Mrs. Cheerio

Indigenous Learning

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Greetings from Mrs. Cheerio!

October 4, 2019 / / 1 Comment

Hello there and welcome to my Aboriginal Learning Blog! As the Indigenous Learning Lead at Second Street Community school in Burnaby I am on a journey to grow my understanding of Aboriginal Culture. Not only its history, but how it is alive and thriving today. As I progress in my understanding I hope to take you along with me.

I acknowledge and am thankful that the Burnaby School District is on the unceded Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Qayqayt, Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ /Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.  I would also like to thank the Kwikwetlem Nation on whose land I live on with my family and now work remotely from.  I am a first generation Canadian, my mother’s side immigrated to Canada in the 60s from Spain and my father immigrated to Canada from Greece in the late 70s.

I will be posting resources for elementary educators to help them indigenize authentically their teaching practice as well as provide content that will be relevant and helpful to our Indigenous students and their families.

You can get involved by commenting on posts and sharing materials with me that you think should be showcased.

Forgive my first initial posts as I navigate learning all this new tech!

Huy ch q’u (Thank you)

Free Indigenous Language Program!

April 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

First Voices is a great, self-guided language program that currently houses 57 First People’s languages and is geared towards adults as well as children. Grade 6/7 students are typically able to navigate the program independently, K-5 will require adult guidance/participation depending on the student’s reading level and familiarity with navigating a website. Access to a webtool such as this is a step towards revitalizing aboriginal peoples culture as so much of their respective languages were lost due to residential schooling.

It is also available in iOS and Android as a free app.

FirstVoices app translates English to Indigenous languages | CBC Radio

In a school or virtual school setting this website can be used to power a language club for your aboriginal students. With my grade 6/7 students I had them start with reading the history of their band and its language and then I had them share with me what they had learned in an informal, conversational manner. After that I gave them a few sessions to play around and explore the website, once they were more confidant we then began discussing what their individual learning goals would be and how they wanted to demonstrate their learning. For example, one of my students is planning on making a  dictionary for herself. Another student’s goal is to phone her grandmother and say a few words to her in her traditional language.

I believe it is important to ensure your student and their family has a voice in how they want to learn and share their new found knowledge of their traditional language. For younger students in particular you will need to seek out the parent or guardian’s advice on how to proceed with assessment.

How would you integrate this resource into your teaching or home practice?

Cheerio!

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