coloring utensils.

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Play Molly of Denali, Alaska Native or local Indigenous music in the background as families work on their activities. However, careful of overstimulating sound at Trini’s Digital Media Center since the digital games will also have audio.

Play Center Set-up 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center Families will investigate an animal that lives around them. They will look through different local, state or North American field guides about animals. They will gather information about a local animal, then use the information collected to create a museum placard for their animal. Optional: If an outdoor classroom is set up, families will explore nature outside, observe and identify animals in your community. • Set up center at one end of your space with different field guides on animals, including birds, insects, etc., and tablets or computers open to a search browser. • Encourage families to look through the field guides to find the information they want to include on their museum placard. • Set up craft supplies so that kids can create and decorate their sculptures and museum placards using the template in the Museum Planner.

Courtesy of WCNY

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To simplify the selection process for younger kids, offer one animal type for families to research (i.e., native birds, insects, fish etc.)

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Sourcing local informational text such as field guides and local nature books is vital in helping kids notice, wonder and draw connections with the animals in their community. 37

The Museum Planner includes a research and documenting page and a separate page to create the artifact – in this case, a placard. While this may feel like repetition, it’s important for kids to document research separately from creating the actual artifact. Repetition will also serve to reinforce learning key concepts for kids. Informational text can be conveyed in written and oral forms. Artifacts can include a picture or video. In addition to writing a placard, families can record themselves sharing facts, or draw pictures to convey information. These alternatives can encourage younger kids or adults, who may be struggling with written text, to create informational text and contribute to the mini-museum. For example, instead of writing text about an animal’s unique abilities, families could record themselves orally sharing facts about the animal and/or physically demonstrating an animal’s abilities, like an animal call or how it moves, etc. In this case, the “placard” would then be the recording with the artifact of the clay animal. For privacy reasons, consider recording only the families’ voices while filming the artifact.

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Animal sculptures do not have to be completely realistic but should include features that are true to the real animal

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

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For families who regularly communicate in a language other than English, encourage writing the placard in their native language. Using voiceto-text technology can also help families who need some extra help with translations or writing.

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Add child lock protection or enable parental controls on search browsers on tablets or desktop computers. One option is to use the “Kiddle” browser, a kid-friendly version of the Google search engine. Another option is to use ZAC Browser, a browser that simplifies browsing for kids with autism. 38

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center Families are going to make “spotting-scopes” (pretend binoculars) to help them explore nature and animals in their neighborhood. These spotting-scopes can help kids focus on a small area at a time when they are outside investigating nature. They can make a pair of “spottingscopes” to use outdoors to help them look for living things and make observations.

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Premake a few Spotting Scopes for younger kids to explore, and as examples for older kids.

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Download and test games before the session and ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi, if needed. Have backup options in place in case technology malfunctions.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center Salmon are an important animal for families that live in Molly’s community of Qyah. At this station, families will play a game called “Fish Camp” to learn about Alaskan fishing while trying to catch salmon. “Fish Camp” Game: In this game, you will be fishing for salmon and using a book to learn about many aspects of Alaskan fishing. You will use diagrams, captions, and table of contents to find information to help you. You will learn how to read diagrams, graphical text, and flow charts to fish salmon. Fishing is an important tradition to Alaska Native people. The game uses informational text by showing you a traditional Alaska Native method for fishing. Set out four preloaded tablets with the browser open to the “Fish Camp” game or to the PBS KIDS GAMES and MOLLY OF DENALI app opened to the “Fish Camp” game. Include a tablet with the “Suki’s Bone” episode for any families who didn’t preview the full story ahead of the workshop.

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If possible, space out smart tablets for game playing so that the sound from each device does not distract other families or provide headphones. Headphones can also help kids on the autism spectrum manage auditory stimuli.

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For younger kids, consider playing “Denali Trading Post” and/or “Super Snowboarder” as alternative digital games

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Encourage grown-ups to play the game with their kids. There will be multiple checkpoints while fishing for salmon. Encourage grown-ups to help kids read diagrams, illustrations with captions and other types of informational text to fish for salmon. Because some of the games are text heavy, younger readers will need grown-up assistance.

Notice, Wonder, Connect

Encourage grown-ups to talk with their kids about what they’re doing together and to ask lots of questions. You can help this by modeling the notice, wonder and connect strategy, yourself. Notice what families and kids are doing; support families’ wondering about relevant questions; and help families make connections to other related experiences and information to promote inquiry and thinking.

You can ask questions that: Draw families’ attention to their observation skills: • What did you notice? • What interested you? • What surprised you? Generate wonder: • I wonder where we can find out more. • I wonder if... Elicit connections: • Do these things remind you of something else you have read or have seen before?

Courtesy of Alabama Public Television

(25 minutes)

Share (10 Minutes) Add in a quick stretch break after the Play portion to reunite the group before sharing their museum artifact. Lead kids in a “Show-and-Tell” of their animal sculpture and museum placard. Ask kids to share their contribution and model questions. For example: • That is an interesting fact! Where did you learn that fact about the animal? • Did you learn the local Native language word for the animal you chose? (If you have partnered with the local Indigenous people to implement this workshop)

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Co-View (10 minutes) Watch the interstitial “Bird Sanctuary.” Provide some background information about the video to help orient the group to what they’re about to watch. For example, “Now we’re going to watch a video of kids like you learning about local birds in their community of Alaska. Listen for information about birds in the video.” After watching the video, reintroduce the Alaska Native value that you discussed at the beginning of the session. You can say, “Today, we talked about the Alaska Native value of living carefully – your actions have consequences. What are some ways we can live more carefully so that animals can live alongside us? What are some ways you can live more carefully next to the local animal you researched today?”

If you’re short on time, consider splitting up the group so that families present their artifacts to at least half of the participants in the group.

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Randomize the order of families presenting their artifacts (i.e. drawing numbered popsicle sticks) so that every family gets an opportunity to present at each session.

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

Wrap-Up and Take-Home Point out and celebrate how you saw families supporting each other’s engagement and learning. Congratulate families on a successful workshop and the creation of museum placards and animal sculptures for the community museum exhibit! Make sure families know that the museum placards and sculptures will be enjoyed beyond the workshop by others in the community. Reiterate the mini-museum’s audience and your plan to share it with the community. Brainstorm with families how they can share and promote their museum.

Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin / photo by Mouna Algahaithi

Provide a brief preview about the next session and episode to preview at home to get families excited about what you’ll be doing together next: learning and sharing about people in our community! Collect name tags and distribute the MOLLY OF DENALI field guide and the digital resources postcard, both of which contain activities and supports for families to continue their creative and collaborative learning at home.

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Consider taking photos of all artifacts created in order to digitize the museum. Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

Session 2 LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

PHOTO CREDIT

“Know Who You Are – You Are An Extension of Your Family” Family represents the people that you feel close to and who you learn from and can include friends and community members. 43

Learning About Each Other Workshop: Goals Learning Goals In this session, families will explore how we can use informational text to learn more about community members. All four of the FCL sessions focus on the primary MOLLY OF DENALI informational text learning goal: To use informational text they access and/or create to meet their needs, and wants, including to help them solve real-world problems, to satisfy their curiosity, to take advantage of opportunities, to teach others and to accomplish tasks. This session also supports a secondary learning goal: to use detailed descriptions in writing or presenting to help readers generate mental pictures.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

This Session’s Molly Story In “Fiddle of Nowhere,” Molly’s friend Oscar reads a magazine article about his favorite musician to help Molly learn more about him. Kids will learn more about someone from their family or community and share that information with others by creating a biosketch.

This Session’s Artifact: A biosketch

Session Priorities Families will: • Explore biosketches and what they can tell us about a person. • Get to know a community or family member by researching and sharing information about them. • Develop and strengthen positive attitudes towards reading and creating informational text.

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We define family in very open terms. Family represents the people that you feel close to and who you learn from and can include friends and community members.

Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

Alaska Native Value Introduce the Alaska Native value of “Know Who You Are – You Are An Extension of Your Family’’ to center and ground the experience of this session’s workshop. Throughout the center activities, encourage families to discuss how our family history helps guide, shape and inspire us.

Biographical Text: A type of informational text that shares information about a real person. Biosketch: A short biographical text that may feature a person’s name, birthday, birthplace and important events in someone’s life. A biosketch can also include major accomplishments and/or a special skill or talent. Value: An idea or guiding principle we practice that is important and meaningful to our family or community. Artifact: An item made by humans that has special meaning.

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Another way to phrase this value with nontraditional families may be, “You are an Extension of the Values that You’re Taught.”

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To create a welcoming environment for all types of families, consider phrasing parents or caregivers as “wise Elders” and the “stars in kids’ lives.”

Courtesy of GPB

Learning About Each Other Workshop: At-a-Glance Eat

(25 minutes)

Welcome families. Sign everyone in, pass out conversation placemats and name tags and invite everyone to eat. Show the full episode story, “Fiddler of Nowhere..” Preview the workshop. Introduce and discuss the session’s featured Alaska Native Value, “Know who you are – you are an extension of your family.”

Explore

(40 minutes)

Introduce the concept of informational texts, like biographies, that help us learn about real people. Introduce biosketch example, distribute the Museum Planner, and set up the biosketch activity. Use prompts in the Museum Planner to gather information about a family member.

Courtesy of WCNY

PLAY Facilitate family learning and play at three centers in the following sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center

Families look through kid-friendly examples of biographical texts to read together. Prompts for notetaking and templates are provided in the Museum Planner. (Please refer to the appendix for a list of suggested biographical text examples.)

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center

Families create their biosketch of a family member, using the information they collected in their Museum Planner and adding a drawing or photograph.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center

Families play the “Denali Trading Post” game found in the PBS KIDS GAMES and MOLLY OF DENALI app and can view the workshop’s episode, “Fiddle of Nowhere,” if they didn’t preview it at home.

Courtesy of WHRO Public Media, Norfolk VA

SHARE Bring families back together to share their contribution to the community museum exhibit: a biosketch of a family or community member. Take photos of biosketches for the museum exhibit if kids want to take home the original biosketches. Preview the next workshop. Watch interstitial. Share take-home materials: Recommended one-sheet booklist and a local map. Goodbye until next time! 49

Materials Eat Name tags Meal Conversation placemats Episode story, “Fiddle of Nowhere”

Explore Computer, projector and speakers A sample biosketch (of a special relative of yours, a community Elder or a local hero) Museum Planner and pencil for each child

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

PLAY Molly’s Research & Writing Center A variety of developmentally-appropriate biographical texts (See appendix for an extended recommended booklist and gather from your local library)

Tooey’s Make & Take Center Markers, crayons, pencils Craft supplies to decorate biosketch (stickers, etc.)

Template inside the Museum Planner Color index cards

Tape or glue as needed

Mini-photo frames (optional) Camera and portable printer if taking photos of the family member

Trini’s Digital Media Center Tablets loaded with “Denali Trading Post” digital game from the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app

Headphones (optional)

Tablets loaded with “Fiddle of Nowhere” story episode

SHARE Removable tape and a display board or space to hang completed biosketches

Recommended one-sheet booklist Local maps for each family 51

Learning About Each Other: Workshop Rundown Welcome Welcome families back to Session Two! Sign them in, distribute placemats and name tags.

Eat

(25 minutes)

• As families eat, encourage them to use the prompts and conversation starters to help orient them to the theme of the workshop. The conversation placemat includes a biosketch. • Encourage families to share what they notice. • Watch “Fiddler of Nowhere.” Provide some setup such as, “In today’s story, Molly’s friend Oscar reads a magazine article to Molly about his favorite musician. Let’s see how Molly uses clues from the article to create a mental picture about Oscar’s favorite musician.” • Clean up meal and gather together as a whole group.

Courtesy of WCNY

Introductions and Preview Preview today’s topic—Learning About Each Other—where families will explore how we can use information books called biographies and other sources to learn about real people. In today’s session, families will have an opportunity to learn and share information about a family member, wise Elder or “star” grown-up in a kid’s life.

At today’s FCL, families will: • Today’s FCL will include the following: • Explore informational text and understand how we use it to learn and share information. Play and learn together at hands-on and digital activity centers in a sequence: • Play: Families will visit three centers following this sequence:

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It is important to use and create informational texts for a clear purpose. Emphasize that in each workshop, families will be creating different pieces of information to help others learn about our community.

1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center - Families will use their Museum Planner to gather information about a special family member. Families will explore examples of biographical text and pick one to read together. The biographical texts will serve as a way to gather information. It also will serve as a model for creating the biosketch. 2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center - Families will create a biosketch of their chosen family member to share. 3. Trini’s Digital Media Center - Families will play the “Denali Trading Post” game found inside the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app to help customers find what they need at this community store. Tablets will also be loaded with the episode, “Fiddle of Nowhere.”

• Share: Families will hang and share their biosketch with the group.

As families wrap up eating, review the placemat activity. Ask for volunteers to describe what clues they noticed in the magazine cover. Bring attention to the Alaska Native value on the placemat “Know Who You Are – You Are An Extension of Your Family.” Invite discussion by asking families questions such as: • What does this value mean to you? • How are you an extension of your family? • What are some activities your family likes to do together? • What types of foods does your family like to make and eat together? • How are you similar to members of your family

Learning About Each Other

• What about your family makes you feel proud?

ALASKA NATIVE VALUE

TODAY’S STORY Molly and Oscar learn about Oscar’s favorite musician in a magazine. As Oscar reads the article out loud, Molly uses the information to picture in her mind Finnegan King and his life. This is something good readers often do when they read. It’s a great surprise when they get to meet him in person and compare what they imagined to the star himself!

KNOW WHO YOU ARE You Are an Extension of Your Family

FAMILY TALK: • Describe what you see in the magazine page, “Long Live the King.”

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Share with grown-ups and kids that “family” are the people that you feel close to and learn from and can include friends and community members.

• What questions do you think Molly and Oscar might want to ask Finnegan King?

Explore

(25 minutes)

Introduce the Concept of a Biosketch

Share your photo/biosketch and invite participants to observe and share what they notice. “What clues help tell us about the person? What can a title, quote, or fact tell us? When we want to learn more, we need to look for clues, generate mental pictures from the information we have, ask questions and figure out where to find our answers.” Co-viewing the Video In today’s story, Molly’s friend Oscar reads a magazine article about his favorite musician to Molly (highlight clip from beginning to 3:08). You might ask families: • What kind of information did Molly and Oscar learn from the article? • What did they know about the fiddler before meeting him? After viewing: Help families make connections between the video clip and ways that descriptions can help us imagine what a person is like. Creating mental pictures when reading or listening can help us understand many kinds of texts, including biographies. Invite participants to describe a person who is special to their family. • What clues would you give to help someone imagine and picture your family member/wise Elder? • Does your family member have a special talent? • What does this person like to do?

Explore

(25 minutes)

Introduce Biosketch Activity

Talk about how Molly and Oscar were able to unlock clues about the fiddler thanks to the article they read. Explain that the artifact we’ll be working on today is about helping people in our community learn more about each other by sharing about people that make our community special. Invite families to create a biosketch to share information about a family member or special family friend in the community. (It can be the grown-up attending the workshop or a relative or friend that the grown-up attending the workshop is familiar with). To get information, we have to ask questions. Distribute the Museum Planner and show them the biosketch about Mr. Patak. Invite families to find a quiet spot in the room to read the biosketch and gather information on the profile page about the person they will represent. Encourage families to ask questions and take notes about the person. You can also introduce the biosketch page they will use later at the Make & Take Center to create the final product.

Courtesy of GPB

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If you would like to create the space for grown-ups-only and kids-only time, consider having kids preview centers with facilitators, and in particular, biographical books and other informational text at Molly’s Research & Writing Center. At the same time, gather grown-ups to discuss and reinforce the intention of introducing Alaska Native values and the purpose of the biosketch as part of the mini-museum exhibit. Also, during this time, share tips, strategies, and modifications for the Play Centers with grownups, and invite caregivers to ask questions or share any accommodations they may need for their family during the session.

PLAY

(30 minutes)

Introduce the Play section, where families will have a chance to explore examples of biographical text, complete their biosketch for the mini-museum, and play with Molly in the “Denali Trading Post” game. • Families will rotate through the centers at their own pace, moving to the next activity when their child is ready. They are welcome to revisit centers if they choose. • Invite families to return to the Research & Writing Center and choose a biography to read if they finish early.

Courtesy of Alabama Public Broadcasting

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Play Center Set-up 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center Families will explore examples of biographical text and pick one to read together. Invite families to look for an interesting photo or fact to share with the group later.

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Sourcing biographical texts about local and Indigenous people can help kids notice, wonder and draw connections with their community.

• Set up a variety of age-appropriate biographical books on the table. 2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center Families will complete a biosketch of their chosen person using the biosketch template provided. The Museum Planner includes a research and documentation page and a separate page to create the artifact – in this case, a biosketch. It’s important for kids to document research separately from creating the actual artifact; repetition can serve to reinforce learning key concepts.

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Make enough copies of the biosketch page for your group ahead of time. A template will be included in the Museum Planner. The template should be saved for families to create another biosketch at home.

• Set up a variety of writing and crafting materials. • Encourage families to complete the biosketch together, including a drawing or paper doll of the person they have chosen. Invite them to be as creative as they wish with the materials to decorate the page. (Families can also take a photo or find an existing digital photo to use as part of the biosketch.) • Invite families to hang their biosketch in the display space you designate for your community mini-museum.

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Families may have different language and literacy levels. Families can communicate the biosketch orally. Using a smart phone, record the biosketch as an alternative option to writing. For families who regularly communicate in a native language other than English, encourage writing the placard in their native language. Using voice-to-text technology can also help families who may need some extra help with translations or writing.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center Families will play digital games and learn about Molly’s town of Qyah. • “Denali Trading Post Game:” Families will play the “Denali’s Trading Post” game found inside the Molly of Denali app to help customers find what they need at this community store. • Set out four fully-charged tablets with the PBS KIDS Games and Molly of Denali apps and a variety of age-appropriate biographical books on the table.

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

• Encourage families to play the game together. Kids often like to take the lead but there are lots of ways grown-ups can co-play with their kids by asking questions and “narrating” their experience. Help kids identify the different people in the community of Qyah who visited the store. • Set up one or more tablets with the full video for “Fiddle of Nowhere.”

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Explain and preview the digital game to help grown-ups feel better prepared to lead their child through the game independently.

Add in a quick stretch break before bringing everyone together to then share their museum artifact.

(25 minutes)

Share (10 Minutes) Each session concludes with the Share portion—a chance for families to share their ideas and work with one another. This is a fantastic time to celebrate your families’ engaging work! Encourage participants to be present, enthusiastic, attentive and supportive of one another as they share. • Invite families to visit the newly created biosketch exhibit! Encourage families to create a visual picture in their mind as they read the biosketches. • Some additional questions you may ask: What is one interesting fact you learned about your biosketch grown-up/Elder?

Do you have something in common or similarities with your biosketch grownup/elder?

Wrap-Up and Take-Home • Point out and celebrate some of the informational text you saw families using and creating (using specific examples) and some of the ways you saw families supporting each other’s engagement and learning. • Congratulate families on a successful second workshop! Make sure families know that the biosketch will be viewed beyond the workshop by others in the community. Remind attendees of the audience for the biosketches and the plan to share them. • Remind families of next week’s workshop details and the next episode to preview at home. Provide a brief preview to get them excited about what you’ll be doing together next: exploring maps and their community. Invite families to bring a map (paper or digital) that is meaningful to them to share, if they’d like. • Collect name tags and distribute recommended booklist postcard and a local map to take home.

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Sharing can happen in small and large groups. You may start by encouraging families to share with a neighboring family at their table or lead a “Show-and-Tell,” where kids show each other what they made and talk about the concepts learned. Respond to the energy and comfort of participating families when deciding how to structure this time. 60

Session 3 EXPLORING MY COMMUNITY

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS PHOTO CREDIT

“Seeing Connections – All Things Are Related” 61

Exploring My Community: Goals and Focus Learning Goals In this session, families will engage in experiences that continue to focus on the primary MOLLY OF DENALI informational text learning goal: To use informational text they access and/or create to meet their needs and wants, including to help them solve real-world problems, to satisfy their curiosity, to take advantage of opportunities, to teach others and to accomplish tasks. The session’s secondary learning goal is: to use a variety of language, navigational, structural, and graphical text features to help access or convey meaning. Access can include reading, listening to, and/or viewing information and conveying through writing, speaking, and/or presenting information. In this session, the focal feature is maps. Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin / photo by Mouna Algahaithi

62 62

This Session’s Molly Story “Tooey’s Hero,” and the supporting interstitial, “Finding Beluga Point,” support kids in understanding how maps convey information. With the help of grown-ups, kids will gather information from maps and other text sources and create a community map of favorite places.

This Session’s Artifact: A collaborative community map

Session Priorities Families will: • Explore maps and the information that they convey. • Gather information about community events and places.

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

• Identify places on a local, city/town or state map. • Gather and share information about families’ favorite places in the community. • Develop and strengthen positive attitudes toward accessing, using and creating informational text.

Alaska Native Value Introduce the Alaska Native value of “Seeing connections – All things are related’’ to center and ground the experience of this session’s workshop. During the center activities, make connections between Molly’s Alaska map, Tooey’s Map from “Tooey’s Hero,” and the community map families will be creating together for the museum exhibit. 63

Concepts/vocabulary to incorporate throughout the workshop: Observe: To use all five senses to gather information about people, objects or places; to notice. Investigate: To use our senses to make observations and gather information to explore a topic or problem. Map: A drawing of a location that shows physical features, such as lakes or mountains and places, such as bridges or buildings. Community Map: A type of map with the purpose of sharing information about places that are important or special to the people from the community. The map may include symbols and labels that give interesting information about the community. Landmark: A location, object, or feature on a map that is important or meaningful to the people of that area and can easily be recognized from a distance. Map Legend: Explains the symbols, landmarks and drawings on a map. Value: An idea or guiding principle we practice that is important and meaningful to our family or community. Artifact: An item made by humans that has special meaning. Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Exploring My Community: At-a-Glance Eat

(25 minutes)

Welcome families. Sign everyone in, pass out conversation placemats and name tags and invite everyone to eat. Watch complete episode story, “Tooey’s Hero.” Review the previous workshop and preview the current workshop.

Explore

(40 minutes)

Discuss “Tooey’s Hero.” Introduce and discuss the Alaska Native value of “Seeing connections – All things are related.” Introduce and discuss the idea of creating a minimuseum exhibit. Connect Molly’s map and Tooey’s map with the community map families will be creating. Discuss connections between the places on Molly’s and Tooey’s maps.

PLAY Facilitate family learning and play at three centers in the following sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center

Families look through local maps and community newspapers to gather information for their community map. Families draw an image and add a caption of their favorite place to add to the community map. Prompts for notetaking and templates are provided in the Museum Planner.

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center

Families collaborate to make a flag that represents themselves, their family and neighborhood.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center

Courtesy of Maryland Public Television

Families will play the “Sled Dog Dash” game found in the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app. Families can also watch the full story of “Tooey’s Hero,” if they didn’t preview it at home.

SHARE Bring families back together to share their contributions to the community map. Preview the next workshop. Share take home materials: “I Spy Information” comic book. Goodbye until next time! 66

Eat

Explore

Name tags

Computer, projector, and speakers

Meal

Molly’s Alaska map

Conversation placemats Episode story, “Tooey’s Hero”

PLAY Molly’s Research & Writing Center Molly & Me: Museum Planner Collection of town, city, and state maps (ex. physical maps, parks and recreation maps, tribal maps, maps of libraries, schools or museums) Community newspapers and city, county and/or library calendar of events

Large local map of city, county or state Craft supplies (paper, scissors, markers, pencils and crayons) and decorative items (such as pom poms, glue, glitter and stickers) Color index cards

Pushpins String Sticker labels Optional: cork, flannel or felt board to mount community map

Tooey’s Make & Take Center “Make Your Own Flag” activity sheet Craft supplies (scissors, tape, string and glue) and decorative items (such as pom poms, glue, glitter and stickers)

Optional: coloring pencils, markers and crayons

Trini’s Digital Media Center Computers or tablets with an open search browser to Google Maps

One or more additional tablets loaded to the full story of “Tooey’s Hero”

Tablets preloaded with “Sled Dog Dash” digital game from the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app.

Headphones (optional)

SHARE Completed local map of city, county or state

“Finding Beluga Point” interstitial video

Computer, projector and speakers

“I Spy Information” comic book 68

Exploring My Community: Workshop Rundown Welcome Welcome families back to Session Three! Sign them in, distribute placemats and name tags.

Eat

(25 minutes)

• As families arrive invite them to get their food, start eating and use the placemats for conversation and activities. • Encourage families to notice the conversation prompts related to the image and the Alaska Native value on their placemats. • Watch “Tooey’s Hero.” Provide background information about the video they’re about to watch, such as, “Molly and Tooey are following the route of Eugene Pike who is retracing the route of a mailrun across interior Alaska with his sled dogs. We are going to see how Tooey traces Eugene’s trail using a map with labels that includes important landmarks and physical features.” • Clean up meal and gather together as a whole group.

TIP

As families are eating, walk around and model the prompts and questions on the placemats for families.

Review and Preview • Revisit the previous week’s workshop focused on learning about each other as well as the FCL format. Introduce today’s topic—exploring our community—where families will explore maps of their town/city/state and learn about how maps can provide information about a place and community. Families will: • Explore how maps can convey information. • Play and learn together at three hands-on and digital activity centers. 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center - You will look through local maps and community newspapers to gather information and facts about a specific place or location to add to the community map. You will draw an image and add a caption of your favorite place and add it to the community map. 2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center - You will make a your own flag that represents you, your family or your neighborhood. 3. Trini’s Digital Media Center - You will play the “Sled Dog Dash” game found in the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app and can view the story video, “Tooey’s Hero,” for this workshop. • Share what you contributed to the community map so that others can learn about and discover new places in your community. Review the questions on the placemat activity and encourage families to share: • What did you notice about Tooey’s map? • What landmarks do you notice?

Explore

(25 minutes)

As families wrap up eating, introduce the Alaska Native value on the placemats: “Seeing connections – All things are related.” Prompt discussion by asking families questions such as: • From our previous session, do you remember what a value is and what it means? • What do you think it means to see connections and that all things are related? One example we see in nature is that rain provides water for plants and flowers to grow which later become food for animals and insects. Open up Tooey’s map and/or the Denali National Park and Preserve map and ask questions such as: • What map did you see in the video? • What information does Tooey’s map tell us? What information does the Denali National Park map tell us? Open up Molly’s Alaska map and ask questions such as: • What are we looking at? What do you see? • What information can you learn from this map? What information would you want to know from this map if you were visiting Alaska? • Have you seen a map like this before? • What do these maps have in common?

TIP TIP

Define any vocabulary that kids notice and are unfamiliar with on Molly’s Alaska map.

Model questions that prompt kids to think about what information can be gathered from a map and what information can be added to a map to make it more useful.

Introduce the artifact families will be making together for the community museum exhibit: a local community map of places they like to go and/or with locations of their favorite community events. Ask families what special places might they include on a map of their community? You can say, “Today, we are going to gather information and create a community map! The map can be used by visitors to our community or by people who live here and may not know about a place that is special and meaningful to you. Maps can provide helpful information about where to find interesting, important and fun places that we love to visit. Our community map will be a part of our community museum and other people will get to view and use it.”

TIP

If you would like to create the space for grown-ups-only and kids-only time, consider having kids preview centers with facilitators, and in particular, maps and other informational text at Molly’s Research & Writing Center. At the same time, gather grown-ups to discuss and reinforce the intention of introducing Alaska Native values and the purpose of the community map as part of the minimuseum exhibit. Also, during this time, explain to grownups what will happen at each Play Center and discuss with families whether they may need any accommodations during the session.

Encourage families to start thinking about what places they might want to include in the community map. Similar to Molly’s Alaska map, families are going to create a map of their own community. It will include images with captions of specific places families want other people to know about. It can be a park,a playground, a library, a grocery store or somewhere else that is important to them. Preview the three centers for families. Open up the Museum Planner and show families what pages kids will use for this workshop. Courtesy of WCNY

PLAY

(45 minutes)

Families can choose to visit the three centers at their own pace, moving to the next activity when their child is ready. They can revisit centers if wanted.

TIP

Make a sample flag for Tooey’s Make & Take Center and add one important or interesting place to the community map ahead of time so grownups see a model of the finished products.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

TIP

Add a “Quiet Corner” for younger siblings and/or kids that need a break from all of the environmental stimuli. The corner could be part of the “Research & Writing Center” or as a separate center. Include age-appropriate books and MOLLY OF DENALI coloring pages and coloring utensils.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Play Center Set-up 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center Families will look through different types of maps and see how different maps serve different purposes. Also, families can gather information and ideas about a specific place that they would like to add to the community map by browsing the maps in the research center, looking at the community event calendars, and researching using the internet. Open up the Museum Planner and show the Eagle Cam map example. • Set up center at one end of your space with different types of maps, community calendars, community newspapers, and tablets or computers open to a search browser to Google Maps. • Encourage families to discuss important, interesting or favorite places in the community and to look through the resources such as the community calendar to find a specific place they want to include in the community map. • Encourage kids to write down information gathered from various sources into their Museum Planner. Ask questions like, “What are some interesting or favorite places to go to and visit in your neighborhood, city or state?” • If time permits, point out map features and define what they are such as title, legend and landmark.

Courtesy of WHRO Public Media, Norfolk VA

TIP

Sourcing texts about local places can help kids notice, wonder and draw connections with their community’s environment and surroundings.

Add child lock protection or enable parental controls on search browsers on tablets or desktop computers. One option is to use the “Kiddle” browser, a kidfriendly version of the Google search engine. Another option is to use ZAC Browser, a browser that simplifies browsing for kids with autism.

Families will use the information they know about a specific place and/or information they gathered in the research center to create one or more drawings with captions to include on the community map. • Set up center with the city/county/state map pinned to a wall or within a corkboard, flannel or felt board. Include push pins and string so that families can add their contributions (an image with a caption) around the map without obstructing the actual map.

Encourage families to make connections between Molly’s Alaska map, Molly’s Eagle Cam map and their community map. Model questions such as: • What did Tooey use his map to do? • What does Molly’s Eagle Cam map tell us? • What are other reasons for people to use a map?

• Place craft supplies on a nearby table so that families can decorate their contribution. Encourage families to look at other contributions and discuss places they may or may not have visited in their community and places they would like to visit.

TIP

Pin the community map lower to the ground so that kids can easily reach and add their contributions to the map.

TIP

Families may have different language and literacy levels. Families can communicate their favorite place orally. Using a smart phone, record the information as an alternative option to writing. For families who regularly communicate in a native language other than English, encourage writing in their native language. Using voice-totext technology can also help families who may need some extra help with translations or writing.

2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center Families will read instructions and design a flag that represents themselves, their families or their community. After drawing and decorating or after they draw and decorate the flag, families will add captions to explain their design. •

Set up center at one end of your space with a large table.

• Place a pre-made flag activity sheet sample. Include examples of flag samples with captions. • A caption is text next to an image or illustration that tells you information about that image or illustration. The “Make Your Own Flag” activity sheet provides space to the side for families to explain information about their flag such as the meaning of colors, symbols, and objects illustrated on the flag. • Place the “Make Your Own Flag” activity sheets on the other side of the table. Include crafting and decorating supplies.

TIP

For younger kids, consider playing “Super Snowboarder” and/or “Denali Trading” as alternative digital games.

TIP

Encourage grown-ups to play the game with their kids. There will be multiple checkpoints during each dog sled journey. Encourage grown-ups to help kids read diagrams, illustrations with captions and other types of informational text features to help Molly and Tooey continue on their dog sled journey.

3. Trini’s Digital Media Center Families will play a digital game where they will help Molly and Tooey deliver items with their sled dogs. • “Sled Dog Dash” Game: With their sled dogs, Molly and Tooey need to deliver much-needed items to Grandpa Nat. Using Molly’s Sled Advisor app, Molly and Tooey will learn how to care for the sled dogs as they go on a sledding adventure. You will learn how to read and use diagrams, illustrations with captions and tables to care for the sled dogs and navigate them to Grandpa Nat. • Set out four full-loaded tablets with the browser open to the “Sled Dog Dash” game or to the PBS KIDS GAMES and Molly of Denali app or PBS KIDS web games opened to the “Dog Sled” game. • Include a tablet preloaded with the “Tooey’s Hero” episode for families who may not have watched the full episode before the workshop.

(25 minutes)

Share (10 Minutes) Gather families together and walk them to the community map. Allow families to look at and read all of the contributions. Ask kids to share their contribution, prompting them with questions such as: • Why did you include that <insert place> on the map? • Why is that <insert place> important to you and your family? • Is there a place that another family has included that you’d like to visit? Let families take a picture of the map. Let them know that the community map will be added to the community museum exhibit for everyone to see. Reiterate the purpose of the museum.

Co-View (10 minutes) Watch the interstitial, “Finding Beluga Point,” that comes before the video story “Tooey’s Hero” (minute 12:00 13:59). Provide some background information about the video to help orient the group to what they’re about to watch, such as, “Now we’re going to watch a video of kids just like you who did some exploring and investigation to find a special place where they can see whales.” After watching the video, make the connection between places that families have added to their community map and places they want to visit. Reintroduce the Alaska Native value that you discussed at the beginning of the session. You can say, “Today, we talked about the Alaska Native value of seeing connections – that all things are related.” Lead a discussion with the following questions: • What connections did you see between all of the maps we’ve looked at today?

TIP

Alaska Native place names can tell us a lot about a location including past geological history, anthropological history, etc. Reach out to local Indigenous tribes and ask if they would be willing to help families at the FCL learn more about Native place names in your community.

• How are the maps we saw related to the community map we created together? • Are there places on our community map that everyone has been to or wants to visit?

TIP

Ask the grown-ups or “wise Elders” of the group to share if places on the map or the landscape of the map have changed over time. 77

Wrap-Up and Take-Home Point out and celebrate how you saw families supporting each other’s engagement and learning. Congratulate families on a successful workshop and the creation of a community map! Make sure families know that the map will be used beyond the workshop by others in the community. Remind attendees of the map’s audience and the plan to share the community map. Remind families of the details of next week’s workshop and to preview the next workshop’s video at home. Provide a brief preview to get them excited about what you’ll be doing together next: celebrating family traditions! Collect name tags and distribute “I Spy Information” comic book, which contains activities and supports for families to continue their creative and collaborative learning at home.

Courtesy of PBS Wisconsin / photo by Mouna Algahaithi

Share a link in the take-home materials to the PBS KIDS digital community map of the United States. Families can fill out an online form to add their favorite place or view the nation-wide community map.

TIP

Provide families with a take-home map such as a county parks & recreation map or city library map to continue exploration of maps and their community. Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

Session 4 CELEBRATING TRADITIONS

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS PHOTO CREDIT

“Honor Your Elders – They Show You the Way in Life” 79

Celebrating Traditions: Goals and Focus Learning Goals In this session, families will explore how we can use informational text, particularly procedural text, to learn how to do something. All four of the FCL sessions focus on the primary MOLLY OF DENALI informational text learning goal: To use informational text they access and/or create to meet their needs, and wants, including to help them solve real-world problems, to satisfy their curiosity, to take advantage of opportunities, to teach others and to accomplish tasks. The session’s supporting learning goal is: to create an informative/explanatory or procedural text through writing and/or developing a presentation. In this session, Molly is creating procedural (how to) text. Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

NOTE The informational text learning goals are concepts that are meant to help facilitators guide families’ explorations, but do not need to be explicitly stated to families. Families should be focused on the experience of using and creating informational text.

This Session’s Molly Story In “New Nivagi,” Molly is entrusted with her Grandpa Nat’s Nivagi recipe for the annual Alaska Ice Cream Competition. When her dog, Suki, eats all the Nivagi, Molly must hunt for all the hard-to-find ingredients and make another batch to recreate Grandpa Nat’s recipe. Kids will learn to create how-to or procedural text about a special tradition to share with other families.

This Session’s Artifact:

A how-to about a personal tradition

Session Priorities Families will: • Learn about procedural text and when, how and why families might use it. • Explore recipes and other procedural or how-to texts. • Create their own procedural text to share a personal family recipe or tradition.

TIP

In Alaska Native culture and other cultures around the world, any Elder is respectfully considered ‘grandma’ or ‘grandpa,’ even if they are not biologically related. This is also true of other community members—calling them brother, sister, auntie, uncle, etc. out of respect.

• Develop and strengthen positive attitudes towards using and creating informational texts.

Alaska Native Value TIP

Celebrate the different ways that people are family. Family can also be the people that you feel close to and learn from and can include friends and community members.

Introduce the Alaska Native value of “Honor Your Elders – They Show You the Way in Life” to center and ground the experience of this session’s workshop. Throughout the center activities, encourage families to discuss how our family history helps guide, shape and inspire us. 81

Celebrating Traditions: At-a-Glance EAT

(25 minutes)

Welcome families. Sign everyone in, pass out conversation placemats and name tags and invite everyone to eat. Watch complete episode story, “New Nivagi.” Review the previous workshop and preview the current workshop.

LEARN

(25 minutes)

EXPLORE

(40 minutes)

Facilitate family learning and play at three centers in the following sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center - Families explore examples of procedural text for inspiration and ideas. Families create their own procedural text to teach a familiar recipe, craft or other tradition. A template is provided in the Museum Planner. 2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center - Families make a snack together following procedural text. 3. Trini’s Digital Media Center - Families will play the “Beading Art” Game found in the PBS KIDS games and Molly of Denali app and/or can watch the full story video “New Nivagi.”

Model the Land Acknowledgement. Watch a clip from the video story “New Nivagi” which families have previewed in full before the session. Introduce and discuss the Alaska Native value, “Honor Your Elders – They Show You the Way in Life”

(25 minutes)

Completed How-to templates

•

Invite families to discuss their own traditions.

Molly’s recipe book

•

Connect Molly’s recipe and family traditions with the tradition or recipe families will be sharing.

Certificates of Completion

Celebrating Traditions: Workshop Rundown Welcome Welcome families back to Session Four! Sign them in, distribute placemats and name tags.

EAT • As families arrive, invite them to get their food, start eating and use the placemats for conversation and activities. • Encourage families to notice the conversation prompts on their placemats, inviting them to use the questions as they notice, wonder and connect about recipes. • Co-view “New Nivagi.” Provide some set up such as, “Molly’s Grandpa Nat shares a special recipe with Molly for an ice cream contest. Watch carefully and look for when you see or hear an ingredient for the recipe.” • Clean up meal and gather together as a whole group.

Courtesy of WCNY

Review and Preview • Revisit the previous week’s workshop on maps as well as the FCL format. Introduce today’s topic—celebrating traditions—where families will have the opportunity to teach others about one of their own traditions such as a family recipe, song, or dance. Families get to share their traditions for the mini-museum to showcase and celebrate their community. Families will: • Explore and learn more about informational text that teaches us how to do something (also called procedural or how-to text). • Play and learn together at hands-on and digital activity following this sequence: 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center - Families will explore examples of procedural text such as recipes, instructions to a game, etc. The procedural texts will provide families models of how-to instructions to create their mini-museum artifact. Families will create their own procedural text to teach a simple recipe or tradition that is special to them. 2. Tooey’s Make & Take Center - Families will make a snack using procedural text. 3. Trini’s Digital Media Center - Families will play the “Beading Art” game found in the PBS KIDS games and Molly of Denali app and/or watch the story video “New Nivagi”. • Share their traditions in the mini-museum and make connections to their own special traditions.

Photo Courtesy of Austin PBS

Explore

(15 minutes)

After viewing the episode story during “Eat,” invite families to talk about the story and make connections. You can ask: • “Grandpa Nat wasn’t there to show Molly how to make his ice cream. How did she know what to do?” Introduce the Alaska Native value on the placemats: “Honor your Elders—They Show you the Way in Life” Prompt discussion by asking families questions such as:

Encourage families to think about the Alaska Native value of Honor Your Elders – They Show You the Way in Life in relation to the video. Invite families to turn and talk with a neighboring family. • What recipe is a special tradition in your family? • What are other traditions in your family? • What are some traditions an Elder has taught you?

• What does this value mean to you? • What are some things your Elders have shared with you? • What have your Elders taught you? Explain that today, we will be exploring informational texts that teach us how to do something. Invite participants to pull a procedural text example from the bag and share what they think their procedural text will teach us. What clues might help us? (Title, cover photos, graphics, ingredients, a list of steps). Grandpa Nat’s Nivagi recipe on our placemats is another example of a how-to text because it shows you the materials needed and steps to make something. It’s also a tradition, a custom, or belief that is passed down from generation to generation. Grandpa Nat passed down his Nivagi recipe to Molly. The tradition, and in this case, a recipe, lists the ingredients we need and gives us step-bystep directions on how to make it.

TIP

We know that all families look different. Families attending the FCL may be grandparents, aunts, neighborhood friends, and other wise Elders. As the facilitator, set up a safe space to allow families to share what they are comfortable sharing as much or as little as they would like to.

TIP

Alaska Native recipes may include ingredients that while unfamiliar to us, are common in Alaska. Remind participants of the importance of being respectful as we share our traditions and explore unfamiliar ideas.

Introduce the artifact families will be making together for the community museum exhibit: A ‘how-to’ guide with a museum placard. Show the research and artifact pages in the Museum Planner. You can say, “Today, we are going to create an informational text to share how to carry out a tradition. What is a tradition? (an activity or custom handed down from older family or community members) A tradition can be a recipe, a song, a dance, a handshake. If it is an activity you do together that is meaningful to you and your family, it’s your tradition. At the centers, you’ll write or draw instructions and explain the tradition on a placard. Your tradition and placard will be added to our community museum exhibit so that visitors can learn about some of the special traditions in our community.” Encourage families to discuss with each other what tradition they may want to share. Preview the three centers for families. Open up the Museum Planner and show families what pages kids will use for today’s artifact.

Courtesy of Austin PBS

TIP

If you would like to create the space for grown-ups-only and kids-only time, consider having kids preview centers with facilitators, and in particular, procedural text and other informational text at Molly’s Research & Writing Center. At the same time, gather grown-ups to discuss and reinforce the intention of introducing Alaska Native values and the purpose of sharing traditions as part of the mini-museum exhibit. Also, during this time, explain to grownups what will happen at each Play Center and discuss with families whether they may need any accommodations during the session.

PLAY

(45 minutes)

Families will rotate through the centers at their own pace, moving to the next activity when their child is ready. They can revisit centers as they wish. 1. Molly’s Research & Writing Center

Families can explore a variety of procedural text to get inspiration and ideas for what they might want to share of their own special traditions.

•

Set out a variety of simple recipe books and how-to guides. If it’s appropriate for your group, have a tablet with a few how-to videos of kids or families demonstrating a family tradition. You can use the interstitial from the featured Molly video story or others that you find online.

•

Encourage families to jot down ideas in their Museum Planner. (They may even want to call a knowledgeable friend or family member to get more information about the steps in creating the tradition they are sharing.)

Families will create a simple how-to guide of a tradition to share with others. • Set out craft materials and copies of the How-to template and placard from the Museum Planner for each family. •

Invite families to talk about what tradition they would like to share. It can be a recipe, a dance, a craft, a hairstyle, handshake, etc. Encourage them to share the history of the tradition for them.

•

Designate the space where families will hang their completed how-to artifact about their tradition with a corresponding placard in the museum exhibit.

TIP

Families may have different language and literacy levels. Families can communicate about their tradition orally. Using a smart phone, record the information as an alternative option to writing. For families who regularly communicate in a native language other than English, encourage writing in their native language. Using voice-to-text technology can also help families who might need some extra help with translations or writing.

Tooey’s Make & Take Center Follow the steps in the Trail Mix recipe to make a simple snack. Consider local recipe books that highlight local ingredients. •

Display copies of your snack recipe for families to read and set out the ingredients for your snack.

•

Remind families that the very first step of any recipe is getting hands clean. What are the steps to wash our hands?

•

Encourage families to talk through the recipe together and look for important clues: Where is the ingredients list? Do we have everything? What is the first step and what comes next? Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

Trini’s Digital Media Center • Set out four fully-charged tablets with the “Beading Art” game loaded from the PBS KIDS games and Molly of Denali app, and the “New Nivagi” episode for any families who weren’t able to preview it at home. In the “Beading Art” game, Molly shows players how to make various beading designs using the procedural/how-to text of design cards. Players are then guided to use the design cards to decorate clothing and other items and/or create their own designs.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

(25 minutes)

Share (10 Minutes) Gather families and unveil the mini-museum with artifacts from all four sessions! The mini- museum is now ready to be shared with outside guests. • Allow time for families to circle through the completed exhibit. • Then gather families to share something new they learned. • Did you learn how to do something? • What is something interesting that you learned from the mini-museum? • Remind families of this session’s Alaska Native value, “Honor Your Elders – They Show You the Way in Life.” Help model positive language that honors the gifts each family is sharing and helps them make connections to their own family’s traditions. “I enjoyed learning about Jose’s strawberry juice recipe. I can’t wait to try it. It reminded me of a strawberry tea recipe my grandmother used to make in the summertime!”

Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

TIP

If there isn’t enough time for the mini-museum reveal and walk through, consider digitizing artifacts and sharing through a virtual photo album or closed social platform.

Wrap-Up and Take-Home Since this is your last Family & Community Learning session, take some time to engage in a culminating discussion about your shared experience together. Recap the four exhibits you made for the museum and the type of informational text they created for each one. Use the following questions to help guide a reflective discussion with families: • What was your biggest discovery? • What new things did you learn? • What did you enjoy most about the sessions? 89

For Grown-ups (15 Minutes) Gather together one final time to check in and connect. Encourage families to discuss and share answers to the following questions: • Have they noticed their kids using informational text at home? How? • Have grown-ups noticed any new opportunities to talk about or use informational text with their kids? • Have they noticed their kids applying and/or referring to any of the values that were shared? Review and discuss some ways to encourage using and creating informational text long after the FCL experience is over: 1. Nurture your kid’s sense of wonder and curiosity. Join them in asking questions about things that interest them and help guide them to use informational texts to find the answers.

Courtesy of WFSU Public Media

2. Give your kids opportunities to use informational text with you. Talk with your children as you use informational texts in your everyday activities. Read through the steps of a recipe together, learn about a favorite sports hero or watch a video together on how to make a new craft. 3. Find out together! Help your kids find answers to their questions, whether it is searching the internet, asking a knowledgeable friend or Elder or taking a trip to the library. Now that your mini-museum is complete, review with families how they want to share and promote it. Will you plan a museum “open house” where families can invite friends and neighbors?

Courtesy of Alaska Public Media

Acknowledge all the incredible work you’ve accomplished together wondering, following the clues, researching and creating informational text. • Take the time to present each participant or family with a certificate to recognize their hard work and contributions, and, if possible, give each family a parting gift, like an action shot of the family working together or a collage of their experience. Distribute Molly’s recipe book to families. • If you have plans to continue engaging with families in some capacity, share your plans with them. This can include informing families about other local events and activities to take part in or pointing them to online and on-air resources they can use.

TIP

If families have grown close over the course of the experience and want to exchange contact information, help facilitate that sharing. With that said, also be sensitive about families who may not want to share their contact information.

• Make sure families know how to keep in touch with you and your partners (such as through social media, websites, phone or email or calendar of events). • Before everyone leaves, take a group picture! Prompt everyone to say “Mahsi’choo, Let’s go!”

TIP

During wrap-up, administer surveys for families to complete. Provide a child-only activity while grownups complete the surveys, such as a bonus MOLLY OF DENALI episode that kids can watch. If families need to leave promptly, provide an online survey link.

By using the enclosed materials and holding community workshops, you agree to indemnify and hold CPB and PBS, their affiliates, officers, directors and employees harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising in any way from the workshops, including by way of example, without limitation, personal injury and property damage to workshop hosts and participants.

APPENDIX A: Spotting Scope Instructions

Make a spotting scope to help you observe the natural world around you! Use this tool to spot animals, birds, insects, plants and other living things in nature.

Materials:

Cardboard tubes

Tape or glue

Construction paper

Scissors

Optional: Hole punch

String

Markers and crayons

Additional craft supplies for decorating such as pom poms, glue, glitter and stickers

Instructions: 1. Tape two cardboard tubes together. (You can make one long scope or tape the rolls side by side, like binoculars.) 2. Wrap the tubes with construction paper and secure with tape, keeping the ends open for viewing. 3. Use scissors or a hole punch to make a small hole on each side of your spotting scope to attach a neck strap. 4. Cut a piece of string long enough to tie to each side of the scope and hang around your neck. Send one end of the string through one of the holes and tie a knot. Repeat on the other side.

APPENDIX B: Trail Mix Recipe

Let’s make a snack! Trail mix typically includes a mixture of crunchy, sweet and salty ingredients. Your trail mix can include a variety of items that you like to eat and are available to you—be creative!

Ingredients and materials:

Bowl and spoon, or sandwich bags

A variety of snack foods:

• Cereal, nuts or seeds

• Sweet: Dried fruit (such as raisins, blueberries, dried cranberries), chocolate or marshmallows

• Salty: Pretzels, popcorn or goldfish

• Other ingredients of your choice!

Directions:

1. Clean your hands. 2. Pour your crunchy, sweet and salty ingredients into the bowl or bag. 3. Stir the ingredients in the bowl with a spoon to mix together. If your trail mix is in a sandwich bag, seal the bag and shake it up to mix your ingredients. 4. Enjoy your trail mix!

APPENDIX C: STARS IN MY LIFE TEMPLATE “People Who Star In My Life”

APPENDIX D: INFORMATIONAL TEXT RECOMMENDATIONS Informative/Explanatory Texts • Arnosky, Jim. All About Manatees. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2008. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Arnosky, Jim. Thunder Birds: Nature’s Flying Predators. Toronto, Ontario: Sterling Children’s Books, 2011. [Ages: 6 – 10] • Barner, Bob. Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2007. [Ages: 5 –6] • Beck, W. H. Glow: Animals with Their Own Night Lights. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. [Ages: 4 – 7] • Bishop, Nic. Frogs. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2008. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Campbell, Sarah. Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2008. [Ages: 5-7] • Ferguson Delano, Marfe. Explore My World Butterflies. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children’s Book, 2014. [Ages: 3 – 7] • Garland, Michael. Birds Make Nests. DongGuan City, China: Holiday House, 2017. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Goodman, Emily. Plant Secrets. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2009. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Jenkins, Steve. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. [Ages: 4 – 7] • Jenkins, Steve. The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest—and Most Surprising—Animals on Earth. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Keating, Jess. Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the World’s Most Adorable Animals (The World of Weird Animals). New York, NY: Knopf Books, 2018. [Ages: 5 – 8] • Marsh, Laura. Alligators and Crocodiles. Washington, DC: National Geographic Children’s Books, 2015). [Ages: 5 – 8] • National Geographic Kids. Beginner’s United States Atlas. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children’s Books, 2016. [Ages: 5 – 9] • Newman, Mark. Polar bears. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company (BYR), 2018. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Peterson, Cris. Seed, Soil, Sun: Earth’s Recipe for Food. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2010. [Ages: 5 – 8] • Rotner, Shelley. Hello Summer! DongGuan City, China: Holiday House, 2019. [Ages: 4– 8)] • Simon, Seymour. Butterflies. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2011. [Ages: 6 – 10] Simon, Seymour. Insects. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2016. [Ages: 6 – 10] • Stewart, Melissa. Ants (Level 1) (National Geographic Kids). Washington D.C.: National Geographic Books, 2010. [Ages: 4 – 6] • Stockdale, Susan. Bring on the Birds. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2011. [Ages: 2-6] Sweeney, J. Me on the Map. New York, NY: Dragonfly Books, 2018. [Ages: 3 – 7]

Procedural/How-To Texts • Benjamin, Joel. Twists, Braids, & Ponytails. Lake Forest, CA: QEB Publishing, 2017 [Ages: 7 – 10] • DK Kids. Super Slime: 30 Safe and Inventive Slime Recipes. New York, NY: DK Publishing, 2019. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Karmel, Annabel. Mom and Me Cookbook. New York, NY: DK Publishing, 2005. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Kemmeter, Jennifer. Build It! Volume 1: Make Supercool Models with Your Lego Classic Set (Brick Books). Portland, OR: Graphic Arts Books, 2016. [Ages: 5 and up] • Maillard, Kevin N. Fry Bread. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press, 2019. [Ages 3 - 6] • Olsen, Elsie. Magic Disappearing Acts (Lightning Bolt Books). Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2019. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Shah, Anajali. Kid Chef Junior: My First Kid’s Cookbook. Emeryville, CA: Rockridge Press,2018. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Shores, Erika L. How to Make Bubbles (Hands-On Science Fun). North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2011. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Shores, Lori. How to Make Slime (Hands-On Science Fun). North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press,2010. [Ages: 4 – 8]. • Suen, Anastasia. How to Bake a Cake (Step-by-Step Projects). Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Educational Media, 2015. [Ages: 5 – 7]

Biographical Texts • Boochever, Annie and Roy Peratrovich Jr. Fighter in Velvet Gloves: Alaska Civil Rights Hero Elizabeth Peratrovich. 2019 • Brandenberg, Aliki. A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver. New York, NY: Aladdin, 1988. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Brown, Monica. Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2011. [Ages 6 – 9] • Denise, Anika Aldamuy. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpre. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2019. [Ages 4 – 8] • Gerstein, Mordicai. The Man who Walked Between the Towers. New York, NY: Macmillan, 2003. [Ages: 5 – 8] • Keating, Jess. Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2017. [Ages 4 – 8] • Leslie, Tonya. The Story of John Lewis: A Biography Book for Young Readers. Emeryville, California: Rockridge Press, 2021. [Ages 6 - 9] • Levinson, Cynthia. The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017. [Ages: 5 – 10] • Markel, Michelle. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2015. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Nelson, S.D. Buffalo Bird Girl. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2015. [Ages 6 – 9] • Steptoe, Javaka. Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Watson, Renée. Harlem’s Little Blackbird. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012. [Ages: 3 – 7] 96

Nonfiction Narrative Texts • Burleigh, Robert. One Giant Leap. New York, NY: Philomel Books, 2014. [Ages: 6 – 8] Eggers, Dave. Her Right Foot. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2017. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Evans, Shane. We March. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press, 2012. [Ages: 4 – 8] Floca, Brian. Locomotive. New York, NY: Atheneum, 2013. [Ages: 4 – 10] • Sorell, Traci. At The Mountain’s Base. New York, NY: Kokila, 2019. [Ages: 4 – 8] • Sorell, Traci. We Are Grateful: Ostsaliheliga. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2018. [Ages: 3 – 7] • Rosenstock, Barb. Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere. New York, NY: Little Brown Books, 2018. [Ages: 6 – 9] • Wittenstein, Barry. The Boo-Boos that Changed the World: A True Story about an Accidental Invention (Really!). Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2018. [Ages: 4 – 8]

Functional Texts • FCL Workshop Schedule • Building/room signs or labels within the immediate environment • Menus from local restaurants • Local transportation schedule • Library card application • Movie schedule • Weather forecast

APPENDIX E: TIPS SHEETS OVERALL TIPS Before the Workshop

There may be a wide range of language, ability and literacy abilities among grown-up participants. Gather this information during the recruitment process and make sure you have facilitators, including bilingual facilitators, to support and guide grown-ups as they gather and use various resources.

If time and budget allow, schedule screenings of the MOLLY OF DENALI videos as separate events.

Download and test games before the session and ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi, if needed. Have backup options in place in case technology malfunctions.

Source local informational texts such as field guides and local nature books; biographies of local and Indigenous people; local maps and other texts about the community. This will help kids notice, wonder and draw connections with the animals, places, people and traditions in their community.

Contact and connect with local Indigenous community centers and Tribal councils to include and get involved in the MOLLY OF DENALI family engagement workshops.

During the Workshop

Since the mini-museum will live beyond the FCL workshop series, have families fill out media consent and release forms so that the museum exhibit can be shared with the larger community.

We recommend having one facilitator for every four families to ask guiding questions and assist families at centers.

Eat

The length of time spent eating, exploring, playing and sharing are suggestions; sections of the schedule may need to be shortened or lengthened to accommodate the needs of your families.

As families are eating, walk around and model the prompts and questions on the placemats for families.

APPENDIX E: TIPS SHEETS OVERALL TIPS Explore – Creating an Inclusive, Equitable and Welcoming Space

To create a welcoming environment for all types of families, consider phrasing parents or caregivers as “wise Elders” and the “stars in kids’ lives.”

Use a strategy, such as “Hands in the air, eyes on me,” throughout the sessions when you need to regain the families’ attention. Being consistent will reinforce the routine.

Some groups may need gentle reminders to transition if they haven’t already done so. Try verbal reminders, ringing a bell, tapping a drum or using a projected countdown timer, especially if space is limited and families need to move at the same time. If you would like to create the space for grown-ups-only and kids-only time, consider having kids preview centers with facilitators, and in particular, informational text at Molly’s Research & Writing Center. At the same time, gather grown-ups to discuss and reinforce the intention of introducing Alaska Native values and the purpose of informational text and the mini-museum exhibit. Also, during this time, explain to grownups what will happen at each Play Center and discuss with families whether they may need any accommodations during the session.

Play – Creating an Inclusive, Equitable and Welcoming Space

Add child lock protection or enable parental controls on search browsers on tablets or desktop computers. One option is to use the “Kiddle” browser, a kid friendly version of the Google search engine. Another option is to use ZAC Browser, a browser that simplifies browsing for kids with autism.

Add a “Quiet Corner” for younger siblings and/or kids that need a break from all of the environmental stimuli. The corner could be part of the “Research & Writing Center” or as a separate center. Include age-appropriate books and Molly of Denali coloring pages and coloring markers or crayons.

For younger kids, consider playing “Super Snowboarder” and/or “Denali Trading” as alternative digital games.

Play MOLLY OF DENALI, Alaska Native or local indigenous music in the background as families work on their activities. However, careful of overstimulating sound at Trini’s Digital Media Center since the digital games will also have audio.

For families who regularly communicate in a language other than English, encourage writing the placard in their native language. Using voice-totext technology can also help families who need some extra help with translations or writing.

APPENDIX E: TIPS SHEETS OVERALL TIPS Share

Sharing can happen in small and large groups. You may start by encouraging families to share with a neighboring family at their table or lead a “Show-and- Tell,” where kids show each other what they made and talk about the concepts learned. Respond to the energy and comfort of participating families when deciding how to structure this time.

If you’re short on time, consider splitting up the group so that families present their artifacts to at least half of the participants in the group.

Randomize the order of families presenting their artifacts (i.e. drawing numbered popsicle sticks) so that every family gets an opportunity to present at each session.

Consider taking photos of all artifacts created in order to digitize the museum.

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SESSION 1: INVESTIGATING ANIMALS Materials

Gather field guides of animals and nature from your local library. If guides about local animals aren’t readily available, consider regional or state field guides.

Consider reusing kid-friendly eating utensils as carving and modeling tools to create animal sculptures.

To continue exploring beyond the workshop, families can download the free app Seek by iNaturalist on a smartphone or tablet. Through image recognition, the app can help families identify and learn information about plants and animals in their community. (See app details in the digital resource postcard.)

Eat

Create a friendly environment by playing music and having facilitators greet participants as they arrive.

Encourage families to eat upon arrival. This will ensure there is adequate time for introductions and to acquaint families with the FCL model.

If time is a constraint, model questions for a picture walk with the placemats for families.

Explore

Introduce Land Acknowledgements during family introductions.

Introductions take time. Consider using the Alaska Native Introduction custom with families for about 5-10 minutes per person. If time is a constraint, consider having families introduce themselves in small groups, and switch groups at the next session. Another way for families to introduce themselves is to use the Stars in My Life handout to share about the caring people in their lives. If you choose to use this frame, consider at least introducing yourself with the Alaska Native Introduction as an example.

Insects are animals too! Encourage kids to share about all kinds of animals found in their community.

Play

To simplify the selection process for younger kids, offer one animal type for families to research (i.e., native birds, insects, fish etc.)

Sourcing local informational text such as field guides and local nature books is vital in helping kids notice, wonder and draw connections with the animals in their community.

Animal sculptures do not have to be completely realistic but should include features that are true to the real animal.

Premake a few Spotting Scopes for younger kids to explore, and as examples for older kids.

Encourage grown-ups to play the game with their kids. There will be multiple checkpoints while fishing for salmon. Encourage grown-ups to point out the different ways Molly uses information, and potentially help kids read diagrams, illustrations with captions and other types of informational text to fish for salmon. Because some of the games are text heavy, younger readers will need grown-up assistance.

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SESSION 2: LEARNING ABOUT EACH OTHER Explore

Model the Land Acknowledgement and have a child practice doing the Land Acknowledgement. It can even be printed out if they want to read from it.

We define family in very open terms. Family represents the people that you feel close to and who you learn from and can include friends and community members. Another way to phrase the value with non-traditional families may be, “You are an Extension of the Values that You’re Taught.”

Play

Sourcing biographical texts about local and Indigenous people can help kids notice, wonder and draw connections with their community.

Explain and preview the digital game to help grown-ups feel better prepared to lead their child through the game independently.

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SESSION 3: EXPLORING MY COMMUNITY Explore

Define any vocabulary that kids notice and are unfamiliar with on Molly’s Alaska map. Model questions that prompt kids to think about what information can be gathered from a map and what information can be added to a map to make it more useful.

Play

Sourcing texts about local places can help kids notice, wonder and draw connections with their community’s environment and surroundings.

Make a sample flag for Tooey’s Make & Take Center ahead of time so grown-ups see a model of the finished products.

Pin the community map lower to the ground so that kids can easily reach and add their contributions to the map.

Encourage grown-ups to play the game with their kids. There will be multiple checkpoints during each dog sled journey. Encourage grown-ups to point out the different ways Molly and Tooey use information, and potentially help kids read diagrams, illustrations with captions and other types of informational text features to help Molly and Tooey continue on their dog sled journey.

Ask the grown-ups or “wise Elders” of the group to share if places on the map or the landscape of the map have changed over time.

Provide families with a take-home map such as a county parks & recreation map or city library map to continue exploration of maps and their community.

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SESSION 4: CELEBRATING TRADITIONS Eat Time management is an important consideration for this final session. If you are implementing surveys and/or distributing awards, be sure to start the session on time, or consider extending the time frame to accommodate all activities.

Explore

Celebrate the different ways that people are family. Family can also be the people that you feel close to and learn from and can include friends and community members. We know that all families look different. Families attending the FCL may be grandparents, aunts, neighborhood friends and Elders. As the facilitator, set up a safe space to allow families to share what they are comfortable sharing as much or as little as they would like to. In Alaska Native culture and other cultures around the world, any Elder is respectfully considered ‘grandma’ or ‘grandpa,’ even if they are not biologically related. This is also true of other community members—calling them brother, sister, auntie, uncle, etc. out of respect.

Use trail mix ingredients that fit with the regional and cultural context of your community. Like Molly in the story, explain that you replaced ingredients with ones you were able to find yourself. The goal is for families to have an experience with procedural text that culminates in a tasty snack.

During wrap-up, administer surveys for families to complete. Provide a child-only activity while grown-ups complete the surveys, such as a bonus MOLLY OF DENALI episode that kids can watch. If families need to leave promptly, provide an online survey link.

If there isn’t enough time for the mini-museum reveal and walk through, consider digitizing artifacts and sharing through a virtual photo album or closed social platform.

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PBS KIDS and the PBS KIDS Logo are registered trademarks of PBS. Used with permission. By using the enclosed materials and holding community workshops, you agree to indemnify and hold CPB and PBS, their affiliates, officers, directors and employees harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising in any way from the workshops, including by way of example, without limitation, personal injury and property damage to workshop hosts and participants.

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Molly of Denali - Family & Community Learning 2011-2012

Articles inside

PLAY

Session 3: Exploring My Community

Introduction

Session 1: Investigating Animals

Session 4: Celebrating Family Traditions

Session 2: Learning About Each Other