Spelling Word Activities

Language camp teaches more than words

By: Jana Peterson , Pine Journal

Next weekend’s Nagaajiwanaang language camp in Sawyer promises more than Ojibwe vocabulary words and spelling lessons. The four-day camp itself will be a lesson in all things Ojibwe, from attitude to native crafts to cooking Indian corn soup with ashes, plus canoe races and other contests that teach skills valued by the traditional Ojibwe culture.

It’s the third year for the camp, which organizers say fills a need in the American Indian community in northern Minnesota and beyond.

“There is a thirst for the language,” said Pat Northrup of Sawyer, one of the driving forces behind the camp. “I hear people in the community more in the last few years – since Fond du Lac made Ojibwe the official reservation language – talking about ‘what’s the word for this,’ learning the language. We’re providing resources.”

In addition to having a total of seven fluent speakers of Ojibwe, the camp will have language books for sale for the first time. There will be designated locations where only Ojibwe is spoken, and other activities – like Arne Vainio’s Mad Science presentations – at which an Ojibwe speaker will translate the English spoken by the presenter.

Having seven fluent speakers share their knowledge at one camp is quite an achievement. Because of efforts in the last century to “assimilate” American Indian children into mainstream American culture by sending them away from their families for schooling, to places that often punished anyone speaking Ojibwe with harsh physical punishment, many older tribal members know relatively little Ojibwe. However, efforts to teach the language to people of all ages are helping revive the language, which was almost lost.

There will be more than language experts there. Look for Ojibwe artists, including Northrup.

Campers can sign up to participate in different activities, including birch bark quill art, flute making, drumming and singing, drum stick making and moccasin making, among other things. The activities won’t be a break from the language learning, rather they’re part of the bigger picture.

Is Spelling Becoming Obsolete?

Ever since hearing from a friend whose kids are in public school that their teacher doesn’t pay much attention to misspelled words, I’ve been feeling troubled. She said that since computers fix kids’ spelling for them, the teacher doesn’t think it’s worth the time to really focus on that skill. I’ve spent time pondering and researching this topic and tried to figure out a great three-point argument in defense of the seemingly dying skill of accurate spelling. I’ve not come up with any pithy bullet points, however, and have instead ended up relying on my experiences, observations and opinions.

So I ask you: in a world of spell check and “C U L8R”, is spelling becoming obsolete? Why bother teaching it?

Personally, I cringe when I see a word misspelled on a billboard or a document sent in the mail from a reputable company. It seems that more people misuse “your/you’re” and “their/they’re/there” than actually know how to use them. Numbers and single letters take the place of words in texts and emails; I am guilty of using them too, for the sake of convenience and time. Many young people, however, see these as legitimate parts of the English language and use them in school or professional life (so I’ve heard from some teacher friends). Are we raising generations of kids that rely more on a computer to fix their errors than their own minds? And why does it matter one way or the other?

For me the answer primarily lies in the problem of mediocrity. Would I be satisfied graduating my children from our homeschool as so-so spellers, destined to trust spell check every time they write a professional email or application? The answer is the same as if someone asked me if I would be satisfied if my children could only do math problems with a calculator. A resounding “no”. In the professional world, details and excellence matter. I compare it to the affect on people’s impression of a person when they are sloppily dressed. Do you assume that person keeps a neat house or office? Spelling is akin to appearance. We need to give our children the skills to always make a polished impression. There is only one chance to make a first impression, as the saying goes.

Homeschooling is many things, but it is not perfect. Neither are our children (and neither are we, for that matter!). Homeschooling has pros and cons, and our children have strengths and weaknesses, and we work with those in our everyday learning. We cannot necessarily assure that our children will leave our homeschool with perfect spelling skills, but we can instill in them the desire to be their best, in whatever subject, and that achieving excellence is reliant upon hard work, personal intellect, and their faith in their God-given abilities to overcome obstacles.

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