What is the status of BC First nations languages? - First Peoples

Case Study 3: Secwepemctsin (Eastern Dialect) continuedNursery/Primary ProgramParents and organizers feared that once theirchildren left the Pre-School Language Nest, theirlanguage learning would end. So, once the first Pre-School Language Nest children reached school age,an immersion nursery-to-grade-three program wasimplemented. The nursery-to-grade-three programoffers the full range of core content courses such asmath, language arts, science, and social studies alltaught in Secwepemctsin. These are complementedby additional language and cultural experiences.Semi-immersion Grades Four to NineGrades four to nine are conducted with partialprogramming in the Secwepemc language with theremaining time in English. Today, around 100 childrenhave benefited from being immersed in theirancestral language surrounded by a nurturing circleof elders and teachers.AdultsUntil recently, Chief Atahm School also offeredjunior high levels, and continues to offer adult eveningand weekend classes.Curriculum Resource DepartmentChief Atahm School also has a Curriculum ResourceDepartment which has created a number ofprimary and intermediate level teaching resourcessuch as games cards, flash cards, BINGO sets andDVDs that can be adapted and used to supplementany language program. Chief Atahm School alsooffers a variety of Secwepemc stories and materialsin the Eastern and Western dialect. Chief AtahmSchool receives many orders from other bands,organizations and language instructors who havefew other resource materials.Summer InstitutesThe annual Chief Atahm School Summer Instituteis designed to bring together new and experiencedFirst Nations language teachers. These summercourses provide an opportunity to share collectivedreams of language revitalization by exploringtheory and practice. The 2010 sessions will featurea 10-day Total Physical Response (TPR) Course anda seven-day TPR Storytelling Course. Both of thesecourses are accredited through Thompson RiversUniversity.Annual ConferencesChief Atahm hosts annual conferences that showcasetheir innovative methods of teaching language withina cultural context. In May of 2010 they will holdthe 10th annual immersion language conference.This year in addition to action-packed workshops onteaching through action, they will offer workshopsspecific to assessment and program evaluation.The Chief Atahm School is grounded in the beliefthat knowledge of the language, traditional practicesand beliefs of the Secwepemc will help develop astrong and healthy community. Students will be preparedfor today’s world and will help to protect theearth for future generations.The Chief Atahm School is a model of excellencein immersion programming and languagerevitalization. The founding parents, staff,teachers, and elders worked from the ground upto develop extensive immersion programming.They started with few to no resources and havefaced many challenges such as lack of funding, lackof participation and motivation, objection fromother community members, and few remainingfluent speakers. They have demonstrated greatperseverance in the face of adversity to becomean ideal for a great number of First Nationscommunities in B.C.32Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages