We receive inquiries from around the world from people seeking educational and curriculum planning resources for endangered languages, so we created a list of links to teaching methods, handbooks, and supplementary materials.
This list is a useful starting point, albeit very English-centric. We also recommend looking at our partners at 7000.org who help communities create online language-learning courses for Indigenous languages.
If you are creating your own course from scratch, read more about structuring a curriculum here.
This list was compiled in 2015-2016 by Anna Luisa Daigneault, Program Director at Living Tongues, in collaboration with Yuliya Manyakina, Communications and Events Manager at The Language Conservancy. NOTE: This list has not been updated since 2016. New resources are surely available on the web.
AUSTRALIA
Australian Indigenous Languages Teaching Resource R-10 | PDF
According to this article, a new curriculum for indigenous languages will be published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority in October 2015. It will be available as an online resource to primary and high schools that wish to teach an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language.
First Languages Australia:
Get Involved in Educational Initiatives
Kral, Inge. 2015. Pedagogy or practice? Indigenous youth and language maintenance in out of school settings.
CANADA
Delaware Nation in Ontario, Canada:
Lunaape Language Immersion Camp
Mi’gmaq language resources:
–Teaching about the Mi’gmaq (links & supplementary resources)
Ontario Ministry of Education: Teaching Resources for Native Languages
Ontario native languages resource guide | PDF
Ontario Curriculum:
Teaching Language Patterns of Cree and Ojibwe (Grades 1-12)
NEW ZEALAND
Maori lesson plan | PDF
Teaching Maori Language Effectively
Teacher Tools: “Te reo Maori” lesson plans and “Te Whakaipurangi Rauemi” resource collection
USA (and HAWAII)
Specific languages listed alphabetically below.
Online resources
- A list of Second Language Teaching Methods from Northern Arizona University.
- Links to books on Teaching Native American Languages
- Leanne Hinton’s Master-Apprentice Approach to Learning Indigenous Languages (MALLP)
- A Description of the Rock Point Community School Bilingual Education Program
- Scholarships & Resources for Native American and Alaskan Native Students (EDU MED)
Bibliography
Cantoni, G. 1999. Using TPR-Storytelling to Develop Fluency and Literacy in Native American Languages. TPR-S (Total Physical Response*) strategies utilize vocabulary first taught using TPR by incorporating it into stories that students hear, watch, act out, retell, revise, read, write, and rewrite. Subsequent stories introduce additional vocabulary in meaningful contexts.
*[More on the TPR Approach to Language Learning here]
Fuentes, N. 1999. Profiles of Native Language Education Programs. A source book for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Provides information on school, college, and community programs that teach American Indian languages.
Gilliland, H. 1987. Curriculum Development for Native American Students. Article that provides some guidelines and questions to think about when constructing a curriculum.
Romero Little, M. E. & T. L. McCarty, 2006. Language Planning Challenges and Prospects in Native American Communities and Schools. This article address policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the repercussions they have on heritage-language immersion programs (e.g. language planning in Cochiti and Acomo Pueblos, Blackfeet tribe of Montana, and others)
Yamauchi et al. 2008. Family Involvement in Hawaiian Language Immersion Program. This article explores the role of family members and the impact it has on students in the Hawaiian Language Immersion program.
Resources Listed by Language
Arapaho Language
– Wyoming Indian Schools: Arapaho Language Curriculum Map (Grade 3 Level 2)
– Arapaho language student workbook: includes a history of Native American languages and introduces Arapaho orthography, accents, and vocabulary
Crow Language
Standards and K-12 Curriculum Framework | PDF
Hawaiian Language
-Hawaiian Curriculum Materials (browse by type)
Lakota Language
– Teacher’s guide to Level 1 Lakota textbook, lesson 1, and lesson 2
– Exercise example: Animal Word Search in Lakota | PDF
– Standards and K-12 Curriculum Framework | PDF
Nishnaabe Language
Immersion videos and multimedia resources by Barbara Nolan
Yup’ik Language
Lincoln, R. 1998. A Description of the 5th-12th Yup’ik Curriculum and its Revision
Courses, Activities, Programs and Workshops
CoLang 2016: Workshops and lectures at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks
Free online course through the University of Adelaide and Language Revival
Where Are Your Keys (WAYK): techniques and tactics for teaching and learning languages
Supplementary Materials
Constructing Language Assessments in Indigenous Languages to Inform Instruction
Planning for Assessment in Language Programs: A Practical Tool
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