Alaska Native Language Literacy Guidebook

Link to Guidebook

• Assists in understanding the context of literacy in Alaska Native languages.

• Provide examples of teaching the five pillars of the Science of Reading specifically in Alaska Native languages.

• Aids educators in learning effective strategies for teaching literacy in Alaska Native languages and other cultural contexts.

The Alaska Native Language Literacy Guidebook recognizes the need to support all Alaska Native languages. However, Alaska is a big state, and there is room for all students’ languages to be used in our schools throughout Alaska. This resource focuses on Alaska Native languages but also strives to equip educators with the considerations necessary to account for the multilingual learning environment that makes Alaska so unique.

The Alaska Native Language Literacy Guidebook is being created to provide educators with a tool to help them connect with students and learn more about the unique features of Alaska Native languages. However, while discussing the impacts of reading and writing instruction on Alaska Native people, we had to talk about the history of Alaska Native education, a traumatic experience for many.

The rich culture and language Alaska Natives bring to their school communities is an asset that provides multiple linguistic repertoires that students can draw upon as learners. Studies have shown that literacy development is enhanced through multicultural instruction. We need our students to be bilingual, if not multilingual. The English-only model has not worked for all, has not resulted in higher levels of student achievement, and has caused harm to Native communities and families.