Curriculum development, lesson planning, and delivery: A guide to Native language immersion

Figures & data

Table 1. The core relationships of Indigenous language immersion programs

• Indigenous languages (IL) are the core of Indigenous language immersion programs • Indigenous language teachers (ILT) carry this and other special knowledge with them and share it with Indigenous language learners (ILL) • General education teachers (GET) also carry special knowledge with them and share it with Indigenous language learners • When ILT and GET are the same individuals, the ILL benefit from educational interactions that are more integrated and culturally/linguistically enriched

Figure 1. Indigenous language learner continuum

Figure 2a. Scenario A

Figure 2b. Scenario B

Figure 2c. Scenario C

Table 2. Demmert & Towner’s six critical elements of culturally based education

• Recognition and use of Native American (American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian) languages (either bilingually or as a first or second language) • Pedagogy that stresses traditional cultural characteristics and adult–child interactions as the starting place for education (mores that are currently practiced in the community and that may differ from community to community) • Pedagogy in which teaching strategies are congruent with the traditional culture, as well as with contemporary ways of knowing and learning (opportunities to observe, opportunities to practice, and opportunities to demonstrate skills) • Curriculum that is based on traditional culture and recognizes the importance of Native spirituality while placing the education of young children in a contemporary context (e.g. use and understanding of the visual arts, legends, oral histories, and fundamental beliefs of the community) • Strong Native community participation (including parents, elders, and other community resources) in educating children and in the planning and operation of school activities • Knowledge and use of the social and political mores of the community

Table 3. CREDE standards for effective pedagogy

• Joint productive activity: Teachers and students producing together • Language development: Developing language and literacy across the curriculum • Contextualization: Making meaning: Connecting school to students’ lives • Challenging activities: Teaching complex thinking • Instructional conversation: Teaching through conversation

Table 4. Indigenous curriculum materials checklist

Labels and identity construction	Labels are used appropriately and identities are used as constructed by Indigenous peoples themselves. Example: Indian vs. Anishinaabe
Cultural and linguistic accuracy	Cultural and linguistic references are accurate and have been authenticated by the appropriate tribal groups. Example: Nimaama and Nipaapa (post-contact adaptations) vs. Ngashe miinwaa Nos (pre-colonial terms)
Historical accuracy	Historical references are accurate to the time period and have been authenticated by more than one source. Example: No tomatoes present in the Great Lakes Region prior to 1600
Legality and authority	Authorship and illustrator credentials clearly indicate if the materials were created by an American Indian in accordance with PL 101–164 of 1990 the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and if this work was completed for, or on behalf of, an Indian tribe or other entity. Example: Dr. Martin Reinhardt is a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and wrote this article based on a series of webinars he developed for Montana State University and the Region VIII Equity Assistance Center (see https://www.montana.edu/carjuzaa/cbme/cbme.html)
Sources and credibility	All sources of information are clearly indicated and have been cited or recommended by other trustworthy sources. The content has not been misappropriated, or bastardized. Example: Slapin and Seale (2006). Through Indian eyes: The Native experience in books for children. Berkley: Oyate
Generalizations and specificity	Tribes are not clumped together. If they are grouped with other tribes, it is done so appropriately based on shared concerns or backgrounds. Example: There are currently 567 federally recognized tribes in the US
Invisibility, tokenization, fragmentation, and isolation	Concepts, tribes, and people are included in a robust manner when appropriate, not tokenized, fragmented, or isolated within the materials. Example: A curricular unit on mining includes mention of “the earliest miners were American Indian,” but says nothing about the type of mining, the impact of low intensity and high intensity mining on their lands, and current Indian perspectives on mining
Stereotypes	Can be positive, or negative, and both can be damaging to self-image and relationships. Examples: The crying Indian or the casino Indian
Perspectives	Indian perspectives are included and may be shown in contrast to non-Indian perspectives. Example: US Independence Day
Unreality	Negative concepts are not glossed over or excluded. Example: Thanksgiving Day stories
Friendly wording	Anti-Indian biased/loaded words are not used. Examples: Discovered, earliest settlers, unexplored, etc.

Table 5. Seven essential steps for developing an Indigenous interdisciplinary thematic unit (As adapted from Roberts & Kellough, 2008)

(1) Select an Indigenous theme (2) Write an overview that includes goals, major concepts, and instructional objectives (be sure to incorporate tribal standards/protocols) (3) Identify instructional resources including technology and community (4) Organize the subject matter including questions, potential experiences, and activities (5) Plan and arrange the classroom environment in a way that will stimulate student learning and encourage them to want to know more about the theme (6) Consider including a variety of best practices (7) Plan a finale

Figure 3. Mind map example 1

Figure 4. Mind map example 2

Table 6. Anishinaabe medicine wheel history and geography lesson plan

1. Descriptive data:

Teacher: Barbara Nolan

Class: Native language immersion

Date: January, 2016

Grade Level: 3

Room number: NA

Period: NA

Unit: History and geography

Lesson numbers: 1

Topic: Anishinaabe medicine wheel history and geography

2. Goals and objectives:

Instructional Goals:

1. Teach students general Anishinaabemowin terms associated with the Anishinaabe medicine wheel

2. Teach students how to ask questions about the past in Anishinaabemowin

3. Teach students Anishinaabemowin terms associated with an Anishinaabe timeline

4. Teach students the cardinal directions in Anishinaabemowin associated with each part of the medicine wheel

Specific Objectives:

Cognitive: Students will learn about how the Anishinaabe medicine wheel can be used to discuss time and directions

Affective: Students will be encouraged to ask each other questions in Anishinaabemowin related to the medicine wheel

Psychomotor: Students will utilize what they have learned to create their own medicine wheel and timeline

3. Rationale:

The medicine wheel is a fundamental teaching tool for the Anishinaabek. It symbolizes the relationship between individuals and all things in life. It can be used to conceptualize temporal as well as spatial relations

State of Michigan Standards:

History

In third grade, students refine their abilities to think like a historian by identifying the types of questions that historians ask. Building upon experiences of timeline construction, students sequence early periods of Michigan history from exploration through attaining statehood. The expectations move students from examining a variety of simple sources to understanding how historians use both primary and secondary sources to learn about the past. Students use both types of sources as they explore the early history of Michigan, providing a rich connection to the English language arts. Through traditional stories, students learn about the beliefs of American Indians. They compare how American Indians and settlers interacted with their environment through informational text. The skill of constructing historical narratives is developed using the context of daily life in the early settlements. The expectations build on students’ sense of chronology by requiring students to describe causal relationships among events. These foundational understandings prepare students for more sophisticated writing and analyses as they prepare to study United States history in subsequent grades

H3 History of Michigan (through statehood)

Use historical thinking to understand the past

3-H3.0.1 Identify questions historians ask in examining the past in Michigan (e.g. What happened? When did it happen? Who was involved? How and why did it happen?)

3-H3.0.2 Explain how historians use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about the past

3-H3.0.3 Describe the causal relationships between three events in Michigan’s past (e.g. Erie Canal, more people came, statehood)

3-H3.0.4 Draw upon traditional stories of American Indians (e.g. Anishinaabeg - Ojibway (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), Potawatomi; Menominee; Huron Indians) who lived in Michigan in order to make generalizations about their beliefs

3-H3.0.5 Use informational text and visual data to compare how American Indians and settlers in the early history of Michigan adapted to, used, and modified their environment

3-H3.0.6 Use a variety of sources to describe interactions that occurred between American Indians and the first European explorers and settlers in Michigan

3-H3.0.7 Use a variety of primary and secondary sources to construct a historical narrative about daily life in the early settlements of Michigan (pre-statehood)

3-H3.0.8 Use case studies or stories to describe how the ideas or actions of individuals affected the history of Michigan

3-H3.0.9 Describe how Michigan attained statehood

3-H3.0.10 Create a timeline to sequence early Michigan history (American Indians, exploration, settlement, statehood)

Geography

Third grade students draw upon prior knowledge to create more complex understandings of geographic concepts using the context of Michigan. They further develop spatial awareness through the use of more complex maps of Michigan. Students refine the concept of regions as they explore different ways Michigan can be divided into regions and learn about the different geographic regions to which Michigan belongs. Building upon their knowledge of human systems, students investigate current economic activities in Michigan and explore factors that influence the location of these economic activities. The expectations also extend the geographic theme of movement as students describe current movements of goods, people, jobs, or information to, from, or within Michigan, and investigate the reasons for the movements. In addressing human–environment interactions, the expectations integrate history as students apply their knowledge of how people adapt to, use, and modify the environment to the more complex social environment of their state. More sophisticated understandings are also created as students locate different natural resources in Michigan and analyze the consequences of their use. These foundations prepare students for a more elaborate understanding of geography as they examine their country and world in subsequent grades

G1 The world in spatial terms

Use geographic representations to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective

3-G1.0.1 Use cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) to describe the relative location of significant places in the immediate environment

3-G1.0.2 Use thematic maps to identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of Michigan

G2 Places and regions

Understand how regions are created from common physical and human characteristics

3-G2.0.1 Use a variety of visual materials and data sources to describe ways in which Michigan can be divided into regions

3-G2.0.2 Describe different regions to which Michigan belongs (e.g. Great Lakes Region, Midwest)

G4 Human systems

Understand how human activities help shape the Earth’s surface

3-G4.0.1 Describe major kinds of economic activity in Michigan today, such as agriculture (e.g. corn, cherries, dairy), manufacturing (e.g. automobiles, wood products), services and tourism, research and development (e.g. Automation Alley, life sciences corridor, university communities), and explain the factors influencing the location of these economic activities. (E)

3-G4.0.2 Describe diverse groups that have come into a region of Michigan and reasons why they came (push/pull factors). (H)

3-G4.0.3 Describe some of the current movements of goods, people, jobs or information to, from, or within Michigan and explain reasons for the movements. (E)

3-G4.0.4 Use data and current information about the Anishinaabeg and other American Indians living in Michigan today to describe the cultural aspects of modern American Indian life; give an example of how another cultural group in Michigan today has preserved and built upon its cultural heritage

G5 Environment and society

Understand the effects of human–environment interactions

3-G5.0.1 Locate natural resources in Michigan and explain the consequences of their use

3-G5.0.2 Describe how people adapt to, use, and modify the natural resources of Michigan. (H)

4. Procedure:

Activity 1: Introduction to the Anishinaabe medicine Wheel (10 min)

Activity 2: Draw an Anishinaabe medicine Wheel (15 min)

Activity 3: Draw an Anishinaabe timeline (15 min)

Activity 4: Ask Questions about the Past in Anishinaabemowin (15 min)

Activity 5: Practice Saying “I saw you,” “I see you,” and “I will see you” in Anishinaabemowin (5 min)

Assignments and reminders of assignments:

Homework assignment: Try to teach someone in your family, a friend, or a neighbor about how the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel is like a compass, a clock, and a calendar. Be prepared to tell us about how it went during the next class

Materials and equipment needed:

Power point slides for:

• Expectations (what to do) • Image of compass • Medicine wheel with Anishinaabemowin terms • Anishinaabemowin terms for drawing a medicine wheel • Images of a clock and monthly/annual calendars • Anishinaabe timeline (spiral) with days of a week • Anishinaabemowin terms for drawing a timeline with image of a birthday cake • Asking the question “What did they do yesterday” in Anishinaabemowin • Saying “I saw you, I see you, and I will see you” in Anishinaabemowin

Audiovisual:

• Computer with internet access • Projector with screen

Other:

• Construction paper • Crayons/colored pencils • Whiteboard/dry erase markers • Medicine wheel wall hanging

Accommodations for students with special needs:

Students needing additional time and/or specialized equipment will work with the instructor individually to complete each activity

Assessment of student learning:

Anishinaabemowin immersion lesson assessment rubric

Reflection/evaluation:

Reflective thoughts about lesson:

Suggestions for revision:

Reference:

Michigan Department of Education (2007)

Table 7. Oral language immersion assessment rubric

Oral skill components	Component descriptors
Comprehension	Comprehends speech at a normal rate of speed
1 2 3 4 5	Always Most of the time Much of the time Sometimes Rarely With non-verbal cues only
(Circle one) Low–five high
Fluency	Uses Native-like flow of speech Uses fluent connected speech Uses fluent connected speech, occasionally disrupted by search for correct form of expression Speech is connected but frequently disrupted by search for correct form of expression Uses simple sentences Uses phrases and “chunks” Uses one-word/two-word utterances Silence
1 2 3 4 5
(Circle one Low–five high)
Vocabulary	Uses varied and descriptive language, possibly including Native-like phrasing and/or idiomatic expressions Uses vocabulary sufficient to communicate in most social and academic contexts, with some varied and descriptive language Uses vocabulary sufficient to communicate in most social and academic contexts Uses vocabulary sufficient to express basic needs and feelings; responds to simple questions, with limited or no use of first language Uses only basic vocabulary with possible heavy use of first language Uses isolated words or sentence fragments Uses Native language only
1 2 3 4 5
(Circle one Low–five high)
Grammar	Uses basic grammar; makes some errors which obscure meaning (Check only those areas that need work)
1 2 3 4 5
(Circle one Low–five high)
	No oral production Present tense Past tense Future tense Complex verbal structures Gender agreement Singular/Plural Subject-verb agreement Negations Adjective placement Direct object pronouns Prepositions Articles

Table 8. Written language immersion assessment rubric

Written skill components	Component descriptors
Composing	Develops a story/topic with supporting details Writes about a topic with a central idea Writes related sentences about a specific topic Writes some related sentences and some unrelated sentences Writes single sentence or unrelated sentences Uses letter strings, labels and/or words only Draws related to the topic
1 2 3 4 5
(Circle one Low–five high)
Style	NA
Sentence formation	Uses all types of sentences effectively Uses different types of sentences Writes simple sentences expressing complete thoughts Writes simple sentences Attempts to write sentences Labels or writes words only Uses letter strings and/or environmental print only No evidence
1 2 3 4 5
(Circle one Low–five high)
Usage	Makes correct singular/plural noun formations
1 2 3 4 5	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
(Circle one Low–five high)
	Uses correct gender formations
	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
	Demonstrates awareness that articles and nouns should agree
	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
Mechanics	Demonstrates knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence
1 2 3 4 5	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
(Circle one Low–five high)
	Uses capital letters at beginning of sentences
	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
	Uses capital letters with proper nouns
	Circle one: Consistently, usually, sometimes, seldom, no evidence, not applicable
	Uses correct final punctuation
	Circle one: Consistently, Usually, Sometimes, Seldom, No Evidence, Not Applicable

Table 9. Dakota/Lakota/Nakota language standards Grades K–2

Students will be able to:	K–2
1. Introductions
Showing the value of Woohoda/Woohola by using proper introductions
Identity	1.K–2.1.1.
	Identify and introduce themselves appropriately
Society	1.K–2.1.2.
	Address people respectfully by kinship
Family	1.K–2.1.3.
	Use proper gender kinship terms for family
2. Conversations
Wohdakapi/Woglakapi
Formal	1.K–2.2.1.
	Carry on a simple conversation in a formal setting
Informal	1.K–2.2.2.
	Carry on a simple conversation in an informal setting
Story telling	1.K–2.2.3.
	Retell a simple story in DLN language
3. Mechanics
Yatinsiya lakotiyapi/Yatinsiya dakodiyapi
Gender	1.K–2.3.1.
	Speak using correct gender markers appropriately for developmental age and setting
Dialects	1.K–2.3.2.
	Repeat appropriate dialect in their community
Word order	1.K–2.3.3.
	Describe the word order of the DLN language
Sound	1.K–2.3.4.
	Correctly enunciate the DLN language sounds
4. Expressions
Woawacin
Tone of voice	1.K–2.4.1.
	Speak using appropriate tone of voice
Delivery	1.K–2.4.2.
	Display confidence when using the DLN language in a one-to-one situation
5. Vocabulary
Wicoiye/Wicoie
Words	1.K–2.5.1.
	Speak appropriate vocabulary needed for simple conversation according to developmental age
6. Humor
Woihaked
Humor	1.K–12.6.1.
	Use humor in speaking

Table 10. Standards and rubrics alignment table

DLN standard indicators	CAL oral skill component descriptors (highest level)
	Comprehension	Fluency	Vocabulary	Grammar
Identify and introduce themselves appropriately	The student is able to recognize the identification or introduction situation	The student is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within the context of identity and introductions	The student is able to use vocabulary sufficient to identify and introduce themselves	The student is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Address people respectfully by kinship	The student knows when it is ok to address people based on kinship	Is able to use simple or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to respectfully address kinship	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Use proper gender kinship terms for family	Is able to differentiate and use proper gendered kinship terms appropriately	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to properly differentiate between gendered kinship terms for family	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, adjective placement, pronouns, etc. along with gender
Carry on a simple conversation in a formal setting	Is able to initiate and respond to simple conversational cues in a formal setting	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to carry on a simple conversation in a formal setting	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Carry on a simple conversation in an informal setting	Is able to initiate and respond to simple conversational cues in an informal setting	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to carry on a simple conversation in an informal setting	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Retell a simple story in DLN language	Is able to retell a simple story, in part or in whole, based on verbal cues	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to retell a simple story	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Speak using correct gender markers appropriately for developmental age and setting	Is able to differentiate and use correct gender markers based on age and setting	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to correctly use gender marker vocabulary sufficient to appropriate for developmental age and setting	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, adjective placement, pronouns, etc. along with gender
Repeat appropriate dialect in their community	Is able to repeat the dialect appropriate to their community when given choices	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use sufficient dialectical vocabulary	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Describe the word order of the DLN language	Is able to correctly describe word order given choices	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to describe word order	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Correctly enunciate the DLN language sounds	Is able to correctly enunciate language when given choices	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to show that they are enunciating correctly	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to show use of correct tone of voice	Is able to use the correct tone of voice when given choices	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context		Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Display confidence when using the DLN language in a one-to-one situation	Is able to differentiate between displaying confidence and not when using DLN language in a one-to-one situation	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to display confidence in a one-to-one situation	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.
Use humor in speaking	Is able to differentiate between humorous and non-humorous speech and use it to provoke laughter and/or provide amusement	Is able to use simple, or more advanced, sentences within context	Is able to use vocabulary sufficient to show use of humor in speaking	Is able to use multiple components like tense, singular/plural, gender, adjective placement, pronouns, etc.

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