Chapter 6
Yup'ik Language and Culture: A Description
and Analytical View of the 4-6 Yup'ik Thematic Unit
By Dora E. Strunk Quinhagak, Alaska Copyright 1998
This
paper will describe and analyze the Yup'ik Thematic Units (mainly looking at
the weather and the survival skills unit) for grades 4-6 at the Kuinerrarmiut
Elitnaurviat (Quinhagak School) at Quinhagak, Alaska. The thematic units are
challenging and enjoyable because the themes were derived from our culture.
This paper will describe the community and students the program serves. It will
look at the goals and objectives of the program, how long the program has been
implemented. It will also describe the innovative instructional strategies used
in the program. Examples of successes will also be included. Finally, I will
attempt to include several problems with the program and my ideas for improving
it.
Goals and Objectives of the Thematic Units
The thematic units don't have documented
goals, but the units meet the mission statement of the Lower Kuskokwim School
District, "to ensure bilingual, culturally appropriate and effective education
for all students, thereby providing them with the opportunity to be responsible,
productive citizens" (Waite, 1996/97, p.5). Under the LKSD mission statement
the Student Learning Goals are listed. One of them states that students will
value culture, environment, and others. The development of the thematic units
certainly meets the student learning goals. At the Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat
our AOTE (Alaska Onward to Excellence) goal states that students will communicate
effectively in Yup'ik. When Elders come to school and give a presentation,
students
learn new vocabulary. Students are conversing in Yup'ik.
Description of the Thematic Units
The thematic units for grades 4-6 were
developed during the 1996 Bilingual Summer Institute at Bethel, Alaska. Yup'ik
certified teachers, associate teachers, teacher aides, Elders, and the bilingual/curriculum
staff were involved in the development of the units.
The thematic units are divided into
seasons which include Uksuaryartuq (pre-fall), Uksuaq (fall), Uksuq (winter),
Iqukvaq (towards the end of winter), Up'nerkaq (spring), and Kiak (spring).
Under each season are the units that connect to the season. There are activities
students are supposed to do in grades 4-12. For this proposal, I will concentrate
on the weather unit along with the survival skills unit. In these units students
will study about Mecungnat, which translated in weather terms means anything
that causes you to get wet. Students will observe and recognize weather conditions
in the area. (Yup'ik Thematic Unit #7).
Description of the Community and Students
the Program Serves
The village of Quinhagak is located
approximately 400 miles due west of Anchorage, and 85 miles from Bethel, the
hub of the region. The population of Quinhagak is around 500. The village is
located at the mouth of the Kuskokwim Bay on the Arolik River. The village
is
populated with predominantly Yup'ik Eskimos. People depend on subsistence and
commercial fishing.
Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat has approximately
125 students, most of whom are Yup'ik Eskimos. The school serves kindergarten
through twelfth grade. Since the Native language, Yup'ik, is the student's
first
language, our school utilizes the Yup'ik First Language program. Students are
taught in their first language from kindergarten through fourth grade, but
ESL
(English as a Second Language) is introduced in first grade for a designated
amount of time, as specified in the school's bilingual plan of service. Teachers
in kindergarten through fourth grade are all Yup'ik Eskimos from the village.
The site administrator is also a Native from the village.
Each elementary classroom teacher uses
the thematic units and uses the same themes the whole school year. It is pleasant
to see student's work displayed on the bulletin boards that portray student
learning.
Description of the Innovative Instructional
Strategies Used in the Program
I will concentrate on the weather unit,
which corresponds with the survival unit. Before we started the program, students
in grades third through fifth were divided into four groups. The two certified
classroom teachers planned with the teacher assistants every week. The certified
teacher was responsible for planning for the teacher assistant's group although
the assistant could prepare the materials that were already selected.
We decided it was important to invite
Elders to introduce the thematic units. We also asked them to teach an activity
during the week. Students thoroughly enjoyed the sessions with the Elders.
Since we felt that science experiments
were lacking in the units we translated student activity sheets from various
science booklets. The activities in weather and survival skills unit included
the following: made a homemade barometer, made frost using ice, learned the
different names of different weather patterns and wind directions in Yup'ik,
learned how to interpret the sky by using the senses, learned the names of
the
cloud formations, and performed science experiments after translating the activities
from various weather activity books.
We also had guest speakers come and
talk about times they were stranded on the tundra. One fellow talked about
his experience surviving the outdoors during winter. This was a huge learning
opportunity
because the speaker stressed the importance of knowing how to use the traditional
survival skills of Native people.
Parents were also invited to come and
help their children with their Native arts and crafts. Students have a sense
of pride when their parents are involved with their education. Parents are
urged
to attend when there is a guest speaker.
Two and a half years ago, the tribal
council assumed responsibility for the Johnson O'Malley funds. JOM funds are
used to provide Elders to assist in the schools. Whenever an elder comes to
school, classroom teachers are responsible to report the length of time to
the
tribal organization, which then compensates the Elders for their time. Also,
the home/school coordinator transports the elder to and from school. This alleviates
any transportation problem the elder might encounter. We try to remember to
videotape and tape-record the elder's presentations. Also, the materials that
will be used for arts and crafts are purchased using bilingual funds.
Students respect the Elders when they
come to school to give a lecture or to teach. It is encouraging to see students
sitting quietly for a half-hour. Elders have a wealth of information that needs
to be passed along to the next generation.
Examples of Successes in the Classroom
The thematic units bring out a lot of
our Yup'ik culture to our students. The students are learning about the history
of our people also. We ask the Elders to talk about their early reflections
of what they did when they were young. I feel if we don't invite the Elders
to our school, many of the students won't learn about their history. Sometimes
the ESL teacher taught using the same themes, but using western cultural examples.
For example, when the Yup'ik teachers were teaching about the survival skills,
the ESL teacher taught about snow machine survival skills. The school becomes
a setting for the western and Yup'ik cultures to mesh.
I had a student who didn't do very well
when it came time to do seat work. He had a short attention span and got very
bored. He just did the assignment because he was told. He didn't have a lot
of motivation. During thematic time he was a different student. He listened
well to the Elders and was able to sit quietly and be attentive. He was eager
to work on his assignments that were mainly hands-on. He was motivated to learn.
Another example of a success story was
when students were eager to take notes when an elder gave a presentation. Students
who didn't enjoy writing in their journals had more fun writing stories they
were hearing from the elder. Most of what they were hearing was new to them
and was interesting because they were hearing and imagining how life was many
years ago in their village.
Pauline Small, the third and fourth
grade teacher, had this to share about student success. Whenever teachers use
materials that students can relate to, she can tell students are learning.
They
are using their senses in predicting weather. They learn they cannot control
the weather. They learn the Native way of predicting, i.e. looking at the sky
to see what the weather will be like the next day. There is less seatwork and
more hands-on activities. Students strive to do their best, even those who
were
called slow students.
In my class, students are eager to get
their seatwork completed so they can finish their arts and crafts that they
started during thematic time. It gives them the extra determination to finish
what is also important in school.
Finally, another success that I see
in the program is four teachers collaborating. The goal was that students would
learn and have enjoyment at the same time. It was important to plan together
so if one teacher were gone, everyone would know what the substitute teacher
was supposed to do.
Examples of Problems with the Program
As with any program there are problems
that need to be addressed. For example, it was difficult for us to separate
the weather and the survival skill theme. In our culture if people are planning
an outing, it is important to plan for unexpected occurrences, such as bad
weather
developing while out in the wilderness. There was also a set time because students
had to take other required classes.
Pauline Small and I felt that some activities
were written down without much thought and felt that the developers didn't
have much time to do a thorough job. Therefore, we had to develop our own activities
related to the theme. We also felt that there weren't many science activities
so we searched for activity booklets with science experiments and translated
them into Yup'ik.
Rosalie Lincoln, a participant who was
involved in the revision process in the 1997/98 Bilingual Institute, mentioned
that there was a short amount of time during the institute to complete the
thematic
units. The institute was over before any revisions were made.
Ideas for Improving the Thematic Units
Each year's Summer Institute attempts
to improve upon the previous year's work. The units always need to be improved.
After attending the 1998 Bilingual Institute, Pauline Small and I had an idea
that it would be good to have sample boxes to use for each theme. After going
on a nature walk with Mary Gregory, we saw the importance of preserving plants
so we could use them any time of the year. The containers of plants could be
labeled as to where they were found, what year they were picked, what they're
used for, and what vitamins and minerals each plant has.
Another necessary improvement is to videotape
and audio record the Elders when they present in or out of class. It is important
to label the tapes so another teacher could use them. I feel it is also necessary
to transcribe the information. Putting the information in a database of what
is available in the school would be helpful to the teachers so they can use
them and retrieve the contents when needed.
Finally, it is important to involve Elders
during the planning process. When the teachers prepared for the lessons, we
learned that we could have included additional information, which we found out
after the Elders came to talk. Some of the information would be useful for students
to know.
Conclusion
I'd like to stress again that I am grateful
to the Lower Kuskokwim School District's Bilingual department for continually
supporting the teaching of Yup'ik language and culture. I am learning more
about
my language and culture with the students by using the thematic units. It has
made teaching fun, rewarding, and meaningful.
Bibliography
Lincoln, Rosalie. Interviewed June 16, 1998.
Bilingual Institute 1998. Bethel, Alaska.
Small, Pauline. Interviewed June 15, 1998.
Bilingual Institute 1998. Bethel, Alaska.
Waite, Willard. (1996-1997). Celebrating
Our Kids: 1996-1997 LKSD Annual Report Card, 5.
Yup'ik Thematic Units/ 4-12 Yup'ik Maintenance:
Grades 4-6 Summer Institute (1996). Bethel, AK: Lower Kuskokwim School District,
#7.
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
Our Language Our Souls: