Cree Language & Cultural Programming
Curriculum Resource Unit
 

Lac La Ronge Indian Band
Education, Training & Employment Branch
Box 480
La Ronge, Saskatchewan S0J 1L0
Ph: (306) 425-4938
Fax: (306) 425-3030
Contact Person: Rita Cook

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

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Special acknowledgment to our Cree Elders, teachers and community members who shared their language skills, wisdom and knowledge with the project team.

The Gift of Language and Culture Project Team and Saskatchewan Learning gratefully acknowledges the contributions and advice given by the members of the Cree Curriculum Committee.

• Leda Corrigal
• Josie Searson

• Isabelle Hardlotte

• Minnie McKenzie
• Cynthia Cook
• Grace Cook

Prince Albert Grand Council

• Barbara McLeod
• Edie Venne Hyggen

• Laura Burnouf

• Ruby Caisse
• Bev McLean
• Roger Morin
• Doris Favel

The Indian Languages:   A Curriculum Guide for Kindergarten to Grade 12 (1994) provided examples in many aspects for this document. The format and sequence of presentation of the various components were especially helpful.

Program Definition

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The basic aim of all nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin programs is to provide students with some knowledge about the structure and functioning of the language, and to help them acquire some ability to communicate in nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin , as a second language.  There are, however, two approaches to the study of nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin as a second language, Core and Immersion.  Although related, these two delivery systems are substantially different in objectives and in approach.

nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin as a Second Language instruction follows one of the three patterns.

Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin

Daily instruction is in Cree and/or Michif where students study the language a minimum of 30 - 40 minutes per day.

Extended Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin

This is Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin plus one or two other subjects where nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin is the language of instruction.

Immersion nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin

Immersion refers to the use of the target language as the medium of instruction and communication in the classroom.  *All subjects, except English Language Arts, will be taught in nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin. 

It is expected that a successful Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin Program in Nursery to Grade Nine: 

• Places greatest emphasis on the skills of listening, understanding and speaking and then introduces reading and writing preferably at the Grade Four and Five level,
• Advocates from the beginning the development of communicative abilities as well as a general, basic knowledge of structure,
• Provides for gradual increases in linguistic knowledge and skills,
• Reflects the spiral approach, lending opportunity for material previously learned to be reintroduced and "expanded" at various stages during the cycle.

We adopt the idea that "language learning is a cumulative activity; what has already been learned becomes the basis for what is introduced" (Nfld.  Lab.  Dep't of Ed.  1990)

To foster a successful Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin program, it is of great importance that there be continuity from grade to grade and level to level.  Cooperation among teachers is very important.  Language experiences should be organized so that they provide a steady growth of knowledge and skills.  Teachers are reminded that the language experiences chosen for their students should be appropriate to their backgrounds, language level, age and of course, interests.

Time on task is a major concern for students of Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin in Saskatchewan schools.  For many students, the opportunity for learning a second language occurs only in the second language classroom.  Teachers then, being fully aware that a key factor in learning a second language is the "time on task", must:

• foster a positive attitude and encourage the continuation of Cree language instruction at all levels.
• advise administration as to the number of hours required for a successful program (no less than 30 minutes 5 times a week.)
• take advantage of the time during Cree class and promote a "Cree only" milieu, as much as possible, as a teacher, and encouraging the same for the students.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the N to 9 Curriculum Guide

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Aim

The aim of this curriculum for N to 9 is to develop functional speakers and writers of the nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages.  Language reflects culture and defines the identity of people.  Students will focus on preserving, maintaining and enhancing Cree and/or Michif.  There are five main dialects of Cree spoken in Canada, of those Swampy, Plains and Woodland Cree dialects are spoken in Saskatchewan.

Students who study an Aboriginal language, including non-aboriginal students, will develop an understanding and gain appreciation of Aboriginal cultures.

Goals

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The major goals of this curriculum are:

• to promote student participation in varied learning situations and activities that will assist them in acquiring listening, understanding, speaking, reading and writing skills.
• to develop an understanding and an appreciation of culture through language.
• to develop students listening skills which will assist them in the learning of Cree and/or Michif in various social contexts and situations.
• to encourage enjoyment of learning to converse and to write in the language.
• to promote positive personal and social growth through use of the language.
• to encourage parental and community active participation in promoting language and culture with school related activities.

Attitudinal

 The Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin program will enable students to develop a positive attitude towards the Cree and/or Michif languages and the First Nations and Metis people throughout Canada.

 Linguistic

 The Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin program will enable students to increase, within realistic limits, their ability to communicate effectively in Cree and/or Michif and consequently, to take advantage of vocational and leisure opportunities or meet post-secondary requirements.  It will also enable students to gain a better understanding of language and language learning in general.

Cultural

 The Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin program will enable students to develop an understanding and an appreciation of the Cree and/or Michif language and culture within the multicultural context in Canada.

The development of listening and speaking skills is the primary focus of the Core nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin program at the Nursery to Grade 3 level.  Reading and writing skills are introduced later to reinforce listening and speaking.  By Grade 12, students will have competence in both oral and written aspects of Cree and/or Michif on which to build later in life when they need or desire to do so.

Rationale and Philosophy

Saskatchewan is comprised with First Nations and Metis communities who offer nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin programs from Nursery to Grade 12.  In view of the critical state of our languages across regions, we must collaborate with all stakeholders in the promotion and retention of Cree and/or Michif.

Learning a second language promotes the ability to listen critically, to analyze, to reconstruct and to apply acquired knowledge to new situations, thus enhancing the development of problem-solving skills.  When properly taught, it is the most effective medium by which one can acquire sensitivity to language.  This in turn leads to an appreciation of the unique richness and unique limitations of one's own language.  Once a second language is learned, other languages are more accessible and more easily mastered.

History of nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin Languages in Saskatchewan

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 Lac La Ronge Indian Band Education, Training and Employment Curriculum Resource Unit

History and Developments of nīhithowītān Curriculum Resource Unit

The curriculum development began operation in the old Band Office in 1983, with a staff of three people, as this operation progressed more people were hired.  New equipment, larger space and computers were required.

In 1985, Curriculum Resource Unit moved to Far Reserve, now Post Secondary Building.  A lot of material has been developed over the years.  In 1993, Curriculum Resource Unit moved to the new La Ronge Indian band office. At that time, there were seven people working on Cree Language and Culture curriculum development. 

In 1997, the Curriculum Resource Unit closed.  Cree Language Programs at each school continued to operate.  In 1999, Curriculum Resource Unit was re-established with one employee hired.  That year, a half-time materials developer technician was hired to assist the Cree Language and Culture Consultant.  New resources were under development with assistance from Northern Cree Language Retention Committee formed in 1999. 

In 2002, Chief and Council passed a resolution to adopt the Standard Roman Orthography in Woodland Cree and continue with the same syllabic writing system.  The reason for adopting the Standard Roman Orthography was to give students graduating from La Ronge Indian Band Schools exposure to the writing system taught at Universities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.

In 2003, La Ronge Indian Band Education, Training and Employment, Onion Lake First Nation, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Prince Albert Grand Council Education and Saskatchewan Learning created a partnership project. The Core Language and Enhanced Core Language Guides are developed through the collaboration of Northern Lights School Division and Ile-la-Crosse School Division.  Onion Lake and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation are developing the Immersion Program.

Northern Lights School Division No.113

History and Developments of the Aboriginal Languages Project

 In 1965, the formation of the Northern School Board in Northern Saskatchewan marked the beginning of Aboriginal representation in an educational decision-making capacity.

 In the ensuing years from 1971 to 1976, forty-three teacher aides were hired which led to the offering of a training program implemented by Myra Punnett through the auspices of the Northern School Board. In 1974, with the creation of interest in promoting Aboriginal languages, the Academic Education Branch and the Northern School Board collaborated in the hiring of Keith Goulet, as a Cree Language Consultant, along with four Native language instructors. 

 Saskatchewan Education in 1984, published the 'Directions Report' a document, which led to the establishment of an Indian and Metis Advisory Committee creating, renewed interest in Aboriginal languages.  Through the committee, a document titled 'Rationale for the Teaching of Indian Languages in Saskatchewan Schools' presented a number of recommendations in regards to Aboriginal language programs and curriculum development.  In 1990, a Task Force Project, which is now the Northern Student Retention Program, first enabled Cree and Dene workshops to be held in the revitalization and retention of Aboriginal languages.

Aboriginal materials development within Northern Lights School Division proceeded in 1981 to 1987, with Mary Jane Kayson, from Stony Rapids as a Dene Consultant.  In 1989 to 1995, the Aboriginal Languages Project was initiated by Earl Cook, who became the Indian and Metis Education Consultant, followed with the hiring of Telsa Custer, as a materials developer in the next year.  In the ensuing years, Northern Lights School Division has employed a number of qualified Cree and Dene First Nations and Metis educators who applied themselves well with the challenge of creating Aboriginal language materials.

The NLSD publications have been utilized in Core and Immersion/Bilingual programs by many K-12 Cree and Dene language teachers throughout Northern Lights School Division and externally. The Board of the Northern Lights School Division continues to sustain the Aboriginal languages project through the provision of essential supportive components.

History of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Cree Program Development

Southend, Reindeer Lake

The Cree Language Instruction Program started in 1973/74 at the Reindeer Lake School in Southend.  The children were very fluent at the time when this program started.  In the mid 80's it was noticed that the students were starting to lose their language. 

The Cree program was successful for the first few years until new technology came into the community.  It was then that the students started to lose their language very fast.

In 2003/2004, a Cree Immersion Program started with the Nursery students. The plan is to add one grade every year for the students to acquire the Cree language.

History of Metis and Michif Language Resource Development and Programming

Saskatchewan Learning recognizes that educational programs and teaching strategies must also meet the needs of the Metis people. The Metis people are historically a unique people. The word "Metis" means "mixed" in the French language. They are descendants of European traders and First Nations. Metis people have their own legal aboriginal status in Canada.

The Metis live in every province in Canada, not all of them have the same ancestry, or much less the same historical background. Summarizing the history of the Metis people as a group is difficult. One event that stands out in Canada's history and of particular importance to the Metis was the Northwest Resistance of 1885. The resistance was short lived and still controversial, but it certainly brought attention to the plight of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Language reflects culture and defines a people. The Michif language is spoken by Metis who, in Saskatchewan, are predominantly descendants of the French Canadian fur traders and Cree people. The Metis are not only a mix of two diverse races, but also a combination of their distinct cultures. They have a rich heritage and great pride in their own unique Michif language. They take pride in their multi-lingual ability. They developed their own language using the combination of both their parents' European and First Nation languages.

Historically, these languages were not written. Upon the introduction of written English, Cree peoples continued the oral tradition. But there has been a decline in the number of people who speak the Cree and Michif languages. Data from the Socio-Linguistic Survey of Indigenous Languages in Saskatchewan: on the Critical List (1991), suggests that nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages are in danger of extinction. In view of this and other facts presented in the document, the First Nations and Métis people recognize that curriculum must promote understanding, speaking, reading and writing skills. The curriculum promotes these skills, not only as tools for communication, but also as a means of language preservation. There continues to be a great need for printed materials in Cree and Michif.

Teaching aids and printed materials presently being developed will strengthen and enhance many aspects of Saskatchewan's Core curriculum. The curriculum suggests innovative teaching practices that involve the whole community. The Adaptive Dimension and the Resource-based Learning approach allows not only creativity in nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin language teaching but also encourages input from students, parents, Elders and other members of the community. The inclusion of students in the planning process will motivate them as they see that the product reflects their interests. Furthermore, a program created in this way will reflect the customs and dialect of that particular community.

First Nations and Métis communities recognize the importance of language and the need for language instruction to be part of the curriculum.  Saskatchewan Learning and the Aboriginal Education Provincial Advisory Committee (AEPAC) cooperatively developed policy to address this need. The Indian and Métis Education Policy from Kindergarten to Grade 12 (1989), states, "A strong curriculum emphasis will be given to First Nations /Métis Studies, Cree languages, and English language development." Implementation of the policy has been in progress since then. Implementing the Cree and Michif languages curriculum will contribute to the preservation and promotion of nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages.

Saskatchewan Learning sought and received advice from the Aboriginal People Education Advisory Committee and its Aboriginal languages sub-committee on the development of the Indian languages curriculum. The decision to have the curriculum written in English was dictated by the wish to serve the seven language groups in Saskatchewan. It was also agreed that the communicative approach be the mode of teaching Aboriginal languages.

The communicative approach was selected for the following reasons:

• Cree and Michif languages are oral by tradition.
• Research shows that this approach is effective for second language teaching.
• A recent study shows that there has been and continues to be a significant loss of Cree and Michif languages.

The approach accommodates the content and themes identified in the scope and sequence chart prepared by the Northern Cree Language Retention Committee.

Communicative Functions

 Socializing

• Addressing someone
• Greeting someone
• Inquiring about someone's well-being
• Introducing self or others
• Thanking someone
• Expressing good wishes

 Exchanging Information

• Identifying
• Asking for/giving information
• Describing
• Agreeing/disagreeing
• Permission
• Intention
• Expressing ability
• Expressing/asking about likes, dislikes and preferences

 Expressing Attitudes

• Love/admiration
• Praise/encourage
• Regret/apology

 Getting things done

• Offering
• Requesting
• Reacting to offers, requests, suggestions and invitations

 Organizing and Maintaining Communication

• Saying you don't understand
• Asking for repetition
• Asking how to say something in nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin

The Adaptive Dimension allows a teacher to make decisions to adapt or change the curriculum to meet student needs. 

 Organizing for Resource-based Learning, Saskatchewan Education (1991), defines resource-based learning as "planned educational programs that actively involve students in the meaningful use of a wide range of appropriate print, non-print and human resources." Resource-based learning programs help students learn, evaluate and analyze information from different sources. They assist students to ask effective questions, to develop research skills, and to process and present information. In short, resource-based programs develop the abilities and attitudes which students need to live in the "information age".

 The Adaptive Dimension and resource-based learning empowers teachers, students and the community to revive and nurture the cultural and regional dialect to the maximum. Teachers are encouraged to employ a variety of approaches to utilize a diverse selection of resources. To be effective, the resource-based learning programs require the cooperation of a teacher-librarian (if available), teachers and students, and guidance from the Elders in identifying the community's language needs. The language will then be relevant and more enjoyable for students, peers, parents, caregivers and Elders. The curriculum stresses meaningful activities to support language acquisition and communication.

 Principles of the Curriculum for N to 9 nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin

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The philosophy of this curriculum is represented in the following principles:

Language acquisition is the main goal in this curriculum. The whole meaning of a conversation rather than the meaning of separate words are the focus for students. The curriculum encourages the practice of introducing vocabulary from other subject areas to make the class interesting and relevant for the students.

This curriculum promotes a collaborative effort between teachers and students to identify opportunities for meaningful use of the target language. Frequent interaction provides occasion for increased communication. The curriculum guide also encourages utilizing a variety of teaching techniques to accommodate individual learning and communication styles.

This curriculum recognizes that communicative competence may be expanded and refined through meaningful and relevant activities. The thematic component and communicative approach provide an opportunity for students to learn language that is relevant and interesting to them. Frequent exposure to and use of language in authentic situations allows students to develop an understanding of rules, structures and meanings of words.

Resource-based learning provides an opportunity to use a wide variety of resources. It accommodates the diversity of interests, needs and talents of students, teachers and the community. This diversity adds to the students' second language vocabulary and enhances enjoyment of language learning. Resource-based learning is a strong component in teaching Cree and/or Michif languages. Communities are rich in local resources. Teacher-librarians, if available, can help locate materials such as slides and photographs, videotapes, and storybooks. Student or teacher-made materials can also support resource-based learning. Storytellers, artisans, Elders, caregivers and parents are invaluable resources as are administrators, community leaders, and education professionals.

The curriculum recognizes that learning a second language must be a positive experience. For some students this will be an introduction to their ancestral language and the cultural identity that is defined through the language. Personal growth, positive self-image, and social confidence are increased through communicative competence. Students are encouraged to express their ideas, opinions, desires, emotions and feelings in an anxiety-free environment. A comfortable setting encourages students to approach second-language learning with confidence, and increases curiosity and interest.

Note: The teaching strategies section includes suggestions on establishing and enhancing a positive and exciting environment.

Role of the Teacher

Teachers use their knowledge of language and their sensitivity to individual learning styles as tools to determine effective teaching strategies and activities. Relevant adaptations or modifications to teaching methods or teaching aids are made to suit the students' learning styles. Any technique, adaptation or adjustment, which helps the teacher and motivates the learner, is encouraged. Factors such as dialects with their regional vocabulary and colloquialisms, individual student needs and interests, availability of resources, vocabulary in other subjects are all considered and integrated.

Classroom atmosphere is an important factor in second language learning.  The learning accomplished and the enjoyment that the children obtain from their school experiences are largely dependent upon the teacher.  One of the teacher's largest responsibilities is to develop in the students appreciation for the language to be learned. 

This curriculum recognizes that communicative and linguistic competence will be gradual but continuous process from Nursery to Grade 9. Daily classroom activities and experiences provide opportunity to monitor listening skills, language usage, and comprehension. Constant monitoring and observing of student's progress, strengths and difficulties provide a base for both student and teacher to decide on a plan of action to attain mutual goals. Teachers are encouraged to use appropriate testing techniques to accommodate individual learning styles at each level of oral and linguistic competence.

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Components of Core Curriculum

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Adaptive Dimension

The Adaptive Dimension is an essential part of all educational programs. Like the Common Essential Learnings, the Adaptive Dimension is a component of Core Curriculum and is reflected in all curricula.

The curriculum encourages teachers to make adjustments to the environment to meet individual needs, and to identify meaningful objectives that will promote success for each student. Learning can be made more accessible by modifying the setting, the teaching method, or the material. The Adaptive Dimension allows students to participate in the learning process by offering them alternative access to, and expression of knowledge.

This concept is used to:

• increase relevant curriculum content for students;
• provide a wide range of learning materials including community resources;
• maximize student potential for learning;
• facilitate integration of resources for enrichment and extension;
• provide opportunity for personal growth and self-esteem;
• reduce discrepancies between achievement and ability;
• include traditional customs of the language group;
• accommodate community needs and involvement; and
• provide background knowledge or experience.

The Adaptive Dimension allows teachers to help students develop their potential as independent learners. Adaptations should, however, be consistent with the objectives and spirit of the curriculum.

When making adaptations, teachers might consider the following:

• Create a classroom environment conducive to language acquisition. A friendly atmosphere among students and between students and teacher will lower the anxiety level.
• Promote mutual respect amongst students in regards to background, culture, interest, language competency, and learning style.
• Provide opportunities for students to identify and choose resources that suit their interests and needs.
• Follow up on student suggestions and queries.
• Encourage student participation in planning, instruction, and evaluation.
• Vary the pace of lessons to give students time to grasp the concepts presented before proceeding to more advanced material.
• Monitor the use of vocabulary. Advanced and simple forms of vocabulary can be incorporated into the same lesson. Using the different moods of verbs, for example, accommodates students' individual pace of language acquisition, promotes natural speech, and introduces the students to some unique features of the nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin language.
• Maintain a low anxiety level through flexibility, not only with class routine, but also by altering the physical setting. Learning centres, for example, allow students time for independent learning, peer tutoring and creativity.

• Introduce new material only when students are comfortable with basics.
• Provide opportunities for students to participate in out of school activities such as field trips and cultural camps.
• Utilize cultural and community resources.
• Provide a variety of options when planning activities.
• Assessment and evaluation procedures should facilitate the maximum output from each student.
• Change materials to enhance learning.
• Encourage students to take an active interest in community activities.

The Adaptive Dimension empowers the teacher and students to use available resources and various teaching/learning strategies to plan a meaningful and appropriate language acquisition program for every student.

The practice of adapting curriculum content to meet student needs requires teachers to make decisions about the necessary changes that will include relevant, meaningful input to achieve maximum achievement by students. This curriculum guide allows for such flexibility and decision making.

Common Essential Learnings

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The nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages curriculum offers many opportunities for incorporating the Common Essential Learnings (C.E.L.s) into instruction. Integrating the C.E.L.s into the course of language acquisition will prepare students for their learning throughout and beyond the Nursery to Grade 12 education system. The decision to focus on C.E.L.s within a lesson is guided by the needs and abilities of individual students and by the demands of the curriculum.

It is important to incorporate the C.E.L.s in a natural manner. For example, some units may offer many opportunities to develop all of the Common Essential Learnings, others will not. On the other hand, it should be noted that developing a particular C.E.L. may also lead to the development of other C.E.L.s. This is to be expected as the Common Essential Learnings are interrelated.

It is intended that the Common Essential Learnings be developed and evaluated within subject areas. Therefore, foundational objectives for C.E.L.s are included in the guide. Since the Common Essential Learnings are not necessarily separate and discrete categories, it is anticipated that working toward the achievement of one foundational objective may contribute to the development of others. For example, many skills, understandings and abilities required for developing Communication, Numeracy and Critical Thinking are also needed for the development of Technological Literacy.

Incorporating the Common Essential Learnings into instruction has implications for the assessment of student learning. A unit which has focused on developing particular C.E.L.s should also reflect this focus when assessing student learning. If students are encouraged to think critically and creatively throughout the unit, then teachers need to develop assessment strategies for the unit which require students to demonstrate their critical and creative thinking abilities. The Common Essential Learnings are to be integrated, accommodated and incorporated within the evaluation of each content area.

It is anticipated that teachers will build from the suggestions in this guide and from their personal reflections in order to incorporate the Common Essential Learnings into nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin language instruction.

Gender Equity

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Saskatchewan Learning is committed to providing quality education for all students in the K-12 system. It is recognized that expectations based primarily on gender limit students' abilities to develop to their fullest potential. While some stereotypical views and practices have disappeared, others remain. It is the responsibility of schools to create an educational environment free of gender bias.

This can be facilitated by increased understanding and use of gender balanced material and non-sexist teaching strategies. Both female and male students need encouragement to explore a wide variety of options based on individual aptitudes, abilities and interest, rather than on gender.

However, there are certain sociological factors that must be respected when planning a curriculum on nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages. Most of the Cree languages of Saskatchewan have definitive morphological and syntactic structures that address gender not in an adversarial context but as a form of respect and protocol. The curriculum encourages teachers to facilitate an integration of both views into lesson plans.

The following guidelines will assist Cree and Michif language teachers to promote gender equity:

• Select resources that reflect the current and evolving roles of both men and women in many sectors of society. Resources should portray females and males in non-traditional roles.
• Model language that is gender fair.
• Use gender equitable instructional and assessment techniques.
• Seek a balance of male and female characters in literary works.
• Include the study of both male and female writers.
• Bring gender-biased materials to students' attention.
• Have equally high expectations for both female and male students.
• Plan activities that encourage participation by all students and where both boys and girls have equal opportunity (e.g., Talking Circle).
• Ensure that students of both genders have equal time and access to resources and equipment.
• Encourage and respect the interests and abilities of students of both genders.
• Model equitable interaction with students.
• Invite male and female Elders, artists, and other community members as resource people.

First Nations and Métis Content and Perspectives

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The integration of First Nations and Métis content and perspectives within the Nursery to Grade 12 Indian Languages curriculum fulfils a central recommendation of both the Five Year Action Plan for Native Curriculum Development, Saskatchewan Education (1984) and the Indian and Métis Education Policy from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve, Saskatchewan Education (1989).

The policy states:

Saskatchewan Education recognizes that the First Nations and Métis peoples of the province are historically unique peoples and occupy a unique and rightful place in society today. Saskatchewan Education recognizes that education programs must meet the needs of First Nations and Métis peoples, and that changes to existing programs are also necessary for the benefit of all students.

(p. 6)

The inclusion of First Nations and Métis content, perspectives and resources fosters meaningful and culturally identifiable experiences for First Nations and Métis students. The inclusion of such content also promotes the development of positive attitudes in all students toward First Nations and Métis peoples.

Increasing an awareness of one's own culture and the culture of others develops a student's self-concept, promotes an appreciation of Canada's cultural mosaic, and supports universal human rights.

Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis students come from diverse cultural backgrounds and social environments including northern, rural and urban areas. New curricula require a variety of teaching strategies and materials that accommodate and build upon the diversity of cultures, learning styles, and strengths of First Nations and Métis students.

Teachers have a responsibility to evaluate resources for bias and to teach students to recognize such bias. Guidelines in Diverse Voices: Selecting Equitable Resources for Indian and Métis Education (Saskatchewan Education, 1992), can assist teachers and students in understanding forms of bias in resources that inaccurately portray First Nations and Métis peoples.

The following four points summarize the Aboriginal content expectations for all core curricula:

• Curricula and materials will concentrate on positive images of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.
• Curricula and materials will reinforce and complement the beliefs and values of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.
• Curricula and materials will include historical and contemporary issues.
• Curricula and materials will reflect the legal, cultural, political, social, economic and regional diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. Indian and Metis Education Policy from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve (Saskatchewan Education, 1989, p. 12.)

Resource-Based Learning

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Resource-based instruction enables teachers to use a variety of resources to assist in the development of attitudes and abilities that empower independent, life-long learning. Students are given opportunities to share in the responsibility of planning relevant learning experiences to achieve goals that they set for themselves. An environment rich in resources gives students incentives to learn.

• Teacher-librarians, if available, are invaluable partners in identifying resources and assisting the teacher in various ways.
• The teacher should consider the following guidelines when incorporating resource-based learning into unit plans:
• Involve students in unit planning. Discuss unit topics, themes, objectives and learning activities and experiences with them.
• With the help of students and teacher-librarian, if available, gather appropriate resources including community resources.
• As a co-learner, model the use and appreciation of learning materials and local human resources as sources of enjoyment and information.
• Encourage and assist students to establish a collection of materials to support core curriculum initiatives.
• Utilize the students' knowledge, experiences and opinions as a resource.
• Guide students to recognize people in the community as valuable resources.

Table of Contents

First Nations Language as a Second Language

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nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin Languages as a Second Language

 The number of First Nations and Metis students who are fluent in their mother tongue has declined to the extent that teachers of nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin languages now use second language teaching strategies. However, although there has been this loss, some students may have been exposed in varying degrees to these languages. The challenge to teachers is to determine and meet the individual needs of these students.

In accordance with the communicative approach, students' abilities, weaknesses and strengths in both English and the nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin language must be assessed. Appropriate teaching approaches should be utilized to maintain a balance in their understanding of the language process. Sound pedagogical development in one language will enable students to appreciate and acquire skills in the other language.

Language acquisition can occur through first or second language learning. In first language acquisition the student does not consciously study how to speak in a particular language. Rather the information is learned naturally. An infant is surrounded by many teachers - parents, siblings, grandparents, family friends, other children, and extended family members - who provide a vast range of language experiences and information. In addition, media reinforces first language acquisition. As the child grows older, teaching aids in various forms widens the circle of "teachers". The techniques also change as parents and others sing or read to the child, enriching the child's vocabulary.

Krashen and Terrell (1983) refer to first language acquisition as the Natural Way.

Historically, second language teaching methods have not reflected this natural process, but rather use Grammar-translation (the most common method of instruction), Audio-lingual, and the Situational methods. Teachers usually use one or a combination of these three methods. Students are generally introduced to the language by one teacher who spends only a specified amount of time with the students each week. At the end of the class students may return to classrooms where they are taught in another language. In some cases, there is limited contact with other speakers of the language being learned. A recent trend in teaching methods is to try to simulate as natural an environment as possible. The Communicative Approach represents an attempt to simulate a situation for natural first language acquisition.

The sample units and suggested activities, which form the second half of this curriculum guide, may help the teacher structure learning situations that reflect the communicative approach.

Second Language Acquisition

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Attaining fluency in a second language requires competence in discourse, linguistics and sociolinguistics. This implies learning the proper use of the language as dictated by the social protocol inherent within the language. It is a socialization to the culture of a particular language. Consider the following brief explanation of each of these areas:

• Discourse proficiency is knowing appropriate use of the language.
• Linguistic competence is knowing the possible and impossible sentence structures of a language.
• Socio-linguistic proficiency is knowing and acknowledging the inherent cultural aspects of language usage.

This curriculum promotes active bilingualism rather than passive bilingualism. Passivity may occur in the early stages of second language learning when a student is beginning to learn the new sounds and vocabulary or in an environment that is not conducive to daily use of the nêhiyawêwin, nêhinawêwin, nîhithowîwin language. People are either active or passive in their ability to speak a second language. When a person is fluent in a language and speaks that language without error he or she is considered actively bilingual and "monitor-free". This person speaks spontaneously and although he or she may be aware of grammar, does not worry about grammar rules before speaking. While this person may not be consciously concerned with the linguistic analysis of the language, he or she is aware of the 'body language' involved as part of discourse and interaction within a particular community. This is known as socio-linguistic awareness. Some socio-linguistic awareness and social protocol situations can be difficult to simulate in the classroom but students can be informed about appropriate responses and behaviour before attending cultural and community events. With assistance from community members other social events may be simulated or actually performed in the classroom. Vocabulary may be introduced and discussed beforehand.

 A person who is passively bilingual has limited understanding and use of the language. Communication will probably be a mixture of body language, facial expressions, actions and words. Generally, there has been limited contact with other speakers of the language.

 A teacher's planning will be guided by a number of considerations including:

• initial diagnostic assessment of the students' fluency level,
• the stages of second language proficiency,
• students' interests,
• community needs,
• ages of students,
• evaluation,
• language proficiency in first language, and
• time allotment for the class.

 Once an assessment has been completed and the interests and community needs have been determined, a review of the stages of second language acquisition may indicate the direction of a plan. The following outline of these stages, as explained by Stephen D. Krashen and Tracy D. Terrell (1983), is based on the "natural way" of acquiring a first language.

Stages in Second Language Acquisition

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Stage 1: Comprehension

This stage is characterized by a period of silence or incubation. Students are not required to respond orally. Rather, they are given information that is relevant and interesting to them. This information is referred to as input. Eventually students will understand and feel comfortable enough to respond to commands and questions given through actions or in their first language. This is output, the result of listening and observing skills that the students acquire. In this natural way they retain and use the new sounds and vocabulary of the second language.

Stage 2: Early Production

As the students begin to master pronunciation, they also begin to build a key list of personal vocabulary. Their response may be a combination of words in their first language plus words or simple sentences in the second language, or the response may be action. Although the combination, word order, or choice of words may not be entirely correct, students are able to make themselves understood. They are recalling retained input. At this stage they will begin to recognize written words and associate them with concrete objects and actions.

 Stage 3: Speech Emergence

The ultimate goal is for students to achieve discourse proficiency, sociolinguistic and linguistic competence. This level of achievement is reflected through longer responses, more complex discourse and the ability to converse with a variety of audiences in different situations. Students show interest in and are motivated to pursue independent study of the language. At this point students have developed listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The degree of fluency is dependent on factors such as a positive learning environment, relevancy of the vocabulary introduced, community involvement, and encouragement from everyone.

Instructional Methods

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The Learning Environment

This curriculum encourages teachers to utilize the input of students, parents, teacher-librarians and Elders in the language program. Students may help with planning and setting goals. Teamwork and communication among these groups establishes a sound basis for a positive environment, good rapport, and mutual respect. Inclusion of the community, students, parents and Elders ensures that language acquisition takes place in the social context of the community, generates a feeling of ownership and fosters a holistic learning environment.

In addition to the planning of the course, establishing the physical setting is of equal importance. The classroom should be organized with several areas where students have access to materials such as paints, storybooks, construction paper, and an audio station where students may listen to or record songs, conversations and stories. Although the appearance of these work stations will change over the year the well planned classroom setting will help pupils adjust to the daily routine and encourage independent learning and self-reliance.

Traditional First Nations Teaching Methods

Many North American First Nations societies had no writing system aside from petroglyphs and pictographs on animal hides. Yet people managed to impart language, life skills, attitudes, values, and customs to their descendants. In her paper in the book Teaching the First Nations Child (p.163), Sandra A. Rietz (1988) explains oral literature in this way, "It teaches (by induction) what people know about itself and the universe, both through the story content and through structural device - the organizational and linguistic properties of the story." She also states that, "An oral literature, 'language of the mind' (Frost, 1980), structures the collective memory of a people." Storytellers were given the responsibility of committing to memory the worldview of the particular group. This may be the reason oral literature is characterized by repetition of certain structures or phrases. For example, number sets such as four occur in First Nations stories and the number three in Russian stories. The numbers occur in ceremonies, too.

Traditional First Nations teaching through storytelling, legends or ordinary stories, can enhance contemporary educational methods, not only in the teaching of First Nations languages, but also to preserve the encoded "cultural memory" within the stories. Today's cultures, European and First Nations, are a reflection of this tradition. Even though European oral literature was considered by some as insignificant and of little value, the First Nations perspective considers the tradition as the lifeline to culture. Reitz (1988) explains that the intention or purpose of storytelling was culturally "utilitarian" and was intended "to tell people how to behave, to bind people together in a common cultural community, and to teach and reinforce models which belong to the cultural cosmology." In other words, legends or ordinary stories and recollections of events served to transmit history and customs, information on tribal taboos, examples of rewards or punishment, and models of behaviour. Stories served as a form of social control, developing attitudes and interpersonal skills. Some stories had a moral. Storytellers did not explain the moral as that was considered insulting. Listeners reflected on the story and came to their own conclusions.

Another method was modeling or experiential learning where children watched how a certain task was done but were not pressured to do the task immediately afterwards. Since there were no written instructions, children had to remember the how, why, and when to do the tasks.

Name giving coincided with a person's social and personal growth. Relatives chose names that reflected traits they hoped a newborn child would possess. Then, as the child reached adolescence, an outstanding feat of bravery or the demonstration of leadership qualities often warranted a name change. The new name symbolized the person's qualities or the feat achieved. It was an honour to be chosen for a name-change. Receiving the name of a well-respected individual who had passed away required serious thought. Emulating the individual whose name was inherited was foremost in the mind of the receiver but it was also a responsibility to uphold the person's reputation. People's names might be changed a number of times during a lifetime but always for good reasons.

These samples of traditional First Nations teaching methods reflect a holistic approach to human development. In the process, the individual makes choices and decisions with the guidance of immediate and extended family members.

Incorporating legends, stories, recollections, and information about customs such as name giving not only helps teach the language but also serves to revive customs.

Teachers should provide students with opportunities to interact with peers and adults in a traditional fashion. Community celebrations or activities may be structured or attended. If the class is in an urban centre, the teacher may consider inviting male and female Elders to explain or to tell stories.

The Cree School Board's Curriculum Services at Chisasibi, Quebec identifies traditional activities in the document Cree Culture Scope and Sequence Guide Cree Programs Chisasibi . The document, which is written in English, suggests activities where Grades one, two and three students learn about the lifestyle and culture of the Cree people in that region. The activities are comprehensive and range from storytelling by male and female Elders, learning all about snowshoes, choosing a campsite, selecting proper firewood, and building a fire. They also teach the students how to set snares and traps, and how to shoot a gun. Then students are shown how to look after the game for eating, and how to preserve meat and fish for later use. Cree is the language of instruction. Elders play an important role. They use stories to teach values and to explain customs (e.g., activities and feast when a little boy kills his first goose).

This is consistent with the communicative approach to language instruction and the philosophy and principles of core curricula.

The diagram following this section explains the cyclical progression of the Communicative Approach to Resource-based Learning to the Adaptive Dimension and back to the use of the language through communication. Each component enhances the environment by giving students opportunities to gain practical experience in speaking the First Nations language being taught. The Communicative Approach can be described as an umbrella encompassing a number of teaching methods/approaches that encourage the use of a second language.

Resource-Based Learning, the next step in the process, is where resources are identified by the teacher, teacher-librarian, students, and others involved in the teacher's plans. The resources are not confined to printed materials but can include involvement of community people, attendance at local events, visiting historical sites in the vicinity, and generally utilizing appropriate and relevant materials and activities to give students an opportunity to use the First Nations or Michif language.

The Adaptive Dimension provides teachers with a vehicle to accommodate individual needs of the students by adapting:

• curriculum topics,
• instructional materials,
• teaching approaches,
• assessment techniques, and
• classroom organization.

Teaching Strategies

Total Physical Response

Dr. James J. Asher (1988) researched a method now known as Total Physical Response (TPR). It is based on the natural way that children acquire language through listening and responding physically to requests, invitations, and commands from family members. Asher's method is based on the premises that understanding the spoken language should be developed far in advance of speaking, that comprehension can be learned through physical movement, that speech will emerge naturally, and that students should not be rushed into reading and writing before they have had ample listening and speaking experience. Students in a second or foreign language class begin by listening to commands, watching the teacher role-play, and by internalizing and responding to the vocabulary.  Activities are designed to be fun and to allow students to assume active learning roles.  Activities eventually include games and skits.

Organic Vocabulary, Reading and Writing

In her book Teacher, Sylvia Ashton-Warner (1963) describes how she introduced reading and writing English to Maori children in New Zealand using the Organic Reading and Writing method.

Ashton-Warner attempted to bridge the gap between the two cultures by having the children read and write using vocabulary that had emotional significance to them. She had the young children begin with single words written on cardboard. Each child took that word home and brought it back to school the next day. If the word held great significance for the student, he remembered it without difficulty. Gradually each child built a key vocabulary which formed the basis for reading and writing sentences and paragraphs.

A similar approach may be used with any second language class. The teacher may write what the child says about some activity or event, in or out of school, that is important to the child. Recorded regularly in the second language, by the teacher or older students, these "stories" may form a booklet to be used by the child as a personal reader or be left in the library as a useful resource for others to read. In teaching a second language it is important to use a wide variety of instructional approaches and learning situations

The Language of Instruction

The communicative approach and the objectives support the idea that the language of instruction should, as much as possible, be the language being learned. That is, if the general language of the school is English and the language being learned is Cree, the second language classes would be conducted primarily in Cree. English would then be used as sparingly as possible.

Instructional Approaches

The document Instructional Approaches: A Framework for Professional Practice , Saskatchewan Education (1991), identifies five categories of instructional approaches, along with lists of more specific teaching strategies. These are meant to apply to all disciplines and the full range of in-school situations. Most of the strategies are consistent with the communicative approach for second language teaching.

The strategies appear below, followed by a number of more specific methods or comments about the approach. Direct Instruction:

• Structured Overview
• Explicit Teaching
• Mastery Lecture
• Drill and Practice
• Teacher Talk
• Total Physical Response
• Polarity questions
• Compare and Contrast
• Didactic Questions
• Demonstrations
• Guides for Reading, Listening, Viewing
• Storytelling

Generally speaking, direct instructional methods:

• are teacher-directed;
• include lecture, didactic questioning, explicit teaching, practice and drill, and demonstrations;
• may be effective for providing information or developing step by step skills;
• work well for introducing other teaching methods or actively involving students;
• are usually deductive; and
• have limitations in the area of developing abilities, processes, and attitudes required for critical thinking, and for interpersonal or group learning.

Indirect Instruction:

• Problem Solving
• Case Studies
• Guided Inquiry
• Reading for Meaning
• Reflective Discussion
• Concept Formation
• Concept Mapping
• Concept Attainment
• Cloze Procedure

Generally speaking, indirect instructional methods:

• are student-centred encouraging students to observe, investigate, infer from data, or form hypotheses;
• free students to explore diverse possibilities;
• foster creativity and develop interpersonal skills and abilities;
• allow teachers to be facilitators, supporters and resource persons;
• rely on use of print, non-print, and human resources;
• foster cooperation among teachers or other staff members;
• may be time consuming;
• may require teachers to relinquish some control, resulting in outcomes that may be unpredictable and less safe; and
• may be inappropriate for memorization and when immediate recall is desired.

Independent Study:

• Essays
• Computer Assisted Instruction
• Reports
• Learning Activity Package
• Correspondence Lessons
• Learning Contracts
• Homework
• Research Projects
• Assigned Questions
• Learning Centres/Stations in the classroom.

Generally speaking, independent study:

• is initiated by the student or teacher;
• fosters the development of knowledge, abilities, attitudes and processes required to become self-sufficient and responsible citizens through planned independent study;
• is supervised or guided by the teacher; and
• may be used with other instructional strategies or may be used by itself depending on the unit topic.

Experiential Learning:

• Field Trips
• Experiments
• Simulations
• Games
• Total Physical Response
• Focused Imaging
• Field Observations
• Organic vocabulary/writing/reading
• Role-playing
• Synectics
• Model Building
• Surveys
• Summer/Winter camps
• Cultural Camp

Generally speaking, experiential learning:

• is inductive, student centered, and activity oriented;
• consists of five phases: experiencing, sharing, analyzing, inferring, applying;
• emphasizes learning rather than product;
• may be in or out of the classroom;
• uses a variety of resources;
• is limited by kinds of experiences that can be utilized, student safety, time and finances;
• includes simulated experiences;
• increases understanding and retention of information; and
• is motivational for students.

Interactive Instruction:

• Debates
• Role-playing
• Panels
• Brainstorming
• Peer Practice
• Total Physical Response
• Discussion
• Teacher Talk
• Laboratory Groups
• Cooperative Learning Groups
• Problem Solving
• Circle of Knowledge
• Tutorial Groups
• Interviewing

Generally speaking, interactive instruction:

• relies on discussion and sharing;
• allows students to learn from peers and/or teachers to develop social skills and abilities, to organize their thoughts, and to develop rational arguments; and
• requires teacher and student observation, listening, and interpersonal skills and abilities.

Rather than using primarily one teaching approach, a variety of strategies, used during the course of the year as well as in each class period, will serve to both the teacher's and students' advantage.

• Interest, for both the teacher and students, will be stimulated.
• The students' different learning styles are more likely to be accommodated.
• Teaching is more likely to be effective.
• Teaching and learning will be more enjoyable.

Assessment and Evaluation

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The following guiding principles of student evaluation appear on page 1 in Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook, (Saskatchewan Education, 1991).

• Evaluation is an integral part of the teaching-learning process.
• Evaluation is a planned, continuous activity.
• Evaluation reflects the intended outcomes of the curriculum.
• Evaluation will assist teachers in meeting individual needs and providing appropriate programs for students.
• Evaluation includes not only measurement but also interpretation and judgment.
• Evaluation is sensitive to socio-demographic differences such as culture, gender, and geographic location.
• Evaluation is based on a variety of indicators that may be norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, or self-referenced.
• Evaluation uses assessment techniques for formative, diagnostic and summative purposes.
• Evaluation provides information within the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.
• Evaluation respects and safeguards confidentiality of student information.
• Evaluation is fair and equitable, giving all students opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Evaluation provides positive, supportive feedback to students.
• Evaluation will foster students' abilities to transfer knowledge into life experiences.
• Evaluation encourages active participation and student self-appraisal to foster lifelong learning.
• Evaluation provides opportunities for student development and improvement.
• Evaluation includes the communication of a teacher's overall evaluation plan to students in advance. Students should be made aware of the objectives of the program and the procedures to be used in assessing performance relative to the objectives.
• Evaluation will be regularly communicated to parents/guardians and students in a meaningful manner.

These guidelines are meant to assist the teacher to identify areas of the program that need change, to assess progress, to identify student needs, and to help the teacher plan future lessons. The teacher may choose alternate approaches to assessment.

Evaluation implies not only the testing of the students but also an assessment of the program.

A core curriculum gives students the opportunity to make some decisions about the curriculum and also gives them some of the responsibility for assessment.

Samples of assessment instruments, which are adapted for second language testing, and may be further adapted to suit individual circumstances, are in the Appendices. The placement checklist is designed for first language testing but may be adapted for second language testing.

The Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook identifies ways a teacher may organize the assessment process. Suggestions include the following:

• assessment stations
• individual assessments
• group assessments
• contracts
• self and peer assessments
• portfolios

Depending on the technique used, records may be kept using one or more of the following:

• anecdotal records
• observations checklists
• computer programs
• rating scales
• files for portfolio

Some activities may be observed and assessed on an ongoing basis:

• class assignments
• presentations
• homework
• class participation

Instruments for testing fluency and comprehension include:

• interviews
• dialogues
• performance test items
• extended open response items
• short answer questions
• matching items
• multiple-choice items
• projects and presentations
• audio/video recordings

A teacher may consider a number of variables when developing, revising or adapting instructional and evaluation strategies to suit the needs of specific students. The following are some questions to keep in mind.

• Do some students need physical/health considerations?
• Are students familiar with cooperative learning situations?
• Do some students have difficulties with oral language skills?
• Do some students require extra direction in organizing themselves?
• Do some students require training in word processing and computer skills?
• Do some students:
  • need physical activity to learn?
  • use more than one sense to learn?
  • need more attention and recognition?
  • require demonstration of a skill or process before trying it?
  • require practice before being asked to work independently?
  • need individual help in their learning activities?
  • have a need to learn new in-class procedures and behaviours?
  • need time alone to pursue an activity?

Are some students:

• in need of support of other school personnel (ie. speech pathologist)?
• skilled in some area that could contribute to the current unit of study?

Assessment and evaluation criteria and procedures should be discussed with the students.

Students should always be aware of what, how, when and why of different assessment strategies. For example, students should know that today the teacher will observe their speaking skills. They should be assured not to be intimidated because it is a necessary part of evaluation, and the evaluation will be ongoing. The teacher may then use a checklist or make relevant notes as she goes from group to group listening to conversations.

Students and teacher may determine in a collaborative way the criteria and procedures of evaluation. This may be done for various instruments including teacher prepared tests and self or peer evaluation checklists. By being involved directly, the students assume more control of and responsibility for their own progress.

There should be no surprises when it comes to evaluation.
The teacher may explain record-keeping and may encourage a periodic review of the students' portfolio through conferencing. The portfolio might contain pictures, projects, a cassette tape of the student speaking, copies of quizzes, work sheets, or anecdotal records. A students' weekly or monthly journal or  may also be kept in the portfolio.

This sort of record-keeping gives teachers information related to content learned as well as the development of skills and attitudes. It will assist the teacher in making decisions about the program and in evaluating the students.

In large or multiple grade classes teachers may schedule themselves to observe only a small group of students in a given period and another group the next period.

Refer to Appendix A for additional evaluation material. Keep in mind that materials may be adapted for second language instruction and for use in specific situations. Also refer to other curriculum documents (e.g., Language Arts, Social Studies, Science) for additional ideas and information on evaluation.

This diagram shows the incorporation of the various Core Curriculum components in unit plans.

Table of Contents

Foundational Objectives

The foundational objectives reflect the aim and the goals of the curriculum guide. They guide the teachers in their yearly plans and unit plans. Usually the foundational objectives state intended levels of achievement/learning at a specific grade. However, in second language teaching the situation may be that some students have varying degrees of fluency or even varying degrees of exposure to the language. Therefore, the objectives are divided into phases. The teacher should keep in mind, however, that a student may be in the emerging phase in second language acquisition and be in the developing phase or in the extending phase in other areas of language learning.

Foundational objectives should serve as the basis for establishing intended learning outcomes, unit planning, and student evaluation.

Foundational Objectives

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students will demonstrate emerging:

• ability to listen politely according to cultural norms.
• ability to use oral Cree and Michif languages to bring meaning to what they observe, feel, and hear through questions and discussion.
• awareness that the print and symbols convey meaning.
• curiosity about the patterns, sounds and intonations of the Cree and Michif languages by listening and speaking, and participating in shared reading and writing activities.
• desire to participate in discussions of ideas and illustrations in a variety of resources either in English, Michif or Cree language.
• awareness of the contemporary and the historical or traditional lifestyles and cultural protocol of the Cree and Métis people.
• ability to participate in small or large groups for various purposes.

Students will demonstrate developing:

• ability to use listening to understand the meaning of Cree or Michif languages.
• ability to convey meaning orally and with confidence in the Cree or Michif languages to adults, Elders and peers in various situations.
• interest in interpreting symbols and print in their environment.
• awareness of the relationship between the letters, symbols and sounds of the Cree or Michif languages.
• curiosity about and interest in print by participating in independent and shared reading and writing activities.
• recognition that writing is a process focused upon conveying meaning to self and others.
• desire to independently initiate reading and writing activities for various purposes.
• interest and ability to read orally and silently for enjoyment and information.
• ability to discuss a limited number of topics using the Cree or Michif language.
• awareness of and respect for cultural protocol.
• respect for one's own culture and the cultures, lifestyles and experiences of others.
• respect for the ideas, language, dialect and communication styles of others and the ability to respond sensitively and thoughtfully.
• ability to participate in small or large groups for conversation and other purposes.

students will demonstrate increasing:

• ability to use oral Cree or Michif languages to generate, clarify and extend their personal understandings of what they observe, feel, hear and read through interaction with others.
• ability to convey meaning with confidence to adults and peers in various settings and situations.
• ability to interpret symbols, sounds, and intonation of words through reading and conversing.
• ability to read for meaning by integrating all cuing systems.
• interest and ability to express ideas, thoughts and feelings in writing for self and others.
• ability to discuss a variety of topics.
• respect for the ideas, language, dialect and communication styles of others.
• confidence and ability to respond in culturally appropriate ways to various audiences and situations.
• awareness of, and respect for the range of cultures, human behaviours, experiences, emotions and ideas conveyed through oral communication.
• ability to participate cooperatively in large and small groups.

students will demonstrate increasing:

• ability to use oral Cree or Michif languages to generate, clarify and extend their understandings of what they observe, feel, hear and read through personal reflection and interaction with others.
• interest and ability to use oral and written language in various settings, activities, purposes, and to respond to the needs of an audience.
• interest and ability to read and respond to what others have written, and to collaborate with them in the stages of the writing process.
• ability to monitor for meaning during oral and silent reading.
• interest and ability to express increasingly more advanced ideas, thoughts and feelings for self and others through writing.
• ability to discuss, in depth, more complex topics.
• ability to interpret and respond to ideas conveyed through various media.
• respect for the ideas, language, dialect and communication styles of others and awareness of the need for sensitive and thoughtful response.
• maturity of thought in cultural protocol and responding appropriately to various audiences in different situations.
• awareness of, and respect for, the range of cultures, human behaviours, experiences, emotions and ideas conveyed through speech, interaction, literature and various media.
• ability to play a leadership role in a small group.

Learning Objectives

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Learning objectives affect several aspects of a curriculum:

• the direction of the unit plans
• lesson plans
• the mode of evaluation
• teaching strategies  
• selection of resources

Learning objectives are determined by factors such as:

• ages of students
• level of fluency of each student in the class
• whether the class is to be taught as a first and/or second language acquisition situation
• language proficiency in the first language

This curriculum uses a spiral model for determining and organizing its learning objectives. Using this developmental model, teachers introduce students to various content, specific skills, and important attitudes at an early stage. The content, skills and attitudes are revisited periodically throughout the year and in years to come in order to review, strengthen and build on them, at levels that are appropriate for the age and proficiency of the students. For example, kindergarten students might learn various basic greetings. During that same year and in subsequent years, the students will review the greetings they learned, learn additional ways to greet people, learn protocol related to certain situations, learn about the cultural significance of certain greetings, demonstrate appropriate attitudes, and perhaps learn greetings that were used in the past. In this expanding spiral fashion, what students learn at an early stage they encounter again and again, each time within a broader context or with increasing complexity.

Some general and some specific learning objectives are listed below. Although the objectives are arranged under specific headings, the categories are not discrete. That is, usually more than one skill is developed in any given activity. For example, when students learn to speak, they also strengthen their abilities to listen and comprehend.

 Listening and Comprehension

students will have opportunities to:

• compose their own responses - orally or written - to questions, statements and oral or written material
• listen and observe attentively
• follow instructions
• utilize prior knowledge to express new ideas
• interpret meanings of gestures, tones, emotions and expressions
• master the intonation, rhythm, patterns and stress points of the language
• listen to oral presentations given in various situations and select specific information from them
• understand vocabulary used in different contexts
• identify the main idea of spoken or written material

 Speaking

students will have opportunities to:

• develop confidence in their verbal responses
• perfect their pronunciation, intonation, stress and volume to suit the situation
• use vocabulary at their level of instruction to express themselves
• express opinions on a variety of topics and with a variety of audiences
• express themselves in a formal cultural setting
• use vocabulary correctly and in appropriate contexts
• speak to different kinds of audiences in various situations
• participate, with greater insight, in increasingly complex discourse

 Reading

students will have opportunities to:

• read and recognize the written version of the oral vocabulary being learned
• extract meaning from written material using context and picture clues
• develop reading ability appropriate to their age and competency levels
• read about topics of interest
• read materials that contain increasingly complex vocabulary and structure

 Writing

students will have opportunities to:

• communicate through writing about their ideas, experiences and emotions
• express themselves through writing, using vocabulary learned in the oral and reading portion of the class
• learn the importance of proper sequencing of events in their own or other writing
• learn to be sensitive to the ways in which each community uses the language
• learn to use increasingly complex grammatical structures

 Cultural Considerations

students will have opportunities to:

• learn about the origin and significance of some of the vocabulary
• learn vocabulary related to making some crafts
• learn how to communicate with Elders in a respectful and appropriate manner
• listen to and recognize the vocabulary related to local cultural activities
• participate appropriately in local traditional ceremonies  
• listen to and read stories that reflect various aspects of culture of the target language
• learn about historical and current experiences of the peoples of the language group
• learn to appreciate and value the language and the culture it reflects

Table of Contents

Planning Guide

Suggested Yearly Overview

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Although it is important for the teacher to have a general plan for the year, flexibility is imperative in order to accommodate the changes that will occur as teachers and students collaboratively determine the direction and content of each unit. Some factors to consider when developing a yearly plan are: time allotted to First Nations and Metis language teaching, students' interests and abilities, and the length of each unit.

The English Language Arts, A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level (Saskatchewan Guide p. 69) offers an example of a Case Study which shows how a yearly plan can change as the year progresses.

A placement test administered at the beginning of the school year would assist the teacher in determining a starting point in regards to content, approach and depth of the course. A sample placement test is included in the Appendices.

Components of a Plan

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Teachers may consider the following components when planning a unit.

Theme: The Scope and Sequence chart outlines suggested themes that may be developed at different grade levels and at different levels of language acquisition.

Focus/Direction: The teacher along with students may establish a specific focus for the unit. For example, the class may wish to develop vocabulary in preparation for a local special event.

Foundational Objectives: The foundational objectives for the unit are determined by the phase the students have attained: emerging, developing, extending or specialized.

The teacher may select foundational objectives on the basis of the students' age, grade level, and the extent of second language instruction received to date. For example, the teacher may decide that a class of Grade 5 students is in the emerging phase because they have had no previous second language instruction.

Learning Objectives: These are specific skills, knowledge and attitudes that the teacher would like the students to master.

Student Involvement: Collaborative decisions made by teacher and students can give direction to the course. The students' interests and enthusiasm are critical factors which can determine the length of the unit and the number of lessons to be planned on a topic.

Students' interests and abilities as well as availability of resources, print and non-print, will establish the direction and focus of the unit.

Teacher-student approaches to planning include:

• brainstorming matters like favourite things or the direction of a unit
• categorizing or webbing extensions of a topic
• planning group activities and/or projects
• developing questions that can be asked in the Cree or Michif languages

Student Evaluation: The teacher along with students may determine the evaluation criteria and instruments.

• The instruments may include checklists, conferences, portfolios, student assessments, or teacher prepared tests.
• The criteria should reflect the foundational and skills objectives and may range from fluency in speaking to working cooperatively in a group.
• The types of assessments may include evaluations done by the teacher, by peers, or by the students assessing their own progress.
• Evaluation should include both formative and summative assessments.
• Refer to the Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook, Saskatchewan Education (1991), and to the Appendices of this curriculum for additional material.

It is important that evaluation be an ongoing process, with the students getting frequent feedback as to "how they are doing". Again, there should be no surprises when it comes to student evaluation.

Cultural Component: Language is an important part of a culture. When learning a second language, students should learn information about the cultural group's past and present, as well as develop an appreciation for the values and beliefs of that culture. Whenever possible, students should have the opportunity to experience traditional or cultural events, discuss traditional and current values and beliefs, and be exposed to relevant stories, artifacts, music and dance of the people. It is important that the students learn a language within the context of a culture.

 In view of diversity, teachers need to be sensitive to cultural values and accepted protocols. For example, certain manners may be associated with some greetings, a feast may require specific procedures, or a community may have regional customs related to a variety of situations. For guidance in these matters, community members and Elders should be consulted.

 Resources: These may include print (e.g., books, newspapers) and non-print (e.g., videos, software, games, songs) resources, as well as people (e.g., guests, teacher-librarian, experts) and events (e.g., pow-wow, setting nets).

If the language is being taught in a community where it is spoken or where various related traditional or cultural events occur, events and members of the community may well become an important part of the instructional program.

 C.E.L.s, Gender Equity, Adaptive Dimension: The teacher should be aware of the requirements of these various Department initiatives and incorporate them appropriately and consistently.

 Time frame: The teacher should establish the approximate duration of the unit. Although flexibility here is important, it is also essential that a variety of themes be dealt with and that not too much time is spent on one topic.

 Integration: Teachers are encouraged to incorporate vocabulary and activities from various subject areas. As well, other teachers on staff may be encouraged to use second language vocabulary when teaching their subjects. Whenever possible, utilize community and seasonal events.

Activities: These should be varied, interesting and incorporate aspects of language acquisition or understanding. Activities should be designed to review, teach, practice, and extend knowledge and skills. As much as possible, the activities should be designed to take advantage of natural contexts and reflect the communicative approach to language instruction.

Planning Checklist

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• Have you reviewed curriculum expectations?
• Have you considered student needs, interests and abilities and incorporated students' input?
• Have you considered the relevance of this unit to:
• students' lives outside the school context?
• students' language and learning experiences in other subjects?
• students' language proficiency?
• Have you selected appropriate Cree or Michif language learning objectives?
• Have you identified the major language skills and the main content or concepts students will attain?
• Can you provide a rationale for this unit?
• Are there sufficient interesting, useful and varied resources available to accompany the unit?
• Is there an adequate supply of relevant literature?
• Have you checked the First Nations and Métis Resource List for K-12, Saskatchewan Education, Training and Employment (1994) for interesting and relevant resources?
• If literature is not available, are there alternative plans to invite storytellers and/or other community resource people to come to the classroom?
• Have you considered using relevant computer programs?
• Have you included a variety of instructional strategies, language experiences and activities?
• Do unit plans incorporate the daily language routines advocated in this curriculum?
• Have you provided opportunities for students to use listening, speaking, reading and writing for various purposes?
• Have you included Elders, parents, caregivers, and other community resource people?
• Does the unit plan allow for flexibility and adaptation?
• Have you provided opportunities for student input and collaborative decision-making?
• Is your time frame realistic?
• Have you determined appropriate assessment and evaluation strategies?
• Have you considered incorporating the unit, or parts of it, with other subject areas?
• Have you considered possible unit extensions and applications?

Table of Contents

Sample Activities

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Dear Teacher,

It is a pleasure to introduce the nēhiyawēwin, nēhinawēwin, nīhithowīwin Curriculum Guide for Nursery to Grade Nine.  There are 24 units including the daily routine.  Each unit includes supplementary activities which are written in Standard Roman Orthography, Woodland Cree dialect.  An English translation is provided for easy reference.

The Standard Roman Orthography writing system has been recommended by the Saskatchewan Cree Language Retention Committee to use lower case letters only.  The Woodland Cree has adopted this writing system.  For further information on the Standard Roman Orthography, please refer to How to Spell it in Cree (The Standard Roman Orthography) by Jean Okimāsis and Arok Wolvengrey, 2004, Canadian Plains Research Centre, Regina, Saskatchewan.

We encourage teachers to adapt the language and activities to accommodate the learners in their local areas.  Our hope is for second language learners to become fluent speakers of Cree and Michif languages and eventually become readers and writers.

Each unit plan is extended from the detailed scope and sequence in the curriculum guide.  The curriculum guide includes detailed instructions on how to use a variety of teaching strategies, vocabulary lists and evaluation methods.  We recommend that teachers familiarize themselves with the curriculum guide.

The sample lessons included in each unit may or may not be arranged in order.  The planning of each unit is left to the teacher's discretion.  Please also note that the sample lessons can be adapted to suit the learning needs of students.  They are included in the units to provide ideas for the teacher.  We encourage teachers to stay within each learning objective and not to overwhelm the learner with more vocabulary than what is recommended in each unit.

The daily routine oral language activity unit, specifically the Dr. Greymorning Accelerated Second Language Acquisition Method is in sequential order.  The pilot teachers recommend that teachers follow the sequential order and use pictures without text to teach oral vocabulary and sentences.  Pictures with text can be used later when the students are learning to read.  They are also useful for parents and guardians to read along with their children.

Please feel free to contact any of our project team members to comment on the lessons and activities.  Have fun.  mōcikihtāk.

Sincerely,

The Gift of Language and Culture Instructional Project Team

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Sample Activities

In the material that follows, it is assumed that instruction will occur at the grade levels as indicated on the chart, Scope and Sequence of Themes from Nursery to Grade 9. The activities designed for those grade levels are consistent with the foundational objectives and incorporate the Common Essential Learnings.

Involvement of students in selecting or designing the learning environment as well as deciding upon activities to assist learning is fundamental to the communicative approach. Teachers should encourage students to share their ideas. However, teachers may also require examples of teacher-initiated activities.

The teacher should keep in mind, however, that the following are sample activities and should be used with discretion. The teacher may choose to use the strategies as outlined, adapt them, or design new activities entirely.

Some General Comments

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Learning a new language can be fun. It can be natural and meaningful, particularly if it is the language of one's culture. It can also be hard work. To engage and maintain student interest, it is important that students experience variety in each lesson, that the lessons are relevant, and that the students feel successful. Keep in mind the following:

• Introduce and practice vocabulary within a meaningful context. As much as possible, provide real situations where the language is used. Use rote learning sparingly.
• Teach in small chunks. It is better to know a little thoroughly than a lot not very well.
• Be sensitive to students' needs and interests. A talking circle may help reveal these. Encourage and accommodate student input as to what words or topics are dealt with.  Students who have significant input will have a greater interest in and commitment to learning.
• Provide time to listen, observe and practice. Language is learned through repetition. However, repetition does not necessarily mean doing and saying exactly the same things. Nor does it mean rote learning. Add variety by making small changes either to the activity or by using words in different contexts.
• Consult other curriculum documents (e.g., Arts Education, Social Studies, Core French) for additional teaching ideas or examples of how various strategies might be used.
• Use tape or video recorders so that the students can critique themselves. This may be somewhat intimidating at first, but the students will quickly become accustomed to their use. Use them at all grade levels.
• Humour can serve as a powerful learning tool and can make the classes fun. Tell legends and sing songs with motions and movements, even with older students.
• Build student confidence. Learning to speak a new language involves taking risks. Give them the time and opportunities needed to succeed and build confidence. Allow them to make mistakes without feeling threatened or ashamed. Practising with partners rather than the whole class is one way to help build confidence. Going slowly and letting students master some expressions and their usage of language will build confidence. Create a risk free environment where learning takes place through trial and error.
• Vary the activities in each lesson.
• Be sure that there is active student involvement throughout most of the lesson.  Students need to listen, observe, and participate.  Participation may involve games, conversations, action songs, handling objects, talking into a microphone, or role-playing.
• Consider switching roles occasionally - have students be teachers. The students might teach parents, partners, a group, or the class.
• Teach children to ask hypothetical as well as genuine questions (who? what? where? why? when? how?) in the language being learned.
• Generally speaking, teaching a language should be based more on an oral approach than on a written approach.
• Lessons may generally follow a plan like this:

• Review what was learned the previous lesson.  Students may repeat some of the activities, perhaps in a shortened version, or practice in some other way what they learned.
• Introduce new material. Link it with what students know. It may be an extension of the previous lesson, or something different. Wherever possible use real or simulated situations, objects and pictures.
• Practice. Provide sufficient time for students to learn by listening, speaking and doing. Students should have more opportunities to participate actively with partners or in small groups.
• Evaluate. This may be in the form of students discussing what they have learned that period or during the week. It may be a checklist (class or individual), a review quiz, or a teacher-student conference.  Students may critique a video of themselves.  Students need to reflect on what they have learned. They need feedback as to how they are doing.  Students may be involved in setting the evaluation process and criteria. Surprise quizzes generally add to stress, not learning.

Sample Activities

The following are some sample activities to introduce, practice, or review each content topic. Keep in mind that these are samples only. The students and the teacher, deciding together, are in the best position to make decisions as to what activities are most appropriate for the class.

Emerging Phase

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For all Phases, the Content is in BOLD text, followed by a list of the Skills & Activities.

• Set up a situation where two people greet one another (e.g., mother greeting child coming home from school). Discuss what they might say. Introduce the appropriate greeting and response. Have students listen and practice the dialogue. When you are sure they can say the words correctly, and have students work in pairs.  They take turns greeting and responding to each other.  They can role-play meeting on the street, coming into a room, or seeing 'long lost' friends.
• Have students practice meeting relatives using kinship terms. After they learn the appropriate greetings, they may bring clothing items to wear and share or have students dress up using clothes in the classroom. Students role-play the greetings and responses reflecting their attire.
• During lessons that follow, greet the students as they come to class using the greetings and responses.
• Practice meeting someone new.  Students may be appointed to introduce a visitor or a new student to the class.

• Make "People I Love" books. These could include photos or drawings.
• Introduce vocabulary using the "People I Love" books. Make phrases connecting the family member with a greeting (e.g., Hello brother! How are you sister?).
• Have the students role-play in different situations of meeting and greeting family members.
• Introduce words showing relationships. Make simple sentences (e.g., I love my mother,
• Brother helps sister).
• With older students you might want to make up a family kinship chart.

• If you have an appropriate counting rhyme or song, teach it to the students. If not, you might make one up with the class. It may be chanted or sung to the beat of a drum or a hand clap.
• Have ten objects (e.g., toy cars, stones) on hand. Show the class one of the objects to introduce word for 1, have students repeat; show 2 objects and say the word, have students repeat. Then, beginning with 1, count to 2. Continue perhaps to 4 or 5 during the first lesson. Have the students work in pairs or small groups, count as they show objects. After they can count, have students test one another.
• The students might use dice and a simple board game like Snakes and Ladders to practice saying the words and counting. If board games are not available, draw a simple one and photocopy it.
• Incorporate counting activities on a daily basis (e.g., number of students present that day,days until Sharon's birthday, crayons in the box, and/or the score in a game).
• Have students count while placing objects like stones into egg cartons.

• Select or brainstorm a list of foods that students like. Use concrete food items or pictures as you introduce the words. Pass around the picture or item as students say the word.
• Have students work with partners to practice saying sentences like "I like eating ____." Have students draw webs showing "foods we like", "foods other people like".
• Have the students bring grocery store flyers and shopping bags. Mount the pictures on construction paper. Display them around the room. Role-play a shopping trip where students select items and place them in their bags. Working in pairs or small groups, students will take turns unpacking their bags one item at a time, identifying each item.
• Make an outdoor garden or plant some fruit and vegetable seeds indoors.  Students can draw and/or label the plants.
• When the students are ready to read the words, make puzzle cards with the picture of a food item on one end and the word on the other. Cut each puzzle piece in a different way. Place in an envelope.  To review terminology, students may use this puzzle.  Since each piece is cut in a different way, the game becomes self correcting. Perhaps some older students could make this for the class.
• Have the students plan menus for a favourite meal. If possible, prepare and eat the meal.
• Make up or follow some simple recipes for nourishing snacks.
• Pretend the whole family is involved in making or serving a meal. Tell a simple story like: "I cut apples. My mom made bannock. My big sister cut the deer meat".

• Have on hand a lot of animal/bird models, pictures or stuffed toys to introduce and practice the new words.
• Make up simple sentences. For example, "I eat rabbit stew."
• Have students select nicknames for themselves (e.g., Running Bear). Have students greet one another using these names.
• Have students work in groups with pictures of birds/animals, felt pens and chart paper. Each group may draw a shape to represent a forest or a field with a tree or pond in it. After the teacher has modelled the activity with a few students, students may take turns naming an animal/bird and putting it into their field. The next round they name it and set it free. Have them count how many animals/or birds are in their field.  Number of animals or birds can be used for food.  How many are domestic.  How many can swim.  How many can fly.  After the game, the students may draw and label as many as they can in their field.
• Have each students make a paper mask to represent an animal or bird. While wearing their masks, students will introduce their animal or bird and describe it.
• Visit a farm, marsh, trap line, reserve or wooded area. Discuss the concepts with the students.
• Play 'follow the leader' in the classroom. The teacher will name different animals or birds and the students will imitate movement and the sounds.  
• Share appropriate stories and legends. Teach songs about animals or birds.

• Introduce colours in relation to previously learned terms (e.g., red fox, brown rice). Use items in the classroom (clothing, books, pictures, etc.) that have the colours being introduced.
• Have students cut shapes using construction paper. Print the name of the colour on one side. Turn shapes over to hide the word. Have students take turns turning one piece over and saying the correct colour word.
• Have students sit in circles of four or five with one beanbag for each group. One student says a new word (e.g., white) and tosses the beanbag to a person who then adds a word (e.g., white geese). Keep going to see how long a phrase or sentence can be made. Students may help each other. Start again with a different colour word.
• Discuss the four colours which are meaningful to Aboriginal groups and the meanings of the colours 

• Introduce new vocabulary along with familiar words (e.g., red mitts, two moccasins) using articles and pictures. Have students repeat phrases.
• Play a "dress up and name the clothes" relay. Divide class into teams. Place five (or more) clothing items at the other end of the room for each team. Each student in the team has to name each article. Words or phrases must be said correctly or be repeated several times.

Note:  The teacher may wish to introduce the terms incidentally during the year as the months occur.

• Display calendars printed in the language being taught. Introduce the name of the month along with its meaning. Read stories related to that month. List names of children who have birthdays during that month.
• As an opening activity for each class, write on the board or ask questions related to the day of the week, the date, the weather, and something special happening that day.
• Have students make a web for each month as it occurs. With the name of the month in the centre of a sheet of chart paper, draw pictures or write phrases of things that happen during that month. By year end, the webs would show a history of experiences.
• Make a large colourful chart (circle or rectangle) showing the four seasons. Place an arrow held with a paper fastener in the centre. Have the arrow point to the current season. The chart could be a collage. Use the pictures as new vocabulary is introduced throughout the year.

• Introduce the names of common illnesses. Have the students practice dialogue.  (e.g., "Does the boy have a cold?" "Yes, the boy is coughing.").
• Discuss the meanings of the names of illnesses.
• Coordinate this topic with plants, especially medicinal plants.
• Discuss how the disease or illness affects the body and the kind of medicine that can be used.
• Coordinate with community health educator regarding lessons on health.
• Discuss and practice ways illnesses may be avoided through exercise, rest and diet.

• Display a large picture of a person on sturdy cardboard. It could be done by students. Glue small pieces of velcro around the picture. Make labels of body parts with velcro backing. Introduce words and have students practice saying the words and putting labels in the correct places. Leave display up for students to use in their spare time.
• Add new vocabulary to words that were previously learned (e.g. hands-mitts, two feet).
• Have students make personal mobiles using parts of the body.  For example, students may print on the head what their heads like to do or are good at (eat pizza, read, watch movies, think of riddles), on their hands what they like to do (catch a ball, touch fur, draw), and on their feet what their feet like or are good at (run, dance).  

• Introduce and practice related words as the events occur during the year. Record events on the calendar or on a web.
• Have students tell stories or have conversations about events. Record stories using tape or video recorders for students to critique themselves.
• Create booklets of the events with pictures and short descriptions.

• Weather concepts can be learned in the daily routine.
• Have students divide a sheet of paper into four sections. Illustrate each section with a different type of weather condition. Practice telling about each section using new vocabulary.
• Use the calendar to keep track of weather using various symbols and new vocabulary.
• Develop songs and/or chants.

• Introduce shapes using concrete examples. It may be appropriate to coordinate this activity with math lessons using math manipulatives.
• In a gym class, divide students into small groups and instruct them, using new vocabulary, to form circles, squares, etc. Play a game while maintaining the shape.
• Have students identify objects that are similar in shape (e.g., circle - clock, bottle cap, sun). Use new vocabulary wherever possible.
• Identify and discuss shapes used in beadwork.

• Coordinate this topic with summer/winter games, olympics, pow-wows or other major events.
• Have students bring a favourite toy or tell of a favourite sport.
• Have students create sport stories about each other. (e.g., David likes to play hockey).
• Make large bar graphs of favourite sports, activities and/or toys and initiate discussion.
• Read or tell stories of traditional recreation and origins of some current sports or equipment.

• Have students make labels that can be used to label parts of a building. Introduce the new words, practice them, have students place them in correct locations.
• Have students work in small groups each with a set of cards that have pictures of the parts of the building with the terminology.  The cards can be used for a memory game or for matching.
• Make up phrases using previously learned vocabulary (four steps, white door, two windows).

• Introduce furniture using pictures. Practice saying the words.
• Using catalogues, flyers and magazines, have students work in small groups to furnish a room. Identify or label furniture using new vocabulary. Each group may be assigned to do a different room. Share and display.

• Take the students for a walk outside. Introduce new words as you see different plants. Practice the new words in short sentences or phrases.
• Have the students working with partners playing "I Spy". Partners take turns describing what they 'spy'. The other partner may point to the plant and say the new word.
• Identify parts of a tree or plant (leaves, bark, flower, roots, etc.).
• Discuss how the plants are used traditionally (e.g., medicine, food, utensils).  

• Teach new vocabulary using relevant material.
• Discuss and teach phrases that describe how the students travel to school.
• Teach terms for traditional modes of transportation. Invite a person from the community to describe how s/he travelled during childhood.
• With the students, make up a bulletin board display comparing traditional and current modes of transportation.

Developing Phase

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Self-awareness

• Review terms for immediate and extended family.
• Draw a generic family tree displaying terms for each relationship.
• Have each student make family webs with self in centre, linked with significant others in the web. If pictures are available, students may do family albums with short captions telling something about each person.
• List birthdays of family members on class calendar. Practice saying these in partners or small groups.

• Use puppets to represent different family members. Role-play proper greetings and behaviour with various family members. You may wish to have some creative fun with both positive and negative behaviour. Take care to show respect, especially for Elders.
• Have the students work in groups with puppets, or other representations to practice new phrases.

• Introduce new vocabulary with the use of pictures or real food. Practice the words.
• If possible, arrange with the manager of a nearby grocery store for the class to visit when the store is not busy.  If a visit is not possible, make up a store in the class using cans, labels, fruit, vegetables and pictures. Have the students take turns making up sentences or phrases about different foods as they purchase items.
• Invite a local hunter or Elder in to discuss traditional foods. Have students listen for food related words and recall for oral sharing.
• Plan a class lunch or make nourishing snacks to share. Practice new vocabulary.
• Make up a poem or song to thank the plants and animals that provided the food.  

• Coordinate this section during cultural week in your school or community.
• Have students experience the process of food preparation and preservation.  Invite someone from the community to demonstrate in class. If possible, video tape the experience or presentation.  Use the video to review and learn new vocabulary.
• Have students role-play the activities.

• Introduce terminology for traditional food.
• Invite a local person to your class to tell stories. 
• Have the students make up a bulletin board displaying food and how it was prepared in the past and present. Do this activity using two webs, one showing the past and one showing the present. Display pictures, drawings and artifacts in the web. Make it clear that some traditional foods and methods are still being used.
• Plan a meal using mainly foods that are grown, gathered or hunted locally (e.g., meat soup, tea, bannock with chokecherry jelly, saskatoons).
• Write a paragraph about the animals, birds and plants that provided the food for your meal.

• Arrange to have all or a group of students accompany adults for the actual experience. Have a student or adult video tape the process and use the tape to teach and review new vocabulary. If it is not done in your community, use stories and videos to recreate traditional practices.
• If a video camera is not available, have the students draw a series of pictures in sequence as a record of the event. The teacher may add descriptive phrases or sentence strips under each picture for student review and practice.
• Compare current and traditional practices.
• Have students tell stories of their experiences. 

• Introduce new vocabulary for fish. 
• Use photos or other pictures to identify various kinds of local fish and parts of a fish.
• Play a fishing game. Mount pictures of fish on sturdy cardboard. Set a table on its side to represent a river bank. On one side is a student with a variety of fish. On the other side students take turns approaching the river with a fishing rod (metre stick, string & paper clip). The student on the river side puts a picture into the paper clip and gives the line a tug. The fishing student may keep the fish if s/he identifies it correctly. If incorrect, the fish must be tossed back. This could be done as a contest between two groups. The members of each group take turns fishing and should be allowed to help each other identify the fish.

• Introduce new vocabulary using pictures and videos.
• Invite a person from the community to explain process of preparing animals or have students accompany adults in the activity. Video tape the experience or presentation. Have the students take turns providing a commentary using newly learned vocabulary.

• Read or tell stories or legends about the birds that are to be introduced.  Have students retell parts of the story.
• Divide the class into groups of four or five students. Give each group a large sheet of paper which represents a field or forest. Each group will draw as many things (water, land, animals, plants, people) in their picture as they can name (orally or with labels). Encourage the students to show active relationships between items they draw (e.g., bird eating a worm). Share pictures using new words. Save them to add more items when appropriate (e.g., landforms, plants) and to use them to review vocabulary.
• Have the students collect smooth stones. Paint animal and bird heads and/or whole bodies on them. Prop them up by gluing small stones to the front and back of each painted stone.
• Invite an Elder to talk about the significance of certain birds such as eagles.

• Introduce cooking terminology in relation to edible plants, animals and fish.
• Plan to have a lunch sharing time. Contact parents ahead of time and plan with the students of what they could bring.  During lunch discuss origins, tastes, differences in the various foods.
• Discuss healthy snacks.  Create snacks that are low in fat, salt and calories and have good nutritional value (e.g., nuts, dried fruit, popcorn, pemmican). 
• Create a recipe book with students. 
• Students can review terminology by role-playing food preparation.

• Invite resource person to demonstrate snowshoe making.
• Compare structure and materials of current and traditional snowshoes.
• Take students snowshoeing.
• Have each group make up a snowshoeing chant or rap song. 
• Use an outing as a treasure hunt or do a role-play, pretending to be on a search and rescue mission.

• Teach counting skills within a context of math problems to be solved or things being counted (e.g., newsletters, real/play money, packages of pencils, skipping, sit-ups, taking a pulse, distance to various places using map scale).
• Use new vocabulary to count points or keep score in sports activities at recess or after school.
• Learn or make up counting rhymes. Perform and teach them to younger students.

• Introduce new terms using actual clothing items or pictures.
• Discuss clothing that is needed and clothing of choice. Discuss material used in making clothes.
• Draw a large circle divided into four sections. Print the name of a season in each section. Divide the class into four groups. Each group will cut appropriate pictures from catalogues/magazines or draw them for the correct section. Label each item or be prepared to identify items orally.
• Show pictures or filmstrip illustrating traditional clothes. Compare function, cost, appearance, environmental impact, etc., with current clothes.
• Conduct activities in terms of six seasons where appropriate.

• Read or tell stories or legends involving beliefs from the past.
• Arrange to view the sky some evening. Use new vocabulary to identify satellites, shooting stars, planets, Big Dipper, etc.
• Make models and mobiles of stars, moon and planets.

• Introduce the name of the month and its meaning at the beginning of each month.
• Read or tell related stories and review traditional events of that month.
• Create a new scroll for each month. On the scroll have students draw pictures or write comments about special events of that month.

• Invite a community health educator. Identify illnesses that students are familiar with. Practice new vocabulary.
• Discuss causes, cures and ways to avoid illnesses. Discuss traditional and other medical practices and lifestyles.
• With older students, you may want to use a medicine wheel to discuss the emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual aspects of the human being and how they all relate to wellness.
• Discuss with the students their use of leisure time and their diet. If necessary, plan ways to be more physically active, improve diet, and develop healthier lifestyles and attitudes.

• Use appropriate symbols and vocabulary to keep track of weather during the year. Hang a thermometer outside the classroom window. Note temperatures at specific times (9:00 a.m., noon, etc.) on each day for a month. Record on a large classroom calendar.
• Use weather reports from the newspaper. Discuss how and why weather is reported and forecast. Have students converse in simple sentences: "Today is ...., tomorrow will be ....."
• Have students research how people in the community forecast weather and how successful their forecasts are. Compare with success of official forecasts.  Discuss weather lores.
• Divide the class into groups. Assign each group a different kind of weather and have them make webs using words, phrases or sentences. Share.
• Discuss how weather affected traditional lifestyles and how people adapted to the climate of their region.

• Use a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle or have some students create a model of a building using Lego or cardboard to introduce and practice new vocabulary.
• Have students draw a building in response to specific instructions by the teacher.
• Compare current buildings with traditional structures.

• Identify and label classroom articles.
• Working in pairs, have the students play "I Spy".
• Divide the class into teams. Have them sit in a circle with each student in the team holding a different article. After the students in the circle have named their articles, play some music while students pass them clockwise. When the music stops, the passing stops, and students name the new articles they are holding.

• Conduct activities in terms of six seasons where appropriate.
• Use a circle divided into sections showing the seasons.
• Divide the class into groups, assign each a season. Have each group make up a short skit, song or dance depicting their season. Present it to the class.
• Books may be used to practice vocabulary. 

• Introduce vocabulary with pictures of people in various occupations.  Be sure to include some pictures of men and women in both traditional and non-traditional jobs.
• Have students interview family members or other people in the community who have different jobs. Plan to ask questions regarding training needed, skills required, safety measures used, type of work. If possible, students may record interviews and play them to the class or small group. Students may wish to create a display or book as a class project.
• Have students sitting in circles in small groups with a student in the centre tossing a bean bag and asking, "What will you do when you grow up?" The student who catches the bean bag will answer, "I will work as a ......" students will answer in as many ways as they can.

• Take the students outdoors for a walk to introduce and practice new vocabulary. You may want to do this periodically to observe seasonal changes to the plants identified.
• Practice new vocabulary and positive conservation habits.
• Have students make bark and leaf rubbings.
• Discuss the value of the plants in the food chain and as part of a habitat for animals, birds and people.
• Compare conservation practices of the past and present.
• Invite a resource person to talk about the medicinal use and value of certain plants.

• Have the students create miniature landforms using a nearby vacant field or creek, or using clay and water in a fish tank or basin.  Students will describe their project.
• Have students create their own fantasy islands labelling lakes, grasslands, rivers, mountains, etc.

• Introduce and practice new vocabulary using compasses (real or diagrams).
• Plan and conduct an orienteering exercise. Ask students to draw and label a map of their community using given instructions.
• Design a grid with a letter printed in each section. Give students a starting point and instructions (written or oral) involving direction and number. Have them find your secret messages.
• Have students design their own messages using their grid, number and direction.

• Discuss how people kept track of time before clocks or watches were invented. Practice guessing the time using various physical clues.
• Learn words for different times of the day (e.g., morning, evening, dawn, midnight).
• Draw clocks and introduce terminology related to telling time.

• Introduce new vocabulary using pictures, videos or filmstrips.
• Read or tell stories illustrating traditional methods of transportation.
• Have groups of students plan a trip that requires different types of transportation. Each group will prepare a booklet showing different types of transportation.  They will use, or a large map showing where they are travelling and the modes of transportation.

• Use real or play money to introduce and practice new vocabulary. 
• Coordinate a fundraising activity with the school or class.
• Have students role play a market where students buy and sell using play money or a barter system. Set up a real market where students may sell or exchange things like comic books. Issue fines for neglecting to use new vocabulary and rewards for using it.

• Introduce terms during a time that hunting occurs in the community.
• Invite resource person to discuss hunting practices and safety.
• Have students interview resource people.  Discuss the questions with the students beforehand and screen them on the basis of relevance and appropriateness. Questions should be open-ended and address issues such as traditional procedures, safety measures, animal behaviour, and attitudes hunters should have. The interviews or class presentation may be videotaped for future viewing and discussion.
• Compare current and past hunting practices. Create two webs with past and present words or phrases.

• Coordinate with map study skills.
• Have students measure items in the school.
• Make up sentences about personal experiences (e.g., distance to school, between friends places, distance you can walk in a day).
• Practice using different map scales on local maps, maps of Saskatchewan, and atlases to measure distances between various places.

Extending Phase

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Numbers

• Review numbers learned previously.
• Teach counting skills within a context of problems to be solved or things being counted (e.g., newsletters, money, pencils, sit-ups, taking a pulse, distance).
• During a gym period, have pairs of students practice volleying the ball over the net. Then have a volleyball game. Keep score using new vocabulary.
• Encourage other teachers to include in their subjects a component of the language being learned.

• Take the students outdoors for a walk to introduce and practice new vocabulary.  Observe seasonal changes to the plants identified and apply positive conservation habits.
• Discuss the value of the plants in the food chain and as part of a habitat for animals, birds, and people.
• Identify medicinal plants.  Invite a resource person to speak to the students about preparing and using traditional medicines. Have the class prepare and screen questions they might like to ask ahead of time.
• Have the students prepare First Aid Kits using traditional or other medical practices. Items may be labelled using new vocabulary.

• Review time and extend previous knowledge.
• Have students work in pairs to ask and answer questions regarding when events occur throughout the day or week.
• Prepare a three way matching exercise with cards of three different colours showing various times on clocks (yellow cards), the time written in words (green cards) using new vocabulary, and events (blue cards) scheduled to occur at that time. Place sets of cards in envelopes which may be circulated among small groups.

• Study sentence and phrase patterns in stories, poems, and essays.
• Review sound system and apply writing skills.
• Review grammar rules.

Specialized Phase

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Composition

• Have students work in groups to prepare a dialogue or story. Props or pictures may be used. Have each group share by telling their story. Record, using audio or video recorders.  Students may listen to recordings to self-critique their presentations.
• Have students keep a special personal journal in which they practice new vocabulary on a regular basis. Topics to write about may be assigned or left up to the students. Writing may be in words, phrases or sentences and may accompany drawings or diagrams. The teacher will read the journal entries privately and write or draw positive responses.
• Other writing assignments may be in the form of paragraphs or visual organizers such as concept maps, webs, charts or matrices. These may also be shared in class or with small groups.
• Prepare cartoon type illustrations or sequences with blank conversation bubbles. Have students fill in the bubbles.
• Have students prepare a class newsletter for parents or a school newspaper featuring school news, interviews, puzzles, poems and stories.
• The newsletter could be a multi-media production including material recorded on videotapes or computer disks, or produced with a desktop publishing program.
• If you have access to a computer crossword puzzle program, have students make up puzzles for other students to solve.
• Students can create and illustrate their own stories, poems, songs and essays. 

• Introduce the concept of syllabics by showing a variety of symbols and logos which the students can identify (e.g., poison, traffic signs, etc.). Explore their meanings.
• Emphasize that syllabics are symbols and their use is an art form. Use words written in syllabics to enhance art work.
• Relate syllabics to rock paintings. Discuss meanings of the symbols.
• Design various greeting cards with the messages in syllabics.
• Learn and practice the interpretation and writing of syllabics in the context of stories, poems and students oral or written compositions.  

• Have students transcribe material that is both interesting and relevant to them.
• Coordinate an interviewing activity with a community project in science or social studies. (e.g., opinion poll or interview people regarding a current issue).
• Use audio or video tapes to record interviews or conversations. Transcribe.
• Have students tell stories in the oral tradition. Tape record them and have students transcribe their own or another student's story.

• Have students translate material that is both interesting and relevant to them. Use writing that has been done in class. Have students work in small groups and critique each other's translations.
• Set up situations so that the translations will be used beyond the class assignment.
• Prepare a newsletter or a school newspaper.
• Have the students translate children's books in the library and provide the translation as an insert in the book.
• Write a letter to pen pals learning the same language and network with them electronically.
• Design greeting cards with messages.
• Have students illustrate and write story books for young children.  Arrange for the students to visit a primary classroom to read the stories to the children.
• Use school computers to write, translate and/or publish the materials.

Table of Contents

Themes

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Themes for Nursery to Grade 9

Click to Grades

The links to the left are charted guidelines for teachers. It includes some of the topics outlined in the scope and sequence document written by the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre for Saskatchewan Learning. The chart has been revised by The Gift of Language and Culture Project Instructional Team of Lac La Ronge Indian Band and Prince Albert Grand Council, Aboriginal Languages Project of Northern Lights School Division No. 113 and Ile-a-la-Crosse School Division.

The curriculum is based on a spiral model, it is assumed that the concepts and vocabulary will be reviewed and expanded on in subsequent years.

The charts are intended to be a guide and in view of diversity, teachers are encouraged to make adaptations to suit the needs of their students and communities.

The above links require Adobe Reader installed in your computer.

Reference may be made to this chart to serve as a guide for placement of incoming students. To view in PDF, click icon .

Appendix A

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Assessment Instruments/Procedures

Portfolio:
This is a collection of student's work which may be used for teacher evaluations, by students to self-evaluate their progress, or to show to parents as examples of the student's work. The student and/or teacher decide on what to include and whether there will be a limit to the amount of material to be kept in the portfolio. The portfolio might be a large envelope or a file folder stapled to make a container. Each item included should be dated and may include a comment or mark achieved. These collections are a convenient tool to report student progress to parents/guardians or caregivers.

Assessment Station:
This is a designated area where students may perform tasks for evaluation purposes. Students are evaluated in groups or individually. For the language classes this may be a listening centre where students practice speaking into a tape recorder or listen to tapes and practice specific vocabulary. This assessment can be administered during classroom time. Another example of an assessment station for languages would be the use of computer games and drills for vocabulary enhancement and grammar study. Whether the assessment station is in or outside the classroom, clear instructions outlining where to go, what to do, how much time to be spent at each station or for each task, should be established. Assign work for students to do upon their return to the classroom. The instructions may be written on the chalkboard and/or on a card or paper. Prepare a timetable indicating ten or fifteen minute intervals. Students may choose the time they want to go for their assessment. Use rating scales or checklists indicating specific points that are being assessed.

Group Assessments:
Learning and using language involves social activities. An observation checklist, rating scale, or anecdotal record may be used to describe how well students function in group situations. The comments made, items checked, or mark assigned may be done by the teacher or the students, assessing themselves or their peers in their groups. Participation, willingness to work cooperatively, willingness to respect the views of others are some of the areas that may be assessed.

Checklists:
These help to check that each student is listening, participating and speaking during the day to day lessons. Checklists may be planned in cooperation with the students and completed by the teacher or students. The items to be checked will generally reflect the objectives of a lesson or unit. That is, if the objectives of a lesson are: to pronounce certain words correctly, to use them in sentences while conversing with a partner, and for partners to help each other, then those items would form at least part of the checklist. The items may be checked by the teacher or by the students.

Rating scales:
These may be used to rate students' progress. The criteria as well as the marks assigned may be determined in consultation with the students and should reflect the objectives of a lesson, project or unit. For example, if the objectives include working cooperatively in a group situation, listing 6 open-ended questions for an interview, and completing the assignment on time, then those are the items to be rated. The teacher and/or students may determine the scale (1 - 5, marks out of 10, etc.) to be used.

  The following is a list of PDF files for download:

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• Observation Checklist of Affective Aspects
• Checklist to Assess Syllabic Spelling
• Progress Report for Cree Classes
• Academic Achievement
• Rating Scale for Cooperative Work Situations
• Observation Checklist
• Checklist for Cooperative Group Learning
• Observation Checklist for Oral Proficiency
• Placement Scale
• Placement Test
• Cultural Activities Checklist

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Table of Contents

Appendix B 

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• WOODLAND CREE LANGUAGE RESOURCES & ACTIVITY BOOKS: (All resources are written in Standard Roman Orthography)
• FLASHCARDS/POSTERS
• WOODLAND CREE CULTURAL RESOURCES:
• STORIES
• LEGENDS

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Table of Contents

References

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