Courses

2026 Summer School Schedule  

In-person 

Community Language Planning
  • Planning for Language Sustainability (July 6th-10th)
  • Strategies for Language Sustainability (July 13th-17th)
  • Developing Community Language Sustainability Plans (July 20th-24th)

Basic Grammatical Analysis

  • Linguistics for Language Sustainability (July 6th-10th)
  • Describing Basic Grammar Patterns I (July 13th-17th)
  • Describing Basic Grammar Patterns II (July 20th-24th)

Intermediate Grammatical Analysis

  • Describing Intermediate Grammar Patterns I (July 6th-10th)
  • Describing Intermediate Grammar Patterns II (July 13th-17th)
  • Describing Grammar Patterns in Text (July 20th-24th)

Audiovisual Language Resource Development

  • Creating Audiovisual Language Resources (July 6th-10th)
  • Editing Audiovisual Language Resources (July 13th-17th)
  • Producing Audiovisual Language Resources (July 20th-24th)

Sound Patterns of Language

  • Describing Sounds and Sound Patterns (July 6th-10th)
  • Documenting Sounds and Sound Patterns (July 13th-17th)
  • Teaching Sounds and Sound Patterns (July 20th-24th)

Online

Native Studies Courses (3 weeks per Course)

  • NS 103-1: Cree Immersion for Adult Beginners Level 1 (July 6th-24th)
  • NS 103-2: Cree Immersion for Adult Beginners Level 2 (July 27th-August 14th)

Education Courses (3 weeks per Course)

  • EDEL 306: Introduction to Indigenous Literacy and Language Development: July 27th-August 14th (Tue, Wed, Thu 8:00-12:00)
  • EDEL 460: Sustaining Language and Culture Through Traditional Knowledge and Practices: July 27th-August 14th (everyday 1:00-3:00 pm)

Certificates Program

The purpose of this Certificate is to provide learners with essential skills in community language planning. These skills are key to supporting language revitalization efforts at the community level.

Through this certificate, students will learn about:
  • the five key areas of community language planning
  • ways to assess their community's status with respect to these areas
  • strategies for bolstering language use in the home and community
  • ways to adapt successful strategies to their local contexts
  • the cyclical process of developing, implementing, and evaluating community language plans

The purpose of this Certificate is to provide learners with the skills needed to make quality audiovisual resources which can be used in support of language revitalization in their community. The development of such resources is an essential component of a comprehensive community language plan.

Through this Certificate, students will learn about:
  • evaluating audiovisual recording equipment
  • planning recording sessions
  • making quality audio and video recordings
  • editing and producing audiovisual resources
  • distributing resources across a variety of platforms

The purpose of this Certificate is to provide learners with an understanding of how to document, describe and teach the sounds of their language.

Through this Certificate, students will learn about:

  • the inventory of sounds in their language
  • using the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • describing the articulation of sounds in their language
  • producing transcriptions of speech in their language
  • identifying challenging sounds for second-language learners
  • effective strategies for teaching pronunciation

The purpose of this Certificate is to provide learners with an understanding of how to document, describe and teach the sounds of their language.

Through this Certificate, students will learn about:

  • the inventory of sounds in their language
  • using the International Phonetic Alphabet
  • describing the articulation of sounds in their language
  • producing transcriptions of speech in their language
  • identifying challenging sounds for second-language learners
  • effective strategies for teaching pronunciation

The purpose of this Certificate is to provide learners with a deeper understanding of the methods of linguistic analysis, and how to apply those to the more complex grammatical structures of their own language. This is a key skill which can support learners, teachers, curriculum developers and others involved in language revitalization.

Through this Certificate, students will learn about:
  • how linguists approach more complex grammatical phenomena
  • describing more advanced structures in their own language 
  • discovering patterns through analysis of text
  • further developing a community-oriented grammar sketch

 

Student in INT D 311 class

Education Classes

This course is an introduction to teaching languages and reading. You will learn how to plan for language teaching sessions, and strategies for supporting the spoken and written use of Indigenous languages in the classroom by both teachers and students.

This course is an introduction to strengthening the connections between language and culture. You will learn about strategies communities are using to sustain their traditional practices, and how that plays a vital role in the maintenance and revitalization of their languages.

This course is an introduction to reaching and learning Indigenous languages as a second language. You will learn about a variety of immersion teaching methods that support children and adults in developing their skills in both understanding and speaking the language. 

This course is an introduction to language materials development.  You will get hands-on experience in designing and creating a wide range of print and digital resources that support language learning in the classroom.

This course is an introduction to the field of language assessment.  You will learn various strategies for helping to chart the language-learning progress of both children and adults, and how to use that information to target improvements in your own teaching methods.

 This course is an introduction to using storytelling to teach Indigenous languages.  You will learn how to incorporate elements of drama, movement, teamwork and improvisation to engage language learners and connect them with the oral traditions of your community.

 

Barb Laderoute teaching an Education course

nêhiyawêwin (Plains Cree) language courses for beginning learners

These two courses are an introduction to learning a specific Indigenous language through immersion. It is targeted to beginning learners who are early in their language-learning journeys.  

 

Wayne Jackson teaching Cree