Our Languages Curriculum
The Our Languages Curriculum is a competency based curriculum that provides NWT Indigenous language instructors with the curricular outcomes, instructional strategies, and assessment tools to foster language growth in NWT core Indigenous language classrooms.
- The curriculum follows lessons learned from both the Intensive French programming and from a Neurolinguistics approach piloted in the Dehcho region during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 school years.
- The curriculum promotes a whole-school approach to language learning to ensure that Indigenous languages are heard and spoken throughout the schools, assemblies, during routines, and in all NWT classrooms.
- The curriculum is aligned with the two foundational curricula, Dene Kede and Inuuqatigiit, which grounds the teaching and learning in NWT Indigenous traditions, culture, and place.
- The curriculum focuses on students’ attainment of five language learning levels: Emergent, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Capable by the end of grade 12. For a student to be fluent they will also need to use their Indigenous language at home.
- Children from each of the schools were assessed using a draft Oral Proficiency Scale by a fluent speaker who is not their teacher. These baseline data results will be used to set goals for increasing language proficiency.
- The curriculum was written with language educators and leaders from all NWT regions – ECE will continue to work directly with education authorities to ensure the new curriculum is implemented across the NWT.