Saskatoon students get unique approach to learning Cree
Students are being given a chance to learn the Cree language in Saskatoon schools thanks to a University of Saskatchewan program.
They learn Cree in science class by using a star chart.
“It’s looking at it from different angle so we’re able to combine Indigenous languages with a science lesson,” Cree Longjohn, science outreach coordinator, told CTV News.
The U of S program brings Indigenous teachings to the elementary science classroom. One of the main components is teaching Plains Cree.
“Symbols correlate to a sound in Cree so the science part comes in where the students use the star chart as a key or cypher to unlock a code of syllabics,” Longjohn said.
Instructors go into 40 classrooms around the city engaging both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students with. One thousand students have taken part this year.
Micaela Champagne is one of the science outreach instructors and is taking her masters in archeology.
She says being a role model for students is rewarding.
“I think this program is one of the most amazing things to happen in Saskatoon because it really is giving them a taste of the different aspects of science,” Champagne says.
The science outreach program has been running for more than 10 years with the goal of opening doors for students who might want to get into the sciences after high school.
“I’ve had students come up to me after class or on our last day of the program and tell me how much they want to go to university,” Champagne said.
Longjohn and Champagne see endless possibilities with their program, hoping it gives more students the chance to learn Indigenous languages.
“Being a part of this has brought so much pride and its actually encouraged me to learn more of my native language from my mushum and kokum,” Champagne says.
With some of the Cree dialects such as Michif at risk of being lost, this pair credits the program with providing hope that their language will be found again by young students.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.