MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLCANOLOGY CURRICULUM THAT LINKS TO TRADITIONAL HAWAIIAN STORIES

For the last 10 years, we have been developing new curriculum and programs that link traditional native Hawaiian stories to recent volcanic history of Hawai`i. We incorporate native cultural values, traditions, and language while teaching students the physics and mathematics of volcanoes. We have field-tested our curriculum during several two-week summer programs for native Hawaiian middle school students with the Na Pua No`eau Gifted and Talented Program at University of Hawai`i Hilo. During these summer programs, instruction is primarily in the form of short talks and question-and-answer sessions during a daylong hike, each day of the program. Emphasis is on interpreting outcrops and volcanic features with many hand-on examples. The daily goal is to be able to tell a geologic story about that area. We are also working with the Hawai`i Alive curriculum project administered by the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and Alu Like, Inc. The Hawai`i Alive project plans to produce an educational CD-ROM with classroom lessons in both English and Hawaiian that will be distributed throughout Hawai`i. Our goal is to improve native Hawaiian students’ self-concept by acknowledging Hawaiian stories that describe actual events, natural processes, and hazards. These stories were generally based on actual observations, and the observers were the cultural equivalent of scientists today. Observations were made to insure survival and safety when travelling to dangerous areas on the volcano. For example, stories of Pele-honua-mea, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes, give astute descriptions of the noises produced during an eruption, lava movements, and textures of the cooled rocks. Students are introduced to scientific geological concepts as parallel but testable explanations of the same events, processes, and hazards. This serves the additional goal of teaching the scientific method contrasted with anecdotal methods used in most stories and legends. Park visitors also gain from these programs, which will be shared with the general public after being field-tested with students.