Category: language

‘An Extraordinarily Significant Undertaking that No One Else in this World is Capable of Doing’ by Peter Hawkins

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The CPQE Translation Team

Each school day at 1pm, four elders make their way up the ramp at Nuniwarmiut School. Upon entering the building, they turn right and walk past the pre-school room. They stop by the office to greet the secretary and the principal and make their way down the hallway past the junior high and high school classrooms where students and teachers are collaboratively working on learning. They enter the library/meeting room at the end of the hall. They close the door and install themselves around one of the large tables where there is a collection of notepads, pencils, erasers, dictionaries and snacks just as they left them the day before. They are soon focused together on an extraordinarily significant undertaking that no one else in this world is capable of doing. Continue reading ‘An Extraordinarily Significant Undertaking that No One Else in this World is Capable of Doing’ by Peter Hawkins

‘LKSD Creates Curriculum to Revitalize Yup’ik Language and Culture’ by Noelle Dersé

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For the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD), staying local isn’t just a mandate during the pandemic — it’s a long term strategy for learning. Recognizing the need for language resources to boost proficiency in the Yup’ik language, as well as a desire for curriculum that students could relate to, the LKSD administration embarked on a multi-year project to create K-12 social studies and science curriculum that addresses both these needs.

With funds and direction from the Quyurramta (“All of Us Together”) grant from the U.S. Education Department’s Alaska Native Education Program, LKSD set out to translate existing texts (with generous permission from TCI publishers) into Yugtun, the Yup’ik language. Continue reading ‘LKSD Creates Curriculum to Revitalize Yup’ik Language and Culture’ by Noelle Dersé

‘My Passion: Creating Educational Resources that Celebrate Alaska Native Culture and Language’ by Raquel Schroeder

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My name is Raquel Schroeder. I’m Bristol Bay Yup’ik and St. Lawrence Island Yupik with family ties in Bristol Bay and the Bering Strait. I’m a member of the Curyung Tribe and a Shareholder of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation.

I was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and graduated from high school in 2010. I went to Wenatchee Valley College in Washington State and Iḷisaġvik Tribal College in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, where I earned a certificate in Early Childhood Indigenous Education. In this program, I learned the importance of culturally-responsive practices and the need for preservation of Indigenous cultures and languages.

I developed an interest in creating projects with art, design and technology that focus on Alaska Native cultures, languages and land. This is important to me because, as a mother and educator, I found there aren’t many easily-accessible resources that reflect the beauty of Alaska’s land and Indigenous peoples. With a lack of resources that reflect students’ environments, it can be difficult for them to find identity in learning, which may lead to social and academic issues in the long run. My goal is to celebrate and represent every student in the educational resources I create. Continue reading ‘My Passion: Creating Educational Resources that Celebrate Alaska Native Culture and Language’ by Raquel Schroeder