West Schools

2017-2018: Brian Davidson will support the West Schools (Anahim Lake, Tatla Lake, Naghtaneqed, Dog Creek, and Alexis Creek) this year as each pursues its own specific inquiry.

• Anahim Lake: Focus: Improve literacy (especially reading fluency and comprehension)
• Checking: We have been able to capture evidence of student improvement. Please see attached documents. The depth of improvement was not as universal or tremendous as we would have liked, but progress is progress. We have built a foundation to build upon in future years as the need for competent readers is not diminishing.
• Reflection: We learnt a lot from our School Plan. Perhaps the biggest stressor that we came across was the lack of time to collaborate as a team and to focus in on core learning needs. In the coming years, for our plan to take further root, more effort will need to be put into creating and setting aside time for collaboration as a team. There were periods of the school year when very little collaboration happened. This was due to a multitude of reasons which included, differing levels of buy in from staff, differing schedules and a lack of TOC coverage to create release time during school hours. In the coming years, compromising and accommodations will have to be made to make our plans take further root.

• Tatla Lake: Focus: Sense of belonging/connectedness; leadership development
• Checking: We had different people ask the four questions in the spring. Upon reading the results, students could have been asked to dig deeper and clarify their answers for the June report. It was difficult to analyze results from the survey since the June responses were pretty vague. We should have had the same person conduct all of the interviews.

Project time worked well. Students were invested because they had some say in picking topics. Students loved all of the hands on learning in Science and due to this type of learning, received excellent marks. Almost half of the Intermediate students received As in Science and almost half of the Primary students received Exceeding Expectations. Students loved Applied Design Skills and Technology; especially the kits that came to the schools. The Intermediates were enthralled with the Virtual Reality Goggles! Everyone was really engaged!

We started off the year with a School Wide art unit on Fire. Students studied the history of man’s relationship with fire. Students even created a late Paleolithic cave art instillation.

Our school welcomed a refugee family from Eritrea this February. In order to prepare the students, Angela Hartwick and a few of her friends led us in a workshop on how it feels to be a refugee. The assembly started with a presentation by our students in grades 2-6 on research they have completed on countries located near the horn of Africa.

This was followed by a screening of short clips from Ai Weiwei’s film, Human Flow. Then we were led through an experiential learning process whereby the students had to decide, if they had to leave their homes and could only take three things, what they would take. They could choose from: a pet, medicine, food, water, a toy, tools, a musical instrument, a motorcycle, clothes, or an electronic device. Students then had to pay (using one of these three items) to get on a boat. All of the students got into a canoe.

They had to get to a border crossing and pay again. Finally they arrived at a refugee camp, which was set up in the gym, and had to pay with their final possession. Finally, students had to think of one thing that all humans have in common and that we all value. Students wrote these ideas on luggage tags. Some students wrote family and water on their cards. This was an excellent exercise to help the children gain a bit of understanding as to what sorts of things some refugees experience.

Students had another opportunity to showcase their research at a community information session hosted by Lisa and Angela Hartwick at the Tatla Lake Community Centre. Lisa led the audience through a process of looking at different perspectives with regards to the words “inclusion” and “exclusion”.

For the last few weeks of school, the whole Elementary School was involved in a project about creatures that live in tide pools, in preparation for our year end trip to Hakai Institute on Calvert Island. Ms. Gordon used a strategy, Four Corners, which she learned from her ELL (English Language Learners) Inquiry Group. Primary students watched videos, talked with partners, wrote on little whiteboards, wrote in their Journals, and made crafts of a variety of tide pool creatures – sea anemones, sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, hermit crabs, sand dollars, and barnacles. They made dioramas and glued their creatures into their dioramas. They presented their dioramas to the whole school. Art classes used this theme as well. Students listened to stories about sea creatures in Story and Snack time. The Grade 2 to 6 group researched tide pool creatures, wrote paragraphs, chose photos and made cue cards, and presented their PowerPoint Projects to the whole school. These were the best Power Point Projects that I’ve seen our students produce. Students knew so much about their topics, they engaged their audience – made eye contact – and really talked about their slides.

We also were involved with an organization called Planet in Focus. We were one of four schools in Northern BC who received a Film Festival from this group. We were sent and watched an 88 minute documentary called Sea of Life – made by a young, Canadian female filmmaker. Inspired by Rob Stewart’s Revolution, young filmmaker Julia Barnes embarks on an epic journey around the world to save the ecosystems we depend on for survival, as we come closer to causing a mass extinction in the oceans. Sea of Life leads audiences through the stunning world of coral reefs into the heart of the environmental movement, meeting passionate scientists, activists and explorers who reveal an enormous opportunity to rise up and become the heroes the world needs. Our secondary students really enjoyed this film and found it thought provoking.

Our secondary students had two projects in their Socials 10 class. The first was a video game they had to create and the second was an inquiry project about World War Two. Tatla students loved the challenge and spent hours and hours on these projects. They received excellent marks; one student receiving 155% for all the extra effort she put into her project.

I (Clare Gordon) felt honoured to be able to take four students to the BC Student Leadership Conference in Surrey this past October. The Tatla students were excellent ambassadors of our school. They especially enjoyed the community service work they had to do – clean up Crescent Beach in White Rock. Our students took on the job with gusto and were thrilled being near the ocean. They brought back the enthusiasm from the conference and created a Student Council at our school. The Student Council went on to organize the Remembrance Day ceremony, made morning announcements, and created a Valentine’s assembly, complete with puppet show and school friendship dance.

• Reflection: This has been a successful start in implementing the new curriculum. We really enjoyed school wide projects and themes. Students put a lot of effort and met with a lot of success when they were involved with Project Base Learning, so we hope to continue with more of this next year. We probably won’t have any secondary students next year. Our oldest students will be in grade six. I would like to get these students involved in student leadership and use their suggestions to create Spirit Days at school. We will continue to celebrate Student of the Week. It was so nice to hear the students cheer when each week a new student was chosen. Students loved getting a certificate and a little stuffy. They felt proud when they were added to our Wall of Fame.

• Naghtaneqed: Focus: Resiliency through respect and responsibility
• Checking:

Comprehensive School Health Plan

Cultural Component

• We implemented cultural component across all curriculum throughout the entire year. This practice brought about higher student engagement.

Physical Environment & Healthy Eating:

• Awareness around physical goals and limitations.
  • Learners were able to discuss how our bodies react to physical challenges and what we can do to train our bodies for physical fitness.
• What is food? Where does it come from? How do we prepare food?
  • During Science and PE we answered these questions repeatedly. We processed food in many ways in our classroom such as canning tomatoes, baking low fat/low sugar recipes, dehydrating fruit & vegetables.
  • We belong to the BC Fruit and Vegetable & Dairy program.
  • We dry meat and do traditional cooking during culture week.

Emotional Environment & School Connectedness

• Extra-curricular activities: The whole school was well behaved, respectful, and adhered to the expectations.
• RAM: Slips had a lot to do with student role within the community and reflect the student’s ability to make that choice rather than being instructed to fill that role. This is good evidence.
• Staff Support: Students are able to use their own learning strategies to gain assistance through selected staff that they connect to. Staff is flexible and provide support.
• Peer Support: Given any opportunity students are ready and willing to support other learners social, emotionally, and academically, and physically.
• Circle Meeting: Recovered one student focus and commitment to her education. She demonstrated resilience and began engaging in her responsibilities.
• Learning Stations: This year we did learning stations in Math & LA, divided among: individual learning, group learning, & incorporating technology. Students were challenged in all areas as we promoted independence in learning, which was uncomfortable at first but created a sense of individual pride once tasks were completed.
• Seven Sacred Teachings: We explored a sacred teaching each month and linked them to current lessons across all subjects. The benefit was that all students had a common language to use for communication. Daily infusion of cultural awareness.
• Music & Essential Oils: Students chose which essential oil they wanted during the morning learning and afternoon learning. Students chose between all forms of music to be played during appropriate learning opportunities. They often chose classical cello.

Teaching and Learning Curriculum

• Daily Physical Activity: We did “Boot Camp Style” training each morning and set the goal of being better than ourselves yesterday. Students took pride in their fitness and strengths.
• Strong Focus on Mathematics & LA: Each of these subjects was presented for an hour a day every day. Primary Learners are still below grade level in reading but have made considerable progress in confidence & completion of written work. Senior Learners demonstrate a strength in reading and writing and continue to be challenged by mathematical thinking. The issue continues to reflect, “How do we make Math relevant to our learners?”
• ELL: We chose not to pull students from their learning community and our ELL support staff seamlessly embedded this learning into classroom support. This prevented the learner from feeling different than others and included. Support includes looking up words, reading aloud instructions, finding key ways to maintain focus and be on task. Positive support around meeting students with where they are at in their development along with encouraging the direction and goals towards future learning opportunities. Evidence to support this show that learners do not let their challenges, to deny them the opportunity to have a positive relationship with assignments and completed works.
• Public Speaking: Many opportunities were available for students to engage in public speaking. Some of the students chose to participate voluntarily during community events.

Parent & Community Partnerships

• XGFNG:
  • Provide funding for our healthy hot lunch program
  • Provide funding and staff hours for our cultural week program.
  • Linked us to food donations to the community by Punky Lake Wilderness Society for our Science program. Such as canning tomatoes.
  • The entire school participated wholeheartedly in the community clean-up! The school benefits from the found recycling being brought to the depot.
  • Land Title rangers had a presence at the school, discussing land stewardship.
  • Provide valuable school supplies each year!
  • Provided opportunity for youth ages 10-14 an opportunity to apply and gain employment over the summer holidays.
• Parents:
  • Our parents constructed the outdoor arena for the ice skating unit in our PE.
  • Our parents helped to develop the classroom library in the primary class.
  • We have a consistent handyman who comes to our school each week to assist in whatever we requested.
  • Extended family was present to facilitate teachings such as lahal.
  • During culture week many parents and extended family attended and facilitated & assisted in the delivery of cultural activities showcasing their knowledge and talents.
  • Parents were involved in the medicine gathering activities throughout the year by providing transportation and traditional knowledge.
  • Evidence of parental & extended family involvement in our school activities promote resilient learners by providing an opportunity for learners to take pride in their accomplishments and work hand in hand with their family members.
• Denisiqi:
  • We formed a partnership with this agency resulting in the sharing of medicinal resources and teachings, including the gift of a dehydrator for valuable lesson around healthy foods.
  • The society often brought healthy snacks as outlined for the students to share.
  • Facilitated the Fun Friends program and gave completion certificates at the awards ceremony along with a fun prize.
  • They had a large presence at cultural week, including evening group facilitation and daily assistance to facilitators during the many workshops throughout the week.
• ?Eniyud:
  • We scheduled monthly meetings with the elders in the community to do crafts, share teachings, share traditional foods, and have students do a presentation for the elders. We also harvested traditional medicines.
  • We planted all of the community gardens for the different groups to utilize.
  • The youth program brought our youth to many field trips addressing such issues as digital identity, sexual orientation, and personal health. In addition to community participation.
  • Mens group, developed and groomed trails for us during the winter cross country skiing season. They hosted our entire school to go ice fishing.
  • We benefitted from Daycare staff attending to our school and providing supports during the last month of school.

B.) Curriculum: Core Competencies & FPPL

• We set the goal of focusing on one FPPL per month. We decided to focus on one principle per subject per term. This was a more consistent and broader examination of the principles. We reported on these principles in each report card.
• Consistent use of Tsilhqot’in language during classroom conversation is an active and living implementation of all seven FPPL on a daily basis.
• Including core Tsilhqot’in beliefs and elder teachings during class time, outdoor play, and individually consistently throughout the year has given students the opportunity to engage in the FPPL in a nation specific way.
• Reflection:

Sharing:

• We learned that community has been looking forward to the opportunity to be a more active contributor to the school.
• We learned that exciting things could happen when we make learning timely and relevant to our learning community.
• Our youth have risen to the challenge of creating a healthy learning environment.
• The older grades have demonstrated some resistance towards learning community structure with regards to how to conduct oneself respectfully including issues such as bullying, listening, and expressing oneself.

We plan:

• To develop and further unpack the Indian Residential School Survivor Program in a more nation specific way rather than a broader spectrum with the goal of deeper engagement from both learners and community.
• Develop a consistent language and expectations school wide. With a consistent response to deviations from this way of being. Development, Implementation, & Consistency! Need to do this as a team exercise at the beginning of the next year utilizing development funding offered by Brian’s department of Building Resilient Learners Program.
• Speak more conversational Tsilhqot’in language across the staff and students. This role modelling will gain experience in daily conversation and encourage participation.
• Including more guest speakers internal and external with a focus on language and culture.
• PA & daily Musical inclusion, eventually focusing on cultural music & presentation.

Advice:

• Begin with everyone on the same page! Start with a strong strategy.
• Involve extended community to first assembly with teachings presented to expose everyone to the language and way of being. This will help with consistency.
• Keep evolving; do not become complacent or stagnant! There is always a way to build on what your doing.

• Dog Creek: Focus: Engagement in writing through FPPL and relevant/authentic practice

Checking: There was a significant turnover of our students and staff during the year, but we had good buy in from everyone, and real enthusiasm to complete this first project in 2018-19.

• Reflection: We took on a large project; we now will modify our goal in the coming BRL to learn traditional songs/stories/dances in a more direct, less broad way, and study each one in more detail. Slow down, engage more deeply, integrate, move on to new material.

• Alexis Creek: Focus: Literacy improvement through increasing engagement and confidence
• Checking:
  • Assessment plan: PM Benchmarks, Reading Level indicator assessments, IPT, Peabody, Teacher anecdotal records, Student Surveys, Teacher Observation Tools, formative and summative assessments in classrooms:
    • Student reading levels increased from September through June.
    • Student participation in peer mentorship between grade 6-9 and K-4 classes increased. Students maintained weekly peer reading and teaching roles weekly throughout the year.
    • Student engagement in classroom literacy activities increased when the subject area was of personal or cultural interest.
• Reflection: Peer teaching/coaching and reading programs were very successful. Primary students demonstrated joy in reading during this time and often looked forward to visits from older students. Older students participated without complaint, many demonstrating it as a preferred choice activity. Older students who began the year significantly below grade level (more than 3 grade levels) were nervous to participate in read aloud activities with younger students, gained confidence over the course of the year as their skills built and as positive experiences grew. Many students who had demonstrated resistance at the beginning of the year due to low confidence in their reading skills showed sustained interest and joy in peer reading by year end.

We continued to see positive impacts in incorporating student voice in reading programs. We continued with initiatives from last year to build classroom and school library resources through having students help select additions to the collection. Students demonstrate increased engagement in our daily school wide reading time when they can pick from books they have help selected to be in their classrooms. A school wide reader of the week program proved successful. Students were nominated by their teachers and had their pictures featured in the public/school library space as well as the school newsletter along with their book recommendations and short interview about what they liked about reading.

2016-2017: Brian Davidson will support the West Schools (Anahim Lake, Tatla Lake, Naghtaneqed, Dog Creek, and Alexis Creek) this year as each pursues its own specific inquiry.

Anahim Lake:

• Inquiry Question: To what extent will implementing regular assessments of reading fluency and reading comprehension improve both reading fluency and reading comprehension?

Anahim Lake staff spent considerable time in the scanning phase of the inquiry process this year and is prepared to take action and continue with the same question next year.

Naghtaneqed:

• Inquiry Question: What are different hands on activities that are student led that will increase vocabulary?
• Analysis:
  • This year, the grade 4-7 class tried a lot of new ideas:
  • Directive Drawing
  • This started as the teacher, giving specific directions (shape, area, location) to what was drawn and students were to draw, as best as he/she could, to replicate the teacher’s drawing. Students were allowed to ask questions but not see the actual drawing (and it didn’t take them long to get specific about their questions). Then, each student would get to draw and give out directions by choice. If the student didn’t want to give out directions, then he/she would draw the picture and the teacher would give out the directions. After the drawings were completed we would compare.
  • 3 objects
  • Three objects were brought, by the teacher, and the students would describe the objects using five different words, then write a story, which includes at least one of the objects.
  • Student Dictionary – Students were assigned words that were compliant with their age. They would either google or use a dictionary, then draw an image(s) to describe the word.
  • Oral reading/sporadic questioning
  • Oral reading/misread word
  • This was done with students who had a low reading level. I listened to them read and any time they misread a word I wrote the word down. They would start the next day by reviewing their misread words then reading new material.
  • The Primary class continued with strategies from last year
• Reflection:
  • It was amazing to see how specific students were, when asking questions, during the Directive drawing. They became very conscientious with their vocabulary and sentences.
  • Oral reading/misread word
  • It was “Killing two birds with one stone.” The student would learn a new word and, many times, they would learn what that particular word meant, but the whole sentence and paragraph/story made so much more sense!
  • A fourth grader increased his vocab by learning 75 new words that were misread. This was a long process as the student wasn’t comfortable reading aloud. I allowed him to read incorrectly for some time and little by little he would listen to me read first. Then, we went back and read over ten books in which the misread words were pulled out one at a time. As time went on he enjoyed quickly reading his new words and moving on!

Dog Creek:

• Inquiry Question: What will be the effect of planning and participating in a year-long project with a focus on First Peoples Principles of Learning?
• Analysis: Looking back at the entire process of our school-wide star blanket project, we see a number of points where we might have modified or rearranged some of the activities. For instance, we might have introduced the planning and choosing process earlier in the year, so that the completion of the blankets wasn’t as busy – even an extra week would have made a difference. We are developing a scope and sequence document that will help with timing and give a much clearer idea of how long each step may take.
• Reflection: This very long and involved project, involving all students and staff members, was a huge undertaking for our small school. There were moments when the expense of the materials, the seemingly endless measuring, cutting, pinning, sewing and ‘adjusting’ (seam ripping, redoing of some strips, etc.) became daunting and intimidating. However, we referred back to our core goals of cooperation, mutual help and learning, persistence and all the many First Nations Principles of Learning values that were being demonstrated and practiced every day, and knew that we were on the right track. In the end, all the challenges and doubts were a big part of the ultimate and thorough success of this project, and everyone involved has come through the process with a much clearer idea of how much they learned themselves and from each other, and how something so personal and important can also be a moment to receive help, patience

Tatla Lake:

• Inquiry Question: To what extent will project-based learning improve student confidence?
• Analysis: Students really enjoyed the hands on projects. They all ended up with an end product they were proud of. One of the case study students ended up with an A in Applied Design Skills and Technology. The other student ended up with a B, but she initiated bringing in her own projects from home to share with her peers. This started an avalanche of others bringing in projects from home. The answer to the question - to what extent will project-based learning improve student confidence? – exceeding expectations.
• Reflection: The students became very involved in their own learning. Some students experienced failure many times, but showed grit by making multiple alterations to their projects to get a successful result. This was an unexpected, pleasant result. Students worked well together. Some students showed leadership and were able to work out disagreements within the group. Both of the case study students had multiple successes, but their self-confidence is so low that they didn’t actually believe that their achievements were as successful as they were. This will take many more successes on their part for them to believe in themselves.

Alexis Creek:

Inquiry Question: What is the effect of using tactile real world learning experiences in K-10 mathematics classrooms?

Analysis:

• Teachers integrated hands on numeracy activities and learning experiences on a more regular basis
• Teachers increased use of math manipulatives and other tools already present in the school (counters, blocks, algebra tiles, scales, measuring tapes, fraction pieces, play money/banking)
• Teachers increased their use of math games as introduced by district math leader Sari Small, many which included tactile elements
• Teachers increased use of peer mentoring and peer teaching as an instructional strategy, particularly amongst the K-4 and 5-7 classrooms
• Teachers increased use of technology to support math learning including Osmo iPad kits and Mathletics
• Teachers engaged in regular professional development both independently and school based around numeracy best practices (release time to work with Sari Small in their own classrooms)

Reflection:

• Student engagement was higher when involved in hands on activities as documented in teacher anecdotal records
• Students who had previously had a poor attitude, low self-confidence and low self-efficacy around math class and numeracy tasks demonstrated increased enthusiasm and success over the course of the year as documented through teacher observation and anecdotal records
• Student understanding of most concepts improved with the use of models, tactile or hands on learning from a K-10 level. This is demonstrated in both formative and summative classroom assessments as student outcomes improved
• The focus of the inquiry on numeracy did lead to an increased and continuous professional development for all three classroom teachers
• All teachers observed that having Sari Small come out to the school and work with teachers in their classrooms was beneficial to their development. All teachers utilized at least some of the tools and methods modelled by Sari during her visit on a consistent basis

2015-2016: Brian Davidson will facilitate the West Schools (Anahim Lake, Tatla Lake, Naghtaneqed and Alexis Creek) this year.

• How will participating in discussions of our beliefs about literacy instruction help to improve literacy instruction?

West Rural Schools met at the first CI Day of the year to consolidate planning for the year. In the previous May/June we had come to consensus that our question for the year would revolve around investigating the impact training teachers in the SIOP would have on student literacy. With the turnover in staff (teaching and admin), there was a desire to look again at the question. As a new starting point, and to test out how technology might support a different model of collaborating, we decided to meet together after school to discuss reading/writing reciprocity as shared at the Summer Institute this year by Sandy Figueroa. We met online but experience technical glitches at both Naghtaneqed and Anahim Lake. At the same time, I learned that Alexis Creek had obtained funding to support a 0.1 PLC position and the school was going to investigate its school-based question. Both Naghtaneqed and Anahim Lake were keen to not take on any other initiatives and wanted to focus inwardly this year. Both schools committed to doing some thinking and planning toward what next year would look like so that a good, quicker start could be achieved in September 2016. Tatla is keen to find a model that allows for continuing face-to-face contact. Each school still put effort into thinking about and working on their Building Resilient Learners Plan Goals, as follows:

Anahim Lake: How will using specific structures increase student independence in writing?

Naghtaneqed: To what extent will our students’ writing skills improve if we demonstrate an explicit focus on current writing instruction practices as outlined in the book, Writing Power, by Adrienne Gear?

Tatla Lake: How will writing a book (Hoofprints in History) at the secondary level and having writing anthologies displayed at the K-7 level, increase student writing output?

Alexis Creek:

• Inquiry Question: How does using iPad technology to support students in authoring their own culturally specific stories impact student writing skills and overall writing engagement?
• Analysis: All students in the primary and intermediate grades completed a story project on an iPad which was then published as an electronic and hard copy book. Senior students did not participate as the project was to take place during their Chilcotin language class (the teacher went on leave early in the year and the position went unfilled for a number of months). The level of completion of projects in classrooms where it was implemented is notable as output for written tasks was an identified challenge at the beginning of the project. One of our three criteria for success for the project was that students show increased written output on assigned tasks. Both primary and intermediate teachers were satisfied that this criteria had been met, as all students completed several steps in the writing process including: brainstorming, initial drafts, final drafts and illustration.

Our second criteria for success was that student engagement in writing tasks increase as measured by teacher assessment through anecdotal records. Disengagement with typical academic writing tasks was an identified challenge at the beginning of the project. Both Primary and Intermediate teachers noticed a high level of engagement on two levels: (1) the inclusion of Chilcotin culture and language and (2) the use of iPads as a writing tool.

All teachers and support staff involved with the project remarked on the high level of engagement with storytelling aspect of the project. On the inclusion of Chilcotin culture and language:

• The Intermediate teacher related: “I think there was interest in story/myth related to their culture, undoubtedly. I think they wanted to share what they could.”
• The Primary teacher also related how much her students enjoyed seeing Chilcotin words in their stories and enjoyed the opportunity to tell very personal stories.

Both primary and intermediate teachers used the iPad at the final stages of the story writing process. Teachers introduced the iPad as a ‘final draft’ tool, initial drafts having been written in a more traditional manner by hand as a part of various classroom assignments. Students used the “Book Creator” app to craft illustrated picture books which were then published as both digital and hard copy books. Teachers related that student engagement with editing and re-writing a final draft increased with the introduction of the iPads.

• The intermediate teacher related: “They loved the iPad and want to use it for more writing assignments. I think that iPads make the mechanics of writing easier for the students. “
• The primary teacher related: “Their engagement increased as their stories were put onto the iPads. They liked seeing their stories as ‘real’.”

Both teachers identified an interest in their students in using iPads for writing again. Both teachers also expressed a commitment to utilize iPads in writing tasks in the future.

Our final criteria for success was that students demonstrate an increase in writing level based on teacher assessment as per BC Performance Standards indicators. Both teachers identified a higher level of achievement overall linked to the project. The final project represented a higher level of achievement for many students, likely linked to their level of engagement throughout the writing, editing, and publishing process. However, both teachers also mentioned that as writing for the project primarily occurred in the latter half of the year. It is hard to ascertain if the increase in writing skills for individual students when measured against their September SWW is directly linked to the project or represents an overall increase in skills over the course of the school year. Students were also supported by the iPad technology in writing mechanics, which both teachers identified as lowering their level of frustration with the writing process and resulted in a higher level of achievement than if they were writing without supports.

• Reflection: While we were pleased with the outcome of the project overall, it did represent a number of challenges. The absence of a Chilcotin teacher due to our long time teacher taking a leave which went unfilled made aspects of the project harder. Classroom teachers at times said they struggled to help facilitate students finding traditional stories to re-tell. The First Voices Xeni Gwet’in language app on the iPads allowed teachers and students to integrate Chilcotin words and phrases into the stories. However, there are large gaps in the vocabulary available on the app and translation of larger phrases and sentences is not possible without support from a language speaker. In the future, better inclusion of Chilcotin language speakers either from the teaching staff or from community would open up greater possibilities for the integration of Chilcotin language and culture into the project. However, students did enjoy the autonomy the app offered them, particularly at the intermediate level.

Another challenge was supporting teacher release time so that they might focus on the project. TTOC shortages impacted our ability to secure a TTOC particularly during the winter months. The primary and intermediate teachers elected not to request release time as a result. However, both teachers identified that they felt the time could have been useful to them. All teachers and support staff involved with the project remarked on how many stages of the project required one on one support. Particularly at the primary level, students required a lot of support in publishing their books on the iPad.

Both intermediate and primary teachers identified the project as a success based on the criteria set at the beginning of the project. They both expressed that following the writing process through to a publication of a digital and hard copy book was an important part of the students’ experience:

• The intermediate teacher related, “[The biggest success was] the graphic designs and overall look of the published works.”
• The primary teacher related, “The students really enjoyed creating their own books with their own art work. They felt their experiences have value as stories.”

There were other ‘spill over’ positive impacts of the project. All involved staff have an increased level of comfort with teaching and facilitating learning with iPads as a result of the project. The awareness of the iPad as a useful and useable tool for learning, both writing and for other academic tasks, increased throughout the duration of the project. Hopefully this will lead to increase use for future projects and assignments. Many of the teachers involved with the project expressed an interest in further professional development in the use of iPad apps for classroom learning.

Another positive impact was an increased awareness of Chilcotin language among non-Chilcotin teaching and support staff. In having to facilitate the inclusion of Chilcotin language and culture in student projects, teachers and support staff found their own knowledge bases growing. Several new initiatives at the school can be linked to this increased awareness including the creation of Chilcotin language room signs throughout the school and a planned project for a Chilcotin language welcome sign at the entrance of the school. In addition, the use of Chilcotin language for months and days has been incorporated into the main senior classroom.

Overall, the project was a successful and positive experience for the school but also has left us with opportunities for continued growth.

• 2014-2015:

The West Schools (Anahim Lake, Tatla Lake, Naghtaneqed and Alexis Creek) will be working together this year, supported by Brian Davidson. The inquiry questions they are working on are:

• Alexis Creek:

What is the effect of filling our classroom libraries with First Nations content and authors on literacy engagement?

• Anahim Lake/Naghtaneqed:

How will a focus on developing student background knowledge/vocabulary help improve student comprehension?

• Tatla Lake:

How will activating discussions on reading/writing tasks improve student comprehension?

• Analysis:

Anahim Lake: Studying upcoming potentially difficult vocabulary words before students read chapters did improve student reading comprehension. Some of the patterns that emerged from this process were that on the chapters that we did pre-study potentially difficult vocabulary words, there was an improvement in comprehension testing for those chapters. We know this because our data shows that out of the ten chapters that we did study vocabulary beforehand compared to the chapters that we did not demonstrated statistical improvements in comprehension testing. The group that did study the vocabulary beforehand demonstrated a 7.5% improvement over the group that did not study vocabulary before chapters (56% yes compared to 48.5% no.)

Naghtaneqed: Focusing on developing student background knowledge and vocabulary has improved student comprehension. The results tell me that direct teaching of vocabulary and discussing background knowledge prior or during the lesson has increased the comprehension level of the students. Patterns show that students have started to use more varied vocabulary words in their everyday speech but vocabulary usage has not transferred to their writing unless there has been specific emphasis on incorporating vocabulary words. Students have also gained the confidence to ask or confirm about words that they don't know instead of staying quiet. While reading the story 'A Bad Case of the Stripes', one of the boys stopped the reading and asked what the word contagious meant. Without me having to say anything, another student jumped in and said that it meant that it could be spread. Then a short but effective discussion happened between the two students which led to greater comprehension of both students and the class. In the students’ writing, specifically their journals, there is little evidence that the vocabulary teaching has transferred to their writing. Three of the nine students showed use of a more varied vocabulary usage in their journal writing, but one was already strong in his language usage and the other two only used vocabulary words when specifically reminded or prompted.

• Reflection:

Anahim Lake: I have learned as a result of this process that teaching difficult vocabulary related to the upcoming lesson before the unit or chapter will improve student comprehension. I have noticed that if my students better understand the words that are part of the unit that they will be more successful in their learning. I will definitely consider continuing to teach vocabulary before units and during units as it will help students better understand the material that is being taught. Some things I might do differently in the future is to actually tell the students the reasons that I am doing vocabulary some units and not in others so that the students understand the process. I would also like to work a bit closer with other teachers through the collaborative process. Overall, I am glad that we did this inquiry and find the information to be valuable. I will use the information learned through this process to help guide future lesson plans.

Naghtaneqed: For next time, I would focus more on oral notes rather than the writing part for gathering data. It seems that the students need to master using the vocabulary words in their everyday speech before they can comprehend, transfer and use these word in their writing. Looking at the writing is good, as it shows growth, but probably should be a more secondary data collection with less emphasis. Next time I would try to stick to teaching one general vocabulary word a week and build activities around it so students would be able to both use the word while speaking and give opportunities for them to use it when they write. This year I taught vocabulary mainly through other lessons which did work very well but was topic specific. I feel that a more general vocabulary basis would be more beneficial to teach as these words are used more frequently in conversation. For examples words like lethargic, ruckus, profuse, and extraordinary. For next year, having a once a month conferencing time with the other teachers in the school or a short thirty minute meeting twice a month would be beneficial to getting everyone on the same page and problem solving. This time would be a nice focus time to just think about the inquiry process and how it is evolving, what could be changed, or what is going really well. Maybe looking at meeting up with all of the other primary or intermediate teachers from the rural schools would also be helpful so ideas could be shared on how the same inquiry topic is being tackled at different schools by teachers.