 Our Language Our Souls:
The Yup'ik bilingual curriculum of the
Lower Kuskokwim School District: A continuing success story.
Edited by Delena Norris-Tull,
University of Alaska Fairbanks,
School of Education, Fairbanks, Alaska
copyright
1999
Chapter 1
The Yup'ik First Language Program:
Lower Kuskokwim School District
By Mary Lou Beaver and Evon Azean, Sr.
Kongiganak, Alaska
Copyright 1998
(This article combines contributions of both authors. Where first person comments
are included, the specific speaker is noted).
This paper describes the Yup'ik First Language Program and a new third grade
transition program provided by the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) to
assist children of Yup'ik or Cup'ig heritage to develop proficiency in both
Yup'ik (or Cup'ig) and English.
From the beginning of formal schooling in Alaska, Western culture has imposed
compulsory education using the English language. The Yup'ik First Language
(YFL) program started in our region of Alaska in the early 1970s, when most
of the elementary schools were run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). By
that time, high schools were state-operated schools. State schools were not
very interested in this alternative program at first, although they had heard
some of the BIA schools were having success with the new bilingual program.
The YFL schools were teaching their students how to read and write in Yup'ik,
in their own dialect.
Today fourteen village schools in LKSD have a Yup'ik First Language Program.
It is important that students experience a smooth transition from the YFL program
to classrooms in which the majority of instruction is in English. Transition
is the process of changing from one form, state, activity or place to another.
Students who come to school speaking Yup'ik need several years of careful instruction
to make a successful transition to English.
Mary Lou Beaver: 'Growing up speaking Yup'ik Eskimo was
very special. I remember what my grandmother told me. She said, "Your spoken language is God-given;
use it with pride." She also said, "When you raise your children, speak to
them in Yup'ik."
Yup'ik was the dominant language for me at home, with English "immersion" at
the school. Our village elementary school went up to fifth grade. For sixth
grade, we were sent away to a BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) Boarding school
in Wrangell, Alaska. Wrangell is far from my village and people there do not
speak Yup'ik. Our transition from Yup'ik to English began the moment we stepped
off the plane. Everything was in English only. The only time we spoke Yup'ik
was when we were with our cousins or friends who spoke Yup'ik. English was
not spoken at home so we didn't know English very well. I remember, in particular,
one day when my cousins and I were walking around the Wrangell Boarding School
campus. It was on a weekend or after school when we were approached by three
young boys. They said, "We'd like to meet you girls." We just stared at them
and didn't say a word because we didn't understand what the word "meet" meant.
So, we just walked on by and went back to our dorm. Later on, towards the end
of the year, we realized what "meet" meant and made a joke about it within
our group.'
LKSD has 27 schools with an enrollment of about 3500 students. Within the
27 schools, there are a variety of different bilingual models used. Yup'ik
First Language Programs (transitional programs) are designed for students for
whom Yup'ik is their first and primary language. Fourteen schools have a Yup'ik
First Language Program (YFL) for the primary grades. Children in these schools
come to school speaking mostly in Yup'ik. They are taught in Yup'ik for the
first few years of their schooling and are gradually transitioned into classrooms
taught in English.
In villages in which a significant number of children are not fluent in Yup'ik
or Cup'ig, some form of a Yup'ik or Cup'ig Second Language or immersion program
exists. Four schools have a Yup'ik two-way immersion (dual-immersion) program
in which children are taught in both Yup'ik and English, with Yup'ik being
used for the majority of the school day in the first three years. Third grade
is the grade in which students experience an intensive transition into English.
Two schools have a one-way Yup'ik or Cup'ig immersion program. Students in
these programs are proficient English speakers, most of whom have a background
in Yup'ik or Cup'ig but are not Yup'ik/Cup'ig speakers. The first few years
are taught in Yup'ik or Cup'ig.
In villages where students come to school mostly speaking in English the school
may have only a Bilingual/Bicultural or Yup'ik Second Language Program. These
students may not understand Yup'ik very well, even if their parents are fluent
speakers. These students are taught predominantly in English, beginning in
kindergarten, and are taught Yup'ik speaking, reading, and writing as a part
of their daily instruction. In some high schools, Yup'ik language study is
optional. Until recently, a number of village schools chose this model even
though the village residents (including children) are predominantly Yup'ik
speaking. However, research conducted by the school district, and the experience
of the communities using YFL and two-way immersion programs, has convinced
more villages that Yup'ik speaking students will have greater success in English
if they are taught in Yup'ik in their early school years.
In addition to the various Yup'ik language programs, each school has an English
as a Second Language Program (primarily focusing on the primary grades) and
an English language development program from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
The combination of Yup'ik and English language programs assists students to
continue to develop proficiency in standard English while maintaining the language,
heritage and traditional practices of the local village throughout their schooling.
Language Assessment
When the bilingual program started in the LKSD, the Dauenhauer Language Assessment
for language dominance was used in testing the students' fluency in English.
Another assessment used was the Stanford
Early School Achievement Test-Yup'ik (SESAT). Today some of those
have been replaced with assessments that are better aligned with the learning
in the classroom. These tests should measure how much the student knows about
the Yup'ik language, and the student's level of skill in reading, writing,
and listening in Yup'ik as well as in English. When students enter a Yup'ik
First Language Program school today, they are assessed for both English and
Yup'ik proficiency. Currently used assessments include norm-referenced test
scores in reading and language arts (to diagnose students who are not yet
proficient in English). English language proficiency is assessed using the
IPT (IDEA Language Proficiency Test) and the Comprehensive
English Language Test (CELT) (for grades K-8) or the Test of English
as a Foreign Language (Pre-TOEFL/TOEFL) for grades 9-12. Achievement tests
used are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and California Achievement
test, fifth edition (CAT/5) in grades 2-12 and the Degrees of Reading Power
(DRP) in grades 7-12.
Here is a quick overview of the Lau Language dominance categories: Lau category
A= child speaks only Yup'ik; B= child speaks mostly in Yup'ik and a little
English; C= child speaks some Yup'ik and some English; D= child speaks mostly
in English and little Yup'ik; E= child speaks only English with background
of Yup'ik and is able to understand family members speaking Yup'ik; and F=
child speaks and understands only English. Children in the Yup'ik First Language
Schools would generally fall into Lau categories A and B.
In the seventeen Yup'ik First Language village schools, the recommended daily
time schedule for instruction in Yup'ik/Cup'ig and in English as a Second Language
(ESL) is generally as follows:
- Kindergarten= Instruction in Yup'ik about 3.5 hours; oral English instruction
(ESL) fifteen minutes.
- Grade 1= Instruction in Yup'ik about 4.5 hours; oral English instruction
(ESL) about 45 minutes.
- Grade 2= Instruction in Yup'ik about 4.5 hours; ESL instruction about one
hour, with oral English in first semester, introduction of written English
in second semester.
- Grade 3= Instruction in Yup'ik about 4 hours; ESL instruction 1.5 hours.
Or, for students needing greater assistance in preparing for instruction in
English,
- Grade 3= Intensive transition into English as the language of instruction,
with Yup'ik maintenance about 1.5 hours per day.
- Grades 4-8 = Instruction in English; Yup'ik maintenance about one hour;
English Language Development (ELD) program continues to assist students in
developing proficiency in reading and writing in English.
In the primary grades, YFL Program students have virtually all instruction
conducted in Yup'ik in the first two years. Gradually, they transition into
more courses taught in English, and they need less and less ESL instruction.
Yup'ik Instructors must be fluent Yup'ik speakers and trained in Yup'ik orthography
(spelling and phonetics) and language teaching methods. The Lower Kuskokwim
School District has the highest percentage of certified Alaska Native teachers
in the state. Despite the large number of Alaska Native teachers in the district
(nearly 30 percent), the district has a shortage of certified teachers who
can teach in Yup'ik. In addition to Yup'ik speaking certified teachers, the
school district also uses Associate Teachers and Teacher Aides as bilingual
instructors. Yup'ik bilingual instructors are selected based on their fluency
in Yup'ik and proficiency in Yup'ik culture. They are tested on how much they
know about Yup'ik language, animals, plants, parts of the body, computation
skills in Yup'ik, other Alaska Native cultures, and so on. As with the certified
teachers, non-certified Yup'ik instructors must be fluent in Yup'ik, and they
receive training in Yup'ik orthography and bilingual teaching methods. For
a number of years, the program directors have focused on hiring teachers who
already speak Yup'ik, and have provided additional training in bilingual education
for the teachers through the University of Alaska Fairbanks in special summer
institutes. During these institutes, the bilingual teachers receive training
in how to read and write in Yup'ik, and at the same time they also take courses
in Yup'ik grammar and learn how to analyze words in Yup'ik. In addition, during
the summer institutes, the teachers develop Yup'ik textbooks and story books
for the Yup'ik language and culture programs.
Students in the YFL schools are expected to learn basic listening, speaking,
writing and reading skills in both languages: English and Yup'ik. The students
are prepared for the Yup'ik alphabet sounds. In kindergarten they learn the
basic sounds of the Yup'ik alphabet. In this grade level the students are taught
Yup'ik ways and Yup'ik games that are simple enough for them to follow. Once
they begin to learn the sounds of the Yup'ik alphabet, they are taught basic
Yup'ik writing systems. As students advance through the grades, they are gradually
introduced to more and more instruction in English.
The communities believe it is important to schedule transition to classes
taught in English properly. Most sites find that third grade is a critical
year for the transition into English. A carefully planned transition program
at that stage is important to ensure students have adequate time to learn the
second language, English. A newly developed intensive transition program occurs
between grades three through four.
Students placed in the intensive transition program are those children who
need more practice than others to meet the English performance standards. If
a student leaving second grade fails to meet the English literacy performance
standards, with or without an Individualized Education Program (IEP), he or
she will be placed in an intensive transition program in third grade.
Prior to exiting the transition program, each student must be assessed by
the English Language Leader (ELL) or Itinerant Language Leader (ILL) (not the
Transition Program teacher). The ELL teacher is a certified teacher who also
teaches ESL.
Before exiting the transition program and entering classrooms in which instruction
is solely in English, students must:
- Score at least level D on his/her Individualized Education Program (IEP).
- Meet at least 90% of the LKSD ESL outcomes for 3rd grade.
- Read at 40 in the LKSD Benchmark books, and pronounce correctly at least
90% of the English words.
The criteria for students with speech and hearing difficulties are as follows:
- Read at least 40 in the LKSD Benchmark books, correctly pronouncing at
least 90% of the English words.
- Score at least 35 or above (independent reading level) on DRP (Degrees
of Reading Power) assessment.
- Score at least level D on the IPT (IDEA Language Proficiency Test).
- Have an IEP which includes one hour a day instruction in oral English by
a Certified Special Education teacher.
Criteria for a student with reading difficulties are as follows:
- Score at Level D on IPT.
- Read at least 35 or above (independent reading level) on DRP.
Outside of school, the following factors help the student make the transition
to English: reading English books at home with a family member; visiting with
English speaking friends who also understand the Yup'ik language, talking to
teachers outside school hours, listening to local radio station or television.
Video games, family fun videos and community stores are all labeled in English.
These all help students to use English in the context of their daily lives.
State support for Bilingual Education
The Alaska Department of Education provides support for
bilingual education through Alaska statutes, Title 14. Section 14.30.400
states, "City or borough
district school boards and regional educational attendance area boards shall
provide a bilingual-bicultural education program for each school in a city
or borough school district or regional educational attendance area that is
attended by at least eight pupils of limited English-speaking ability and whose
primary language is other than English. A bilingual-bicultural education program
shall be provided under a plan of service that has been developed in accordance
with regulations adopted by the department. Nothing in this section precludes
a bilingual-bicultural education program from being provided for less than
eight pupils in a school." Section 14.17.420 addresses funding for bilingual-bicultural
programs.
The newly implemented "Cultural standards for Alaska students" now
provide a statewide framework for including cultural education throughout
the school
day. The Lower Kuskokwim School District Yup'ik First Language Program Scope
and Sequence is focused and aligned with the LKSD Curriculum Guide for Language
Arts K-8. Students enrolled in Yup'ik First Language Programs are expected
to learn the following skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing in
their Yup'ik First Language studies from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Yup'ik First Language programs have full district support. The LKSD Bilingual/Bicultural
Education Policy states:
" ...The Lower Kuskokwim School District Bilingual Program
will assist children to develop the bilingual/bicultural skills necessary
to participate in/and
partake of the best of two worlds.
- Encourage literacy in both Yup'ik and English.
- Take pride in/and encourage the acquisition, retention and appreciation
of Yup'ik culture.
- Adapt knowledge of Yup'ik culture and language to present day living
- Retain and/or acquire subsistence skills, as well as the technical skills
necessary to adapt constructively to a changing world.
- Develop a respect and appreciation for the dignity and worth of other cultures
and individuals.
- It is the intent of the LKSD Board of Education that
this policy will be reflected in the District's curriculum." (Yup'ik First
Language Course of Study: Grades K-8. 1987.)
In transition programs, strategies from the Cognitive Academic Language Learning
Approach (CALLA) are used for instructional purposes and for instructional
resources. The following resources are used:
Language Development Methods, Peabody Language Development
Kit, songs, Jazz chants, story books, role playing activities, conversational
structures, draw
a diagram, Total Physical Response (TPR), extension activities, field trips,
experience stories, Oxford picture dictionary, transition sight words, recipes
for food, daily rhyme time, daily opposites/antonyms, word problem decoding,
past tense verb and activities, vocabulary list, spelling, contraction words,
Idea profile cards, SRA Distar III English, Houghton Mifflin English 3 & 4.
All these teaching strategies and resources are used in the transition programs
and are required by the school district's curriculum.
Mary Lou Beaver: 'The transition program has improved in our school district.
Within my own family, my children use Yup'ik daily by conversing with family
members and people from the community. Their English comes from listening to
the radio, stereo and television. Both Yup'ik and English are understood because
the children use both languages regularly.
I would like to recommend to each site to develop or adopt the newly revised
transition program or develop a transition program for their site. English
Language Teachers (ELL) would be useful in planning a transition program.
In conclusion, I fully believe that our district will continue to improve
with the help of Alaska Native teachers and other dedicated teachers from inside
and outside the state of Alaska that have made our education successful. I
also believe that the Yup'ik First Language program in the future will continue
to successfully help our children, and their children, maintain their first
language and introduce English as a second language. I also believe that we
will continue to work together and to make the bilingual programs work for
all the sites in the Lower Kuskokwim School District.'
Questions to consider
The following questions need further consideration by the LKSD Bilingual Program
planners:
1.What kinds of problems arise in bilingual programs that
may result in taking students "off track," not in alignment with the school
curriculum?
2. What is the evidence for success in the students and the schools since
the programs started?
3. In what ways does each program benefit community and school?
Evon Azean, Sr.: 'MY ANCESTORS, GRANDFATHERS, AND MOTHER'S TONGUE (LANGUAGE)
WILL ALWAYS BE WITH ME AND MY CHILDREN AND THEIR CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF OUR
LIVES. THE YUP'IK COMMUNITY IS IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE YUP'IK LANGUAGE PROGRAM,
TO ENABLE OUR CHILDREN TO LEARN OUR OWN LANGUAGE.'
Bibliography
Barnhardt, Ray, Tonsmeire, J. Kelly, Editors. Lessons
Taught/Lessons Learned. "Some
thoughts on Curriculum," pages 47 -50, by Marilyn Harmon. Alaska Staff Development
Network.
Chamot, A.U., O'Malley, J.M. (1994). The CALLA Handbook: Implementing the
Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Reading, MA. Addison-Wesley.
MacDiarmid, J. A., Berlin Sr., J , & LKSD Curriculum/Bilingual
Staff. (1987). Yup'ik First Language Course of Study. Bethel, Alaska. Lower
Kuskokwim School District.
Schwabach, K. (1998) Chefornak Transition Program Curriculum, Bethel,
Alaska: Lower Kuskokwim School District.
Table of Contents
- Introduction to the Kuskokwim
Delta - Delena Norris-Tull
- Introduction to the Yup'ik
Language and Culture Programs of the Lower Kuskokwim
School District - Delena Norris-Tull &
Beverly Williams
- Chapter 1: The Yup'ik
First Language Program: Lower Kuskokwim School District
- Mary Lou Beaver & Evon Azean, Sr.
- Chapter 2: The Balanced
Literacy Program in Yup'ik - Pamela Yancey & Sophie
Shield
- Chapter 3: Creating Yup'ik
Books, Translating, & Orthography - Pamela Yancey
& Sophie Shield
- Chapter 4: Ayaprun Immersion
School - Loddie Ayaprun Jones
- Chapter 5: Analysis of the Yup'ik
Immersion Program In Bethel - Agatha Panigkaq
John-Shields
- Chapter 6: Yup'ik Language and Culture: A
Description and Analytical View of the 4-6 Yup'ik Thematic
Unit - Dora E. Strunk
- Chapter 7: K-3
Thematic Units and the Alaska Cultural Standards - Nita
Yurrliq Rearden
- Chapter 8: Yup'ik Language and Culture: A
Description of the 5th-12th
Yup'ik Curriculum and its Revision - Rosalie
Lincoln
- Chapter 9: Yup'ik
Discipline Practices Inerquutet and Alerquutet To
Implement Into Yup'ik Schools - Theresa Arevgaq John
- Chapter 10: Recommendations
for Yup'ik Curriculum at Lower Kuskokwim School District - Sally
Casey
email the
editor, D. Norris-Tull
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