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Geoguide/nenets
Classroom Ideas: Ninth-Twelfth Grade
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The Siberian Arctic OVERVIEW
	Each spring groups of Nenets migrate with their reindeer herds from the shelter of the northern forests, the taiga, to the treeless tundra of Russia’s Yamal Peninsula 200 miles (312 kilometers) beyond. Their homeland encompasses fragile ecosystems threatened by overgrazing reindeer and the tapping of oil and natural gas reserves. Have your students explore the ecosystems of northwestern Siberia by studying the region’s geography, climate, flora and fauna, and by identifying its food chains. Have them analyze the role reindeer play in this region. Familiarize your students with the threats to the region’s biodiversity. Ask your students if other regions of the Arctic are facing the same threats and what is being done to remedy inherent problems.
Connections to the curriculum: natural science, biology, ecology, geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
	Standard 8: “The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth’s surface” Standard 13: “How forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth’s surface” Standard 16: “The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources” Standard 18: “How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future”
Time: Three hours or more depending on the depth of your students’ research
Materials required are
	copies of the March 1998 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC article “Nenets: Surviving on the Siberian Tundra”; atlases and/or physical maps highlighting vegetation and land use; computers with Internet access, if available, for students to review Geoguide/nenets photographs and other sites on Nenets culture (See Resources & Links); library for reference materials including books, periodicals, and CD ROMs.
Purpose:
	Challenge students to learn about ecosystems and threats to biodiversity. Students will learn about habitats of northwestern Siberia; reindeer and their role in biodiversity; oil and natural gas reserves and the environmental consequences of tapping these resources; threatened regions elsewhere in the Arctic.
SUGGESTED PROCEDURE Opening:
	Assign students to four groups to research the topics: habitats of northwestern Siberia, reindeer, oil and natural gas, and other threatened regions of the Arctic. Students can be subdivided into smaller teams with each group investigating the questions listed below. (If students don’t have access to the Internet or your library doesn’t have sufficient resources about northwestern Siberia, have students study similar Arctic regions in Alaska, Canada, or Scandinavia.)
Development:
	Have your students address the following questions as they research their topics. For habitats of northwestern Siberia: What is the geography and climate of northwestern Siberia? What are the habitats and individual ecosystems in this region? How does climate and geography relate to its natural resources? What is tundra and taiga? What is the region’s flora and fauna? What are the growing seasons of the flora? How long does it take for trees and lichen to grow? What are the region’s food chains? Where do reindeer fit in the food chain? For reindeer: What is the difference between caribou and reindeer? What do reindeer eat? Where do reindeer migrate in winter? In summer? What is the life-cycle of the reindeer? Is there an overpopulation of reindeer on the tundra? What are the consequences of overgrazing? For oil and natural gas: Where are oil and natural gas deposits in the Yamal? How is oil and natural gas located? How are these resources tapped and developed? How is the environment affected by oil and gas development? What impact does this development have on reindeer herding and the Nenets way of life? For threatened regions elsewhere in the Arctic: What other areas of the world are affected by these issues? What are people doing to resolve controversies about how natural resources should be used? What are the opposing viewpoints? As students do their research they may find it helpful to check not only our Resources & Links, but the following related Web sites: Alaska Department Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series (http://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/FISH.GAME/notebook/notehome.htm) University of Alaska Fairbanks Reindeer Research Program (http://reindeer.salrm.alaska.edu./index.htm) Main characteristics of 30 European Landscapes (http://www.tpesp.es/informe/HTMNF/CH8DOS/TAB0801.HTM) Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board (http://www.arctic-caribou.com/index.html) The Woodland Caribou: Threatened with Extinction in Canada's Western Provinces (http://www.afternet.com/~teal/scaribou.html) Alaska’s Cold Desert (http://www.blm.gov/education/arctic/arctic.html) Gas development in Northwest Siberia (http://www.lib.uconn.edu/ArcticCircle/NatResources/gasdev.html)
Closing:
	Teams should report back to their groups. Each group should then appoint a spokesperson to give a brief summary of the group’s findings to the entire class. After presentations are made, hold a debate about the use of natural resources on the Yamal. Students should elect a moderator, an environmentalist, oil company executive, government official, Nenets leader. Assign an “advisory board” to each speaker to help him or her prepare for the debate. Use the material from the beginning of the lesson plan to help with supporting arguments.
Suggested Student Assessment
	Have students diagram food chains. Groups of students can make a map of the world’s Arctic areas and highlight where oil and natural gas reserves are located. Using keys, students can locate areas around the Arctic where these natural resources have been exploited and where the habitats have been severely harmed. Students can make a bar graph to accompany the map naming the exploited regions involved and their approximate acreage. Have students write an essay in the form of a short letter to a newspaper editor about environmental threats affecting their region of the country. The letters should be succinct.
Extending the Lesson:
	Have students explore habitats close to where they live. Have them study the ecosystems in these habitats. What are the food chains? Are there threats to biodiversity? Are there native peoples in these regions? If so, are their traditional ways of life threatened by development? Rick Frederic of Nikiski Middle-High School, in Nikiski, Alaska, contributed classroom ideas for this Geoguide.

The Siberian Arctic