July 22, 2015
Educators can attend a free workshop emphasizing 100th anniversary of National Park Service, and place-based lessons of ancestral Pueblo resources at the Kinteel Teacher Kamp at Aztec Ruins National Monument, on July 30 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The free workshop seeks to inspire teachers to integrate the resources at Aztec Ruins into their classrooms.
Free registration is required. The group will meet in the picnic area and visit a number of different areas within the park. Be prepared for a day of walking and outdoor activity: Close-toed shoes, hat, and sunscreen are recommended.
The Kinteel Teacher Kamp is organized by Nate Thompson, a seasonal teacher-/ranger at the Monument. He hopes the teacher workshop will showcase how “great” the educational resources are at Aztec Ruins and help bring awareness of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.
“The great house at Aztec West is an important part of local culture and history -- and local classrooms,” Thompson said. “Kinteel” is the Navajo or Diné word for “great house.”
Thompson is serving his second season as a TRT, a program that brings educators to national parks for a summer. He got his start developing place-based lessons in 2006 when he taught about native clay soil that is used as construction material at Mesa Verde National Park.
Thompson is currently a teacher of gifted students at Tibbetts Middle School. He said he is adapting his plaster lesson for the workshop to emphasize the unique qualities of Aztec Ruins.
“I hope the Kinteel Kamp will increase how the monument is being used for teaching everything from math to music,” Thompson said. “The monument has lessons for every grade level and subject.”
How did Thompson become interested in using “dirt” as a topic for school lessons?
Thompson has a soil science degree and became fascinated with how clay soils used to paint the 800-year-old Pueblo murals that are still preserved inside some of the rooms at Aztec Ruins and Mesa Verde.
“Clay is a unique material that can provide teaching relevance to almost all aspects of education,” he said. “As part of the workshop, teachers will recreate that painting process using local red and white clay soils from southwest Colorado.
“Social studies teachers can use the soil to emphasize trade route concepts.
“Art teachers can use soil as a free resource for painting and pigmentation.
“Language Arts teachers can use the clay-based murals to talk about primary sources.
“Math teachers can use the soil-based paintings to talk about geometric patterns and measurements.”
Laura Tomcek, an AmeriCorps education specialist at Aztec Ruins, agrees that the monument provides essential resources for local teachers.
“Over the last few years the monument has seen a marked increase in the use of Aztec Ruins ranger programs in and outside of the classroom,” Tomcek said. “The Kinteel Kamp will introduce activities that are offered to teachers who don’t always have time, or resources, to organize a field trip to Aztec Ruins.”
Teachers will get to have two main experiences at Kinteel Kamp, Tomcek said.
“Workshop attendees will experience what rangers can bring -- at no expense to local classrooms -- and feel what it is like to be a student on a field trip,” she said.
Teachers attending the free workshop can register by calling the front desk at Aztec Ruins at 505-334-6174 x0, or emailing azru_education@nps.gov by July 29. In a voicemail or email, teachers should include name, phone number, email address, school, grade level, and subject.
“Participation is limited for this workshop,” Danielle York, Aztec Ruins lead interpretative ranger, explained. “Teachers should call and reserve their spot as soon as possible.”
Thompson said he is glad to help launch the first ever Kinteel Teacher Kamp at Aztec Ruins. He hopes it becomes an annual event.
“The Kinteel Teacher Kamp will inspire educators to use free local education resources and help students celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service in 2016 and beyond,” he said. “The Kamp will also help teachers get excited about the new school year.”