Alutiiq Language Elementary Curriculum

Summary

In 2008, NVA received a grant from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to publish a Kodiak Alutiiq Language Curriculum for students in preschool through 5th grade, translating materials originally developed by neighboring Chugach Sugpiaq/Alutiiq into both Northern and Southern Kodiak Alutiiq. Through this one-year Native Language Preservation & Maintenance Planning Grant, NVA implemented our Kodiak Alutiiq Curriculum Project in partnership with Chugachmiut, Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak Island Borough School District, Native Educators of the Alutiiq Region, KMXT Radio Station, with support from many other Kodiak Native organizations.

Through this planning project, we have accomplished our objective to develop an early childhood Alutiiq language curriculum that reflects the Kodiak Alutiiq's community's values and traditions and provides a framework for sharing our values and traditions within schools and tribal education programs. As our long-term goal is to significantly increase the number of young Alutiiq speakers, we designed our project's objective to do just that: to increase access to Alutiiq language through curriculum and instructional resources, resulting in at least 4 organizations using the new Kodiak Alutiiq curriculum in their classes. We are pleased to report that distribution of our curriculum resources is anticipated to exceed these expectations and provide a solid starting point for expansion of Alutiiq language instruction efforts.

Resources

All published materials are available on this website for educational usage. You will also find audio links for lesson vocabulary in both the Northern and Southern Kodiak Alutiiq dialects to support usage of language materials and activities. We have also provided online opportunities for instructors to post comments and suggestions for revision or expanded usage of vocabulary and resources so that they serve as living documents. Please take advantage of this opportunity for online posting to share your insights and recommendations so we can continue to improve these resources.

•Kodiak Alutiiq Elementary Language Curriculum - Level I & II: 40 lessons

(Materials will be linked here in February 2010)

•Kodiak Alutiiq Thematic Curriculum Units (6 grade appropriate units)

(Materials will be linked here in February 2010)

•Kodiak Alutiiq Language Accompanying Storybooks (10 Books)

(Materials will be linked here in February 2010)

Acknowledgments

We hope you enjoy these materials and we offer our heartfelt gratitude to the following organizations and individuals who assisted in completion of this project. As our ANA project closes, we will continue to expand on this online resource and actively support Alutiiq language education into the future.