Native Knowledge
Sample Questions - Signs of Spring
Student Take-Home Questions (for their parents or grandparents)
- What was spring like when you were young?
- How has it changed?
Classroom Interview Questions (for community Elders or other local experts)
- What was spring like when you were young? How has it changed?
- How do you know when spring is coming? What are the signs you watch
for?
What is the first thing you notice? (If necessary, prompt with questions about leaves and grass getting green, ducks and birds returning, animal behavior, weather, break-up or movement of river, lake or
sea ice, daylight returning etc.) - Ask locally-specific questions like "If the lake still has ice, will the ducks return?" or "How long after the snow melts will the grass turn green?" or, or, or…
- Is spring coming at about the same time as when you were young?
- If changes in the timing or character of spring are mentioned by the person being interviewed, ask how the changes have affected his or her life. For example: How has early river break up affected travel? How have early marine mammal migration affected hunting activities? Diet?
- How do you feel about these changes? Why do you think they're happening?
Related Questions
- What is the most important thing for us to know about spring?
- How can you tell what kind of a spring it will be?
- What do you like best about spring?
- Brainstorm with students the kinds of observations/concerns that Elders shared, listing them on the board.
- Ask students what questions/comments/personal observations they might have on these topics
- Discuss possible investigations they might do to help them answer their questions
| Elder Observations |
Possible Questions |
GLOBE Protocols |
Other Helpful Projects |
|---|---|---|---|
|
•Earlier sea ice dissipation •Marine mammals move out to sea earlier •Earlier spring bird migration •Earlier green-up •Earlier break-up |
•When is break up (or bird arrival or sea ice dissipation or green-up) occurring and how does this compare to the past? •What might explain these changes? •Is there a relationship between these changes and air or soil temperature? snow cover? daylight? winds? etc. •How have these changes affected our community? |
•Green-up •Air temperature •Soil temperature |
•Bird arrival data - #'s. species and dates |
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Last Modified on May 20, 2002 by Sidney Stephens
