Alaska Studies Unit 1 Badge Book- Hard Copy

Unit 1: Cultural & Geographic Foundations

High School | Student-Facing | Print & Digital

This badge book is a student-facing learning guide for high school Alaska Studies, designed to help students explore how land, climate, culture, and community shape life across Alaska.

Rather than worksheets or memorization, students document their learning through observation, analysis, and real-world engagement. The badge book functions as a consumable field manual that guides students step-by-step while allowing for choice, independence, and depth.

This resource can be used:

• in classrooms
• in homeschool settings
• independently or with adult guidance

What’s Inside

The Unit 1 Badge Book is organized around a clear learning arc:

🔍 Observe

Students complete inquiry tasks and mini-projects that build foundational understanding of Alaska’s geography and cultures.

• 8 Inquiry Tasks (students choose 4)
• 8 Mini-Projects (students choose 4)
• Explicit guidance on evidence, field notes, and documentation

🧠 Analyze

Students synthesize their learning through higher-level thinking.

• 2 Performance Tasks (choose 1)
• 2 Problem-Solving Scenarios (choose 1)
  These tasks emphasize reasoning, evidence, and real-world decision-making.

🌎 Engage

Students apply what they’ve learned to their own community through a place-based engagement project, then document and reflect on their experience.

Assessment & Completion

• Includes a student-friendly rubric aligned to portfolio-based assessment
• Concludes with a community sign-off page, where students share their work with a teacher, parent, elder, or community leader
• Designed to support meaningful feedback

Who This Is For

• High school Alaska Studies students (grades 9–12)
• Teachers seeking place-based, inquiry-driven curriculum
• Homeschool families wanting structured but flexible learning
• Programs emphasizing portfolios, performance tasks, and real-world application

Why a Badge Book?

Badge books:

• encourage ownership of learning
• make progress visible
• support choice without sacrificing rigor
• create artifacts students can keep

This badge represents completion of Unit 1: Cultural & Geographic Foundations in a semester-long Alaska Studies course.