This paper discusses total physical response storytelling (TPR-S) as a promising approach to teaching a Native American language to Native students who have not learned it at home. TPR-S is an extension of James Asher's TPR immersion approach to teaching second languages. It has become very popular with indigenous teachers because it allows…

There are several practical reasons for preferring syllabic writing in teaching the Eskimo language to non-Eskimos: (1) the use of syllabic writing avoids the Roman letters t, l, n, s, g, and r, which stimulate the pronunciation habits of French or English; (2) syllabic writing is well-suited to Eskimo because of its small number of vowels; (3)…

This volume of conference papers examines issues and approaches in the revitalization of American Indian and other indigenous languages. Sections discuss obstacles and opportunities for language revitalization, language revitalization efforts and approaches, the role of writing in language revitalization, and using technology in language…

The booklet offers activities, language lessons (oral and written), and suggestions from students and teachers participating in the language programs of four dialects of the Dene Language (Loucheux, Slavey, Dogrib, and Chipewyan) spoken in the Northwest Territories. Beginning consonant sounds are also offered for Inuktitut. Suggested activities…

Two experimental language-learning textbooks were developed in collaboration with Apache-speaking scholars from the San Carlos and White Mountain Reservations. One was written in the grammar-translation tradition and modeled after successful textbooks for Navajo and Papago. While the text's main purpose is to teach elementary conversational…

In this article, the author describes a program of Eastern Cherokee ancestral language restoration in Cherokee, North Carolina. One of the primary goals of the program is to enhance the self-concept of the children and motivate the students to experience academic excitement and success. The use of authentic legends and stories is one method…

"Dimension" is the annual volume containing the selected, refereed, edited Proceedings of each year's conference. "From Practice to Profession" was the announced theme of the annual conference of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), held March 1-3, 2007, at the Atlanta (GA) Renaissance Hotel, in partnership…

White and Hopi antiracist scholars and activists from working-class backgrounds, the authors write from a common heritage of claiming social origins the academy deems suspect. Refusing to abandon their social origins at the gate of the ivory tower, they name the colonial foundations of the academy and seek a new naming through their…

A guide for educators planning to work with American Indian children, the book presents factual material to enable the reader to better understand Indian life styles. The book is divided into 2 sections. The first section discusses culture, language, and the socioeconomic patterns of Indians compared to non-Indians. The second section covers…

Recognizes two critical factors in cross-cultural mathematics teaching: the perceived utility of mathematics and the direct relationship of mathematics learning to language development. Reviews current literature and reports the results of their study of perceived utility of mathematics and technical language development in the Crow Indian…

This volume includes papers delivered at the Ninth Annual International Native American Language Issues (NALI) Institute. Dick Littlebear's keynote address describes the importance of maintaining Native American languages. James Crawford's "Language Freedom and Restriction: A Historical Approach to the Official Language Controversy,"…

This course is designed with one primary goal in view: to encourage and lead the learner to communicate in Navaho in and out of class. Each of the 13 units has a "preparation stage" which consists of a self-instructional program on various grammatical points together with other activities for the student preparatory to meeting with the instructor…

School District 52 (Prince Rupert, British Columbia) is committed to providing support for the renewal of Sm'algyax, the language of the Tsimshian Nation. However, the Tsimshian Nation must provide guidance and establish a positive direction for Sm'algyax language programs. This paper examines language renewal issues and options as a basis for…

This paper shows how a traditional story can be used to teach an indigenous language, and how the inclusion of writing can help students learn the language effectively. Hupa people have told Coyote stories for thousands of years. Such Hupa stories are incorporated in Hupa language instruction using the Language Proficiency Method, which involves a…

This newsletter is third in a series of publications by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, prepared and edited by the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program of the Center for Applied Linguistics. While the first two issues (AL 001 671 and AL 001 819) were concerned with the teaching of English to elementary and kindergarten children in BIA…