ADMINISTRATION FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

OBJECTIVE PROGRESS REPORT

REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 06/30/02 FISCAL YEAR: 2001

1.) GRANTEE NAME:

Kaw Nation

Drawer 50

Kaw City, OK 74641

Wanda Stone, Chairperson/CEO

2.) GRANT NUMBER: 90NL019701

3.) BUDGET PERIOD ENDING: 06/30/01

4.) GRANT AWARD: $152,655

FEDERAL SHARE: $122,124

NON-FEDERAL SHARE: $30,531

5.) REPORT PREPARED BY:

TYPED NAME: Justin McBride

TITLE: Language Coordinator

DATE: July 9, 2002

SIGNATURE:

6.) REPORT APPROVED BY AUTHORIZED GRANTEE OFFICIAL:

TYPED NAME: Wanda Stone, Chairperson/CEO

SINGNATURE:

ITEMS 7 - 22 ARE LISTED ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES

(EACH ITEM IS LISTED SEPARATELY):

7.) GRANTEE OBJECTIVE NUMBER: Year 1-Objective 1 (Henceforth just 1-1)

8.) ANA GOAL: Language II -Implementation

9.) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE:

By the end of the twelfth month, Kaw grammar will be presented in a form from which simple lessons can be derived. The project coordinator, language teacher, Wendy Branwell, and Cultural Committee members will meet with Dr. Rankin to identify grammatical patterns and discuss how they may best be taught. Educational materials will be produced in accordance with their findings.

10.) EXPLANATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

See next page for details.

STATED ACTIVITIES

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Task 1: The Kaw Nation will advertise for and hire a language coordinator.

The Kaw Nation completed this task during the first six-month period.

* Justin McBride started to work on October 1, 2001, as Language Coordinator.

NOTE: This task was fulfilled two months later than initially planned. This late start has tended to offset the accomplishment of all other objectives by a number of months.

Task 2: Project Coordinator will meet with Dr. Bob Rankin to discuss adaptation of materials.

The Kaw Nation completed this task during the first six-month period.

* Dr. Bob Rankin met with the Language Coordinator and the Language Teacher during the last working week in October 2001 to discuss grammar, text analysis, potential learning hazards, and future meetings and collaborations.

Task 3: Project Coordinator will discuss with artist Arthur Short Bull the illustration of a Clan Book and Pictorial Dictionary.

Work on the Clan Book and Pictorial Dictionary has been ongoing despite a series of serious complications.

* Artist Arthur Short Bull and graphic design partner Kate Wootton, though initially contacted in late October 2001 to discuss progress details, were out of contact with the Language Program until late December 2001.

* Short Bull and Wootton were not present for a meeting to discuss progress scheduled for the first weekend in January 2002. Scheduled attendees included the Language Coordinator, the Cultural Committee, Short Bull and Wootton.

* Telephone contact with Short Bull and Wootton resumed in mid January 2002.

* On January 18, 2002, the team sent a Clan Book copy to the Language Department for proofing. Several issues were noted, including slight wording modifications, one or two pieces of questionable artwork, a number orthography and/or spelling ambiguities, and a general need for greater historical, cultural, and linguistic detail. The Language Department researched these issues more fully, and sent back a detailed list of concerns and possible solutions.

* On February 16, 2002, Short Bull and Wootton contacted the Language Coordinator via e-mail expressing their voluntary withdrawal from the project. Among the listed reasons for this withdrawal were irreconcilable editorial conflicts and a desire to personally publish their work as-is for sale in Kansas.

* The members of the Language Department subsequently began writing a new Clan Book based on the proofing research. An initial proof of the text portions was completed by mid April 2002.

* The editorial process proved to be very time-consuming, lasting from April to June. The final stages involved submission of the book to the Cultural Committee for approval, and formatting of the few images used in the book.

* The new work is substantially different from the Short Bull and Wootton submission. The latter, while beautifully illustrated with original artwork, was deficient in historical, cultural, or linguistic value. These areas are the primary focal points of the new Clan Book.

* Several estimates for printing and binding costs have been obtained. Requests for final bids will be submitted by the first week in July 2002. The completed Clan Book copies should be available for distribution to tribal members by the end of July.

Task 4: Project Coordinator will work with all language personnel on simplified grammar and will publish materials.

The publication of useful language materials has been a high priority, with the simplified grammar chief among them. There are two versions of this document.

* The initial simplified grammar document has been under development since the first week of October. Originally estimated at 50 pages upon completion, this version currently stands at around 90 pages. This includes some 75 pages of grammatical topics discussed in great detail, and 15 pages of vocabulary entries. The completed work will be around 120 pages long.

* This simplified grammar document will be an invaluable reference tool for anyone interested in the Kanza language, even those with no particular training in languages or linguistics. The completed document will be a self-contained work, including detailed grammatical instructions and enough practical vocabulary to build good sentences. This document should be completed by the end of July 2002.

* Due to the fact that the initial grammar document was-and still is-incomplete, another was needed for the instruction of aides during the spring. This second version, much less detailed than the first, was initially drafted as a series of slideshow-style presentations for mass viewing. Upon completion of these slides, their value as a single document became increasingly clearer. The individual slides were printed as pages, and coil bound as a large grammar handbook. The slideshows have been available to the public on the tribal website throughout the spring.

* This edition accomplishes the very same things as the other, but takes a visual approach. Complete with diagrams, tables, examples, and exercises, this work is a good starting point for individuals seeking to learn more about the language. But due to the fact that no vocabulary section is included, this edition must be used in conjunction with Dr. Rankin's Kansa-English Lexical File to achieve the highest degree of practicality.

NOTE: In addition to the grammars, we have worked extensively on the Kanza language curriculum document. This is an ongoing project, with new sections added as the program expands. In its current form, the curriculum contains over 150 pages of lesson plans and materials, including 10 pages of teaching strategies and evaluatory aids, 80 pages of Preschool-Kindergarten material, 45 pages of 1st-2nd grade material, and 15 pages of 3rd-4th grade material.

11.) GRANTEE OBJECTIVE NUMBER: 1-2

12.) ANA GOAL: Language II -Implementation

13.) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE:

By the end of the twelfth month, 4 teacher's aides will be certified by the Cultural Committee as qualified to teach Kaw to Pre-schoolers and Kindergarteners. Members of the Cultural Committee are best equipped to determine who in their communities is most suited to the position of teacher's aide. In consultation with Dr. Rankin, they will interview the community members who responded to the March 2001, survey indicating a desire to learn and teach. Those selected will be placed in a special accelerated leaning program supervised via e-mail, phone, and scheduled visits.

14.) EXPLANATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

See next page for details.

STATED ACTIVITIES

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Task 1: Project Coordinator will contact tribal members whose 2001 survey response showed interest in teaching Kaw.

As described in the previous report, the anonymous 2001 survey collected no names. However, the Cultural Committee submitted the names of three people who had

expressed interested in learning and teaching Kaw. These were XXX XXXX, XXX XXXX, and XXX XXXX (names removed for webpage). XXXX was regretfully unavailable. XXX XXXX was also mentioned as a possible candidate.

* XXXX disclosed in January that his busy work schedule rendered him unavailable for training.

* In late January, the Language Department suggested XXX XXXX as a prospective aide. XXXX personally confirmed her desire to learn and teach Kaw.

* The search for a fourth aide continued throughout the spring, but to no avail.

* In mid-June, XXX XXXX approached the Language Department about possible involvement in the program.

Task 2: Project Coordinator will select aides upon the advice of the Cultural Committee and arrange for their accelerated training by Kelly Test, language teacher.

This activity involves several necessary tasks in its completion. For starters, names of prospective aides must be referred to the Project Coordinator from the Cultural Committee. Secondly, the Project Coordinator must arrange an accelerated learning program. Lastly, the Language Teacher must begin the accelerated training process. The first task, the submission of names, is described above. The latter two tasks receive detailed attention in this section.

* The accelerated learning program consisted of a series of multimedia lessons-in the form of slideshow-style presentations based on work done for the simplified grammar-combined with discussion of the lesson plans to be taught in area school systems. The training was meant to be a self-guided, self-paced form of instruction in which the learner had some degree of control over the time and place of the course.

* The accelerated learning program began in early February, with XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX as trainees.

* Very quickly it became apparent that the program might be too open-ended. The multimedia lessons, available online and at the Multi-Media Center at the tribal headquarters, were almost never accessed outside of scheduled meeting times. This was due to a lack of personal computing power at the homes of the trainees, and conflicting work schedules. Furthermore, due to the conflicts of work schedules, there was not one occasion in which all the prospective aides could attend at the same time. Instead, the aides came into the office individually, giving rise to a good deal of both repetition and variation in the training.

* The accelerated learning program had to be modified extensively as it progressed. This reorganization did not entail an abandonment of either the multimedia lessons or the lesson plans. Instead, focus shifted to Kaw language practice to increase confidence levels. This practice included translation, dialog, and conversation. Practice was supplemented by an exhaustive audiotape review of the lesson plans' vocabularies and grammatical structures. Furthermore, as the aforementioned grammar document was made available to the trainees for perusal and study, much class time was devoted to simple question and answer discussion.

* Unfortunately, the programmatic changes prolonged the training significantly. Thus, what was intended to last just over two months has stretched into five. The extra time has not been wasted; practice has continued throughout.

* At this point, the aides are ready to go before the Cultural Committee to receive approval and subsequent certification.

15.) GRANTEE OBJECTIVE NUMBER: 1-3

16.) ANA GOAL: Language II -Implementation

17.) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE:

By the end of the twelfth month, two new schools will be participating in the Kaw language program. The project coordinator will visit schools in rural Kay County to explain the program and its importance to the enrichment of the school curriculum.

18.) EXPLANATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

See next page for details.

STATED ACTIVITIES

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Task 1: Project Coordinator will contact local schools to describe program and suggest participation.

At the start of the 2001-2002 school year, the Language Department was only teaching in the Kaw City School's Preschool-Kindergarten class. In late December 2001,

we received the go ahead to include the 1st-2nd grade class in the program. Since then substantial progress has been made.

* Throughout the spring, we visited, phoned, and/or sent e-mail to several schools and learning centers in Kay County and one in Noble County, including Kildare, Morrison, Newkirk, Peckham, Ponca City, and Tonkawa.

* Reactions to our participation contacts were mixed, with positive feedback coming primarily from Newkirk and Ponca City. We received a great deal of interest in Morrison (Noble Co.), a school with a prosperous new bilingual education program, but have not heard back from them for some time. In one instance, a meeting with the Peckham superintendent, which seemed at first to be promising, turned quickly sour when our host began to show open signs of negativity-even hostility-toward our efforts. The other schools have either not responded or have been unavailable for further discussion.

* In Newkirk, we have established two summer learning sites. We have been teaching students of varying age groups in both the Kanza Child Care and the Tribal Youth Program. While the former consists of elementary school children, the Tribal Youth Program takes children from preschool to adolescence. There we have the ability to target our lessons to age groups and try out new approaches. We have achieved success with computerized language lessons featuring interactive animation. These lessons appeal to the young child's desire to learn from entertainment, as well as to the older student's wish to explore and use computers. We are popular with the teachers, too, who seem to find the lessons very informative.

* In Ponca City, our most promising leads are with after-school programs. We are scheduled to begin instruction in Ponca City School's Wildcat University program in the 2002-2003 school year with a series of four-day lessons recurring on a monthly basis. The age group is slightly beyond those for which we have devised lesson plans; Wildcat University is for middle school to junior high school students. For this reason, we will attempt a new form of curriculum. We are jointly involved in this project with the Kaw Nation's Environmental Department. Together we will present an overall package of Kaw culture. We will teach the language from a traditional standpoint, demonstrating how the early cultural practices of the tribe were in harmony with the immediate environment. To complement this, the Environmental department will show what the tribe is doing now to carry on this tradition of stewardship to remedy some of the ecological mistakes of the modern world. We have received enthusiastic support for this new curriculum model from the school. Classes will begin in September.

Task 2: Project Coordinator will evaluate aides for readiness to teach beginning Kaw and assist them in lesson planning.

The past few weeks have had their share of last minute doubts on the part of the aides, but these are more attributable to nerve than to actual ability.

* Those who have undergone training are ready to teach. In order to fully prepare them for this, it may be necessary for them to sit in on an actual class. This should prove to be a primarily a confidence-building exercise, and may be useful in demonstrating that although practical problems are somewhat different than theoretical ones, very little will be too difficult to handle in an actual classroom environment.

* Lesson plans have been set up for the aides as part of our established curriculum. However, the lesson plans are modular in nature, and can be easily adapted or changed outright to suit individual class needs. The aides are aware of this, and know that the staff of the Language Department is willing to lend whatever assistance is needed should problems arise.

Task 3: Project Coordinator will request teaching aides' evaluation from participating school after 1 month of lessons.

Due to the fact that the aides have yet to be certified by the Cultural Committee, they have not been teaching, and therefore cannot perform a one-month evaluation at this time.

19.) GRANTEE OBJECTIVE NUMBER: 1-4

20.) ANA GOAL: Language II -Implementation

21.) STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE:

By the end of the twelfth month, there will be 10 additional Kaws with the ability to speak words and phrases in Kaw. Each teacher or aide will be asked to evaluate the progress made by his/her students and to converse in simple sentences with the students to determine progress

22.) EXPLANATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

See next page for details.

STATED ACTIVITIES

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Task 1: Project Coordinator will develop video and audio taped lessons to make the language more accessible to learners.

Video and audio lessons have been under development for some time. These fall into two distinct categories, traditional taped lessons and computerized multimedia

lessons.

* Based on the high costs of creating and distributing actual solid media, such as video and/or audiotapes, the Language Department early on came to the conclusion that computerized lessons are much more practical than traditional lessons. This conclusion has come to justify itself in countless ways. For example, when compared to the traditional varieties, computerized lessons can be designed or recorded much more cheaply, edited more easily and as often as needed, copied without error much more quickly, and disseminated at little to no cost to either the designer or the end user. While the Language Department has made three videotaped lessons and one audiotape, we have made nine computerized lessons, any one of which is arguably more effective than all of its traditional counterparts due to its compactness of form, focus of scope, and immediacy in presentation.

* The three videotaped lessons consist of footage shot during the in-office training of aides. The topics covered in these are Kanza Sounds and Alphabet, Kanza Parts of Speech, and An Introduction to the Kanza Verb. Each of the lessons is approximately two hours long.

* As mentioned above, one audiotape lesson exists. This lesson is between 30 and 45 minutes in length. It consists of all of the vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to teach the Pre-K lesson plans in our curriculum. In addition to the presentation of the material, the tape goes into detail about the morphology and syntax of the various entries, and even includes some audio samples from some of our computerized lessons. The tape was made to be a supplement to the accelerated learning program, but can function just as well by itself.

* The computerized lessons fall into three types: Adult lessons; Children's lessons; and Email translation lessons.

* The adult grammar lessons offer a recap of the simplified grammar material in a slideshow-style presentation format. These are fully navigable and interactive, including visual aids, audio clips, and exercises. These are definitely targeted to an older audience; there are very few entertaining elements and much of the material is quite difficult. There are four such lessons covering everything from basic Kanza phonology to basic syntactic irregularities.

* The children's lessons are short animated presentations. They are similar to the adult lessons inasmuch as they can are multimedia in nature and interactive. However, these replace weighty grammatical theory with entertaining practical examples. In this regard they are simultaneously fun and challenging. These are quite effective for their target audiences. There are four such lessons, covering material from the counting numbers to animal vocabulary.

* We have developed one intensive email translation lesson. This lesson combines the effectiveness of aural immersion with the practical experience of text analysis. The lesson consists of a brief dialog and a text transcript. At the end of the transcript, a vocabulary section includes all of the words used, but is presented out of order and with only the most basic of English equivalencies. Thus, to understand the document, the learner must piece together the meaning from a largely unknown body of information. This is very difficult but quite achievable. When given to an English speaker with little to no exposure to the Kaw language, a working translation can be produced within 10 minutes, and this improves both confidence and syntactic skills.

NOTE: As a testament of the effectiveness of this final lesson type, our prototype somehow made its way to Nebraska. There it was used by the Omaha Language Department in one of their language classes. The teachers, elders, and students were all very impressed by the presentation of the material. On the strength of just the one lesson, they have invited us to Macy to discuss the development of electronic Omaha language lessons.

Task 2: Project Coordinator will establish more learning sites and rotate teachers among Ponca City, Newkirk, and Kaw City.

The Language Department is currently working in two Newkirk sites and will be involved in Pre-4th classes in Kaw City School as well as the Ponca City Wildcat University program during the 2002-2003 school year. Still much expansion is needed.

* The Newkirk sites are limited to the summer. The aides will be able to teach in both the Child Care and Tribal Youth until August. After that, more sites will be needed to maintain student exposure and facilitate the program's expansion.

* Several schools in Kay County have still not responded to our initial contacts. We must keep attempting to achieve their participation in our program.

Task 3: Dr. Rankin will visit learning sites to answer language questions in person.

In October 2001, Dr. Rankin gave the Language Coordinator confirmation of intent to return in June 2002 for a follow-up question and answer session.

* During the month of June, Dr. Rankin had several academic commitments that prevented him from returning to the tribal headquarters in Kaw City.

* Arrangements have been made for Dr. Rankin to come to Kaw City during the second week of July 2002.

ANA/OPR FISCAL YEAR 2001

KAW NATION INTER-GENERATIONAL LANGUAGE IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM

GRANT # 90NL019701 REPORTING PERIOD ENDING 06/30/02