Classroom Resources

Curriculum, classroom activities, citizen science opportunities

Photo credit: Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Tracks of Alaska Animals: A Guide for Educators

Animal tracks are a wonderful teaching tool for educating students about observation skills, classification, and the diversity of wildlife in their environment. This guide provides background information on the tracks of individual species and groups of similar animals, as well as hands-on activities for students. Get the guide and check out an animal tracks kit in the link below.

Photo credit: AK DEED

Getting started with Science Standards for Alaska

Are you new to Alaska, or new to teaching science here? Jump start your understanding of the Science Standards for Alaska with introductory webinars created by Alaska teachers for Alaska teachers!

Photo credit: International Arctic Research Center

New wildfire education resources



The Alaska Fire Science Consortium and the International Arctic Research Center’s Education & Outreach group have released new lesson plans to make field trips to burned areas convenient, easy and fun. The materials are designed to help educators and parents meet learning objectives as they take students to the Wildfire Walk interpretive trail on UAF’s campus. People in other communities can find a previously burned area to visit using the Alaska Wildfire Explorer tool.

Photo credit: Tori Brannan

Study Green-Down with UAF and NASA GLOBE



Welcome back to the fall season! As school starts up again, so does the phenological occurrence called Green-Down. The UAF International Arctic Research Center Education & Outreach group, in partnership with Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), studies Green-Down with students K to grey to help scientists track how the timing of the seasons is changing and how that might affect the earth’s climate and carbon budget. You can help! If you’re in Fairbanks, we can send a scientist to your classroom to help you get started! Outside of Fairbanks, we can connect with you via Zoom.

Photo credit: REAP

New “Energy Perspectives” lesson plan available for grades 6-12



Check out AK EnergySmart's new "Energy Perspectives" lesson plan for grades 6-12! In this lesson, students will participate in a mock community meeting to discuss which energy grant their hypothetical Alaska community should apply for. Each student will receive a community role and must argue their perspective based upon what they know about their assigned role.

Photo credit: Alaska Waters

Alaska Waters Education Resources



Check out high-quality, place-based lessons, activities, and resources that engage and inspire Alaskan youth to connect with marine and watershed ecosystems. Lesson plans are searchable by topic, grade, location needs, technology requirements, and activity type. Activities include labs, field trips, games, projects, hands-on exploration and more!

Science Stars!

Awards and nominations

Photo credit: National Science Foundation

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) suspended

On July 18, 2025, the National Science Foundation announced that it will pause the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) until further notice. The Alaska Science Teachers Association (ASTA) has been the coordinating agent for the PAEMST program in Alaska. ASTA President Patty Brown said, “We are extremely disappointed and know there are so many deserving teachers out there, including this year’s finalists whose names were submitted. We will continue to advocate for acknowledgement and rewards for teachers who strive for excellence every year.”

Celebrating Science

Photo credit: National Geographic Society

Math Class on a Glacier



Since 1983, the students of Petersburg, Alaska, have been documenting the LeConte Glacier, the southernmost tidewater glacier of the Northern Hemisphere. What started off a class project to learn surveying techniques is now one of the longest-running research projects documenting climate change first hand. Join the students of Petersburg high school as they document the same glacier using the same techniques as students from 35 years ago.

Photo credit: Renewable Energy Alaska Project

Young Alaskans compete and win in the World KidWind competition

Six student teams represented Alaska at the 2025 World KidWind Challenge in Phoenix, AZ this summer. Teams from Anchorage, Gambell, and Wasilla competed against 135 other teams, the largest KidWind field ever, to show off their engineered wind turbines and solar homes. Four of the six Alaska teams earned top performance or special recognition awards. Congratulations to the Five Muskeeters (Top Performers), Victory Volts (Rookie of the Year), JEMS (Spirit of KidWind), and Qughsatkut Wind Blazers (Blade Engineers).