Education Resources at the City Museum
Resources to Borrow
The following education kits and resources are free to borrow for educational use and may be picked up at any CBJ Library or the City Museum. To reserve an education kit or other resource, please complete a Checkout Form.
(DVD) Gold Town The Story of Juneau (1995)
This 28-minute docudrama depicts the people and incidents that led to the discovery of gold and the subsequent development of Juneau and Douglas. Created by Lisle Hebert in 1995, the film is based upon the books, The Founding of Juneau and Old Gold by Robert DeArmond, and Hard Rock Gold by David and Brenda Stone.
(DVD) Juneau Capital Stories (2008)
These digital stories were created by 6th grade students at Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School and 7th grade students at Floyd Dryden Middle School with direction from JDCM staff during the 2007-2008 school year. Stories fall into four main categories:
- Alaska’s Capital – Sitka to Juneau, Early History (Russian Alaska), To Move the Capital: Pro and Con, Juneau’s Gold Mining History, Alaska’s Government
- The Quest for Statehood – Process of Becoming a State, Parts 1&2; Bartlett and Gruening: Alaska’s Dynamic Duo; Judge James Wickersham; An In-Depth Look at Alaska’s Model Constitution; How Statehood Affected the Native Community; Looking Back at 50 Years of Statehood
- Elizabeth Peratrovich and Civil Rights in Alaska – Civil Rights in Alaska: Roy and Elizabeth Peratrovich, Parts 1&2; ANB & ANS
- Cultures of Juneau – The Haida, The Tlingit, Anglo-Europeans, Filipinos in Alaska, Polynesians in Alaska
(DVD) Juneau City Built on Gold (2006)
The Juneau-Douglas City Museum celebrates local history with this DVD, created in 2006 by museum staff, volunteers, and community members. This 26-minute documentary highlights local history, culture, and heritage. It begins with an introduction to Tlingit life in the Juneau area, follows the city’s history through the gold rush days and the fight for statehood. This is the same video that the Museum shows in our Video Room and would make a great introduction to the Museum before a visit.
(DVD) The Empty Chair (2015)
(Abridged Education Version) This DVD includes two 25 minute segments on the forced removal and resettlement of Juneau's Japanese Community, 1941-1951.
(KIT) Kaxdegoowu Héen Sháali: Montana Creek Fish Trap
KIT DESCRIPTION: Grades 3-5. Includes detailed lesson plans. Students try a funnel trap, describe what a trap is, what its purpose is, and what makes it effective. Students observe the Kaxdegoowu Héen Sháali (Montana Creek Fish Trap), learn about traditional Tlingit fishing and the making of the replica trap housed at the City Museum. Students design a trap using everyday materials and present their findings. The following items are included in the kit:
- Lesson Guide
- Model Water Bottle Trap with 2 Marbles
- 2 See, Think, Wonder Posters
- English Vocabulary Poster
- English Vocabulary Definitions Poster
- Tlingit Vocabulary Poster
- Tlingit Vocabulary Definitions Poster
- The Replica Poster
- Traditional Tlingit Fishing Poster
- Kaxdegoowu He´en Sha´ali Poster
- Kaxdegoowu He´en Sha´ali Location Poster
- The Challenge Poster
(KIT) L’eiwú ka Héen: Wood & Waterways: A Look at Tlingit Canoes
KIT DESCRIPTION: Grades 3-5. Includes detailed lesson plans. Students observe a model Tlingit canoe, learn about Tlingit navigation of waterways and use of local materials, Tlingit paddling phrases, and the steps of canoe construction.Students describe what a boat is (specifically a canoe), what its purpose is, and what makes it effective. Students design a boat using everyday materials and present their findings. The following items are included in the kit:
- Lesson Guide
- 3 Copies Little Whale, by Roy A. Peratrovich, Jr.
- 1 Model Tlingit Canoe
- 5 Model Paddles
- 3 Historical Canoe Photographs
- 1 Thumb Drive (Wood & Waterways PowerPoint Presentation)
- 30 Student Sets of How to Make a Canoe pieces (12 pcs per set)
- 1 Teacher Set of How to Make a Canoe pieces (12 pc Magnetic)
- 1 Tlingit Aani Map
- Aluminum Foil
(KIT) Local Disasters & Preparedness
KIT DESCRIPTION: Grades 6-12 Includes detailed lesson plans. Students identify common man-made and natural disasters, compare and contrast artifacts and archives and a museum’s role in maintaining artifacts & archives, identify local disasters and evaluate how to prepare for a disaster, choose items that should be included in an emergency response kit, and evaluate difficult real-life scenarios that are targeted to their age group and refer to known localities in Juneau. The following items are included in the kit:
- Lesson Guide
- 12 Double-Sided Venn Diagram Mats
- 17 Student Worksheet Originals for Copying
- 13 Decks of Juneau Disasters and Preparedness Cards
(KIT) Observing & Learning from Artifacts
4KIT DESCRIPTION: Grades K-4. Includes detailed lesson plans. This kit is designed to take the learner from the basics of understanding what an artifact is, to using artifacts to help tell stories of the past, in particular, the past as it relates to the communities and people of Juneau and Douglas Alaska. Learners will visit the City Museum to observe artifacts in the Museum setting. The following items are included in the kit:
- Lesson Guide
- (Book) Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, by Mem Fox
- (Bo0k) Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, by Mac Barnett
- (Bo0k) P'ésk'a and the First Salmon Ceremony, by Scot Ritchie
- (Bo0k) Aunt Flossie’s Hats (and Crab Cakes Later), by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
- (Bo0k) Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House, by Faith Ringgold
- (Bo0k) The Auction, by Jan Andrews
- (Bo0k) The Wooden Doll, by Susan Bonners
- (Bo0k) Henry’s Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine
OBJECTS:
- Shoe Last
- Hand Muff
- Mask
- Book
- Biscuit Cutter
- Campaign Buttons (4)
- Mill Balls (2)
- 45 RPM Record
- Newspaper Page
- Gold Pan
- Bottle
- Washboard
- Doll
- Abacus
- Twine
- Beads
- 21 Spoons (varying sizes and types)
OTHER Materials:
- 12 Historic Photographs of Juneau-Douglas
- 6 Artifact / Non-Artifact Photographs
- 1 Historic Bedroom Photograph
- 1 Modern Bedroom Photograph
- 16 Artifact Description Cards
- 12 Historic Photograph cards with Answer Key
(KIT) Totem Pole: Oral Narrative in Art Form
KIT DESCRIPTION: Grades 1-3 Students are introduced to the creation of totem poles and the significance behind the art. They will hear an oral narrative and link it to a totem pole that re-tells the story through art. They will create their own totem pole that tells a story. This kit includes teacher resources and hands-on materials for students.
- Lesson Guide with writing activities
- Heroes & Heroines in Tlingit-Haida Legend by Mary L. Beck
- The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales: a Haida Story illustrated by Janine Gibbons
- Tlingit Wood Carving: How to Carve a Tlingit Tray by Richard Beasley.
- Adze (made by Herb Sheakley)
- Small Model Totem Pole (carved by Herb Sheakley)
- Student Worksheets (for copying)
- Formline Design Elements (Mini Posters)
- Totem Pole Photographs
- Oral Narratives: Gonokadeit and Dukt’ootl’
- Laminated Paper Model of the Gonokadeit Pole in Wrangell
- Gonokadeit Pole Model (can copy for students to color and construct)
- Oral Narratives: Gonokadeit and Dukt’ootl’
- Information on the Sa’wan and the First Halibut Hook Totem Pole carved by John Wallace (located at the City Museum).
- Information about the Harnessing the Atom Totem Pole carved by Amos Wallace (located at the City Museum).
(MATERIALS) Fishing History
Bag includes books and materials:
- (Binder)The Tlingit Way: How to Treat Salmon by Patricia H. Partnow
- (Binder) Montana Creek Fish Trap Education
- (Book) Illustrated Instructions for Twined Spruce Root or Cedar Bark Basket and A Model Spruce Fish Trap, by Mary Lou King
- (Book) A Day in the Life of a Commercial Fisherman by John F. Klein
- (Book) What’s it Like to be a…Fisherman by Janet Craig
- (Book) Shanyaak’ utlaax Salmon Boy
- (Book) Discovering Salmon
Life-sized fish fact panels:
- Pacific Halibut
- Pink Salmon
- Coho Salmon
- Chinook Salmon
- Sockeye Salmon
- Chum Salmon
- Eulachon
- Herring
- Section of Fish Trap Replica and Spruce Root Sample
Halibut Hook
(MATERIALS) Educational Resources: Maps, Guides, & Books
In Small 3-Ring Binder:
- (Map) 1914 Sanborn Map of Downtown Juneau
In Mailing Tube:
- (Map) A Map of the Northwest Coast
- (Map) Southeast Alaska’s Panhandle
- (Map) Juneau Alaska 1938
- (Map) Historic Southeast Alaska
In Large 3-Ring Binder:
- (Map) Tongass National Forest
- (Map) Downtown Business Association Map
- (Map) Juneau Alaska
- (Booklet) Gold Creek Flume Stories
- (Brochures) Evergreen Cemetery Historical Walk
- (Brochure) Historic Juneau Places & Faces, Self-guided tour
- (Trail Guide) Perseverance Trail
- (Trail Guide) Treadwell Mine Historic Trail
- (Booklet) The Centennial Gazetteer: A Guide to Juneau, Alaska Place Names
- (Booklet) Growing up in Juneau (research by Juneau Students)
- (Book) I Remember Treadwell(Mahaffy)
- (Book) Kahtahah(Paul)
- (Book) Looking Back on Juneau: The First Hundred Years(Davis)
- (Booklet) Names on the Chart and How They Got There(DeArmond)
- (Book) Old Gold: Historical Vignettes of Juneau, Alaska(DeArmond)
- (Booklet) Early Years of Juneau, Alaska 1880-1890 (Ferrell)
- (Booklet) Touring Juneau (Croft & Bradner)
- (DVD) Juneau: Alaska’s Capital (Digital Stories by Juneau Students)
- (DVD) Juneau City Built on Gold
(MATERIALS) Geology History
Bag includes books and rock samples.
BOOKS:
- Minerals, Metals, and Rocks
- The Juneau Gold Belt and Juneau Mining History
- Traditional Tlingit Uses of Stone (Té)
- Let's Go Rock Collecting by Roma Gans, illustrated by Holly Keller
- A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
- Jump into Science: Rocks & Minerals, by Steve Tomecek, illustrated by Kyle Poling (National Geographic Kids)
- Rich Earth: Alaska’s Mineral Industry (AK Geographic)
- The Golden Gamble (AK Geographic)
- Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor
OBJECTS:
Box of Rock Samples: (9 total rocks) Includes:
- diorite
- greywacke sandstone
- gold (quartz/pyrite: real gold is extracted from pyrite at Kensington Mine)
- schist
- 2 pieces of granite
- basalt
- quartz
- slate`
- The Alaska Resources Kit Rock and Mineral Specimens (Collection of 40 Specimens with 15 informational posters) / Scott Resources, Inc.
OTHER RESOURCES:
- Poster: From the Mine to My Home,
- Poster: Rocks and Minerals and How We Use Them
- Poster: From Mountains to Metals
- Poster: Mineral Resources: Out of the Ground…Into Our Daily Lives
- Treadwell Mine Historic Trail Walking Tour Map & Historic Guide.
(MATERIALS) Juneau Empire 75th Edition
This three-part edition was published in 1987 in celebration of the Empire's 75th anniversary. Each part contains articles on various facets of Juneau history, as well as reproductions of historic articles.
- Part One, October 1987
- Part Two, November 1987
- Part Three, November 1987
(MATERIALS) Treadwell Mine
- (BOOK) I Remember Treadwell, by Charlotte L Mahaffy
- Stope Mining: Getting Gold is Hard Work (Read Aloud Resource)
- Charlotte's Town (Read Aloud Resource)
- 2 Treadwell Mine Historic Trail Map (Laminated0
- 3 Historic photos of Treadwell (Xerox Copies)
- 2 Mining Operation Diagrams (Laminated)
- 2 Laminated Photos of Sandy Beach/Treadwell (Past and Present)
- 1 Historic Map of a Portion of the Buildings of the Treadwell Mine Complex (Xeroxed Copy Laminated)
Resources to Download
The following materials are free to download for personal or educational use. For more information, please call the City Museum at 907-586-3572.
Explore, Learn, and Create
The following activities provide children and adults with fun place-based activities you can do from home.
- Famous Juneau People Crossword Puzzle (Teen-Adult)
- CREATE a Go Bag Activity (6th-12th grade)
- CREATE a TRAP Activity (3rd-5th grade)
- Spring Cinquain Poetry Template (1st-3rd grade)
- DESIGN a BOAT Activity (3rd-5th grade)
- VINTAGE EASTER Template
Outdoor I Spy Activity
The Outdoor I Spy activity takes users on a 20 to 30 minute walk in the downtown Juneau historic district, searching for the sites of 6 visual clues. At each discovery, there is information to share about the building’s or monument’s history and significance. The brochure is best printed double-sided and folded together into a booklet. The visual clues found on the last page of the download can be printed and cut apart into cards to show to or hand out to the I-Spy players.
Totem Poles & Public Art
There are many Tlingit totem poles in Juneau. Here are a few resources to learn about the Tlingit poles located at the City Museum.
Fish Trap Education Binder
Resource materials to teach about the Montana Creek fish trap, located at the City Museum, as well as fish traps in general. These files are larger PDFs and may take a while to load.
Wood & Waterways: A Look at Tlingit Canoes
A manual for teachers about the creation, history, and use of canoes by the Tlingit and Haida people of Southeast Alaska and the Yakutat area. Educators may also borrow a physical copy of the manual from the Museum. These files are larger PDFs and may take a while to load.
The Alaska Native Brotherhood: A Centennial Celebration (2012 Exhibit)
See the link below for PDF copies of the 2012 exhibit panels which cover the 100-year history of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and also provide some history for the Alaska Native Sisterhood. Several of the exhibit panels are available for educators to borrow, and the Museum also has some panels on display that classes can view on a Museum visit.
- The Alaska Native Brotherhood: A Centennial Celebration
- In Sisterhood: The History of Camp 2 of the Alaska Native Sisterhood by Kimberly L. Metcalfe (available for purchase from the to borrow for educational use).