The Role of Songs in Enhancing Literacy
Bertha Iglookyouak ᐊᓐᓇᓪᓗᖅ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᖅ
Baker Lake, NU
Abstract
Students in Nunavut are required to be bilingual and must be fluent in both English and Inuktitut in order to graduate from high school. They must learn to read and write in both languages. The purpose of this research project is to explore the idea of how music can improve or enhance literacy skills in Inuktitut. Participants in this research consist of nineteen grade three students in the Rachel Arngnammaktiq, Elementary School in Baker Lake, Nunavut. I teach this class Inuktitut for a half-day on a daily basis. In this action research project, I gathered Inuktitut children’s songs and CD’s to enhance the Inuktitut program with music in the classroom for a period of four weeks in February 2013 and maintained a journal documenting the students’ responses. Oral aspects of Inuktitut were the most positively impacted, indicating that oracy, as a foundational building block of literacy, can be strengthened by adding music to the program. Strong oral fluency in Inuktitut can lead to improved reading and writing skills The conclusion of this small study is that listening, speaking, reading and writing could be enhanced by adding music and singing during language arts instruction as a part of the curriculum. Singing songs, especially those with action can also be fun for elementary school aged children who learn best through play.
Key Words: Inuktitut, literacy, elementary level, music, song, dance, oracy
ᖃᓄᑎᒋ ᐱᓰᑦ ᐃᙱᐅᓯᑐᖃᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐅᖅᓴᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕈᑕᐅᓲᖑᖕᒪᖔᑕ
ᕘᑕ ᐊᕐᓇᓪᓗᒃ ᐃᒡᓗᕐᔪᐊᖅ
ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᖅ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ
ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖓ
ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ ᒪᕐᕉᓕᖓᔪᒥᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᖓᐅᑎᖃᖁᔭᐅᓕᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑯᑕᙱᑦᓯᐊᕆᐊᖃᖅᑐᑎᒃ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᓪᓗ ᐱᔭᕇᕐᓂᐊᕈᑎᒃ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᐊᓗᖕᒥ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕇᕆᐊᓕᖕᓂᒃ. ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕆᐅᖅᓴᓗᑎᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᕆᐅᖅᓴᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᖓᐅᑏᓐᓂ. ᑖᑦᓱᒪ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᕐᓂᐅᑉ ᑐᙵᕕᖓ ᖃᐅᔨᓇᓱᐊᕈᒪᑉᓗᑕ ᖃᓄᑎᒋ ᓂᔾᔭᐅᓯᔭᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᙱᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᖅᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᐊᔪᕈᕐᓃᖅᓴᕈᑕᐅᓗᓂ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑑᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐅᖅᓴᕐᓂᕐᒧᑦ. ᑕᒡᕙᓂ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᑉᑎᓐᓂ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᖁᓕᑦ ᖁᓕᐅᙱᒐᖅᑐᓪᓗ (19) ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᖁᑦᑎᓐᓂᓕᒃ ᐱᖓᓱᓃᑦᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔨᓖᑦ ᕋᐃᑦᓱ ᐊᕐᓇᒻᒪᒃᑎᖕᒥᒃ, ᓱᕈᓯᓛᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕐᕕᖕᒥ ᖃᒪᓂᑦᑐᐊᒥ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ. ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦᑎᐊᖅ ᐅᓪᓘᑉ ᓇᑉᐸᖓᓂᒃ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᕙᒃᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᖁᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑐᑕ ᑲᔪᓯᒋᐊᓕᖕᓂᒃ, ᑲᑎᖅᓱᐃᓚᐅᕋᒪ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᓱᕈᓯᑯᓗᖕᓂᒃ ᐊᖃᐅᓯᓂᒃ ᐱᓯᕐᓂᒡᓗ ᐊᒻᒪ ᕿᓪᓕᖅᑑᔭᒧᑦ ᓂᐱᓕᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᑉᓗᖓ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕈᑎᒃᓴᓂᒃ ᓂᔾᔮᑎᑦᑎᕙᒃᑐᖓ ᐃᓪᓗᕈᓯᑉᑎᖕᓂ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕈᓯᕐᓂᑦ ᑎᓴᒪᓂᒃ ᕕᕝᕗᐊᕆ 2013ᖑᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᐊᒻᒪ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᐸᓪᓕᐊᑉᓗᒋᑦ ᖃᐅᑕᒫᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕐᕕᒃᓴᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑏᑦ ᑭᐅᓂᖏᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᐅᕐᓂᖏᓪᓗ. ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑑᕐᕕᒋᑉᓗᒋᑦ ᐃᒃᐱᒋᔭᐅᓂᖅᐹᖑᔮᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᕈᑎᑦᓯᐊᕙᐅᓂᖓ, ᓇᓗᓇᕈᓐᓃᖅᑐᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᑰᖅᑐᑦ ᓂᑉᓕᕆᐊᓖᑦ, ᑐᙵᕕᑦᓯᐊᕚᓘᖕᒪᑕ ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐅᖅᓴᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᒃᑯᑦ, ᓴᙵᑦᑎᒍᓐᓇᖅᑐᕐᓘᓐᓃᑦ ᓂᔾᔮᔪᓂᒃ ᐱᓯᕐᓂᑦ ᐱᖃᐅᓯᔾᔨᑐᐊᕈᑦᑕ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᔾᔪᑎᑦᑎᑉᓄᑦ. ᓂᓪᓕᐊᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐅᖃᕆᐅᖅᓴᖄᕐᓂᖅ ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᑐᑭᓯᕚᓪᓕᕈᑎᓪᓚᕆᐅᖕᒪᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕆᐅᖅᓴᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᕆᐅᖅᓴᓂᕐᒧᓪᓗ. ᖃᐅᔨᓴᑲᐃᓐᓈᕐᔪᑦᑕᕋ ᑐᑭᑖᖅᑐᓂ ᓈᓚᓐᓂᖅ, ᐅᖃᕆᐅᖅᓴᓂᖅ, ᐅᖃᓕᒫᕐᓂᖅ ᑎᑎᕋᕆᐅᖅᓴᓂᕐᓗ ᐱᕚᓪᓕᕈᓐᓇᓪᓚᕆᖕᒪᑦ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᔾᔨᑐᐊᕈᒪ ᓂᔾᔮᔪᒥᑦ (ᑎᑕᒃᑐᓂᒃ) ᐃᒻᖏᖑᐊᖅᑐᓂᒡᓗ ᐱᓯᕐᓂᑦ ᕿᒥᖃᖅᑐᓂᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᐃᓂᕐᓂ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕐᒥᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑭᑲᐅᑎᒋᓗᒍ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᒐᒃᓴᓕᐊᖑᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ ᐊᔪᕆᖅᓯᐅᔾᔨᓕᕋᐃᒍᑉᑕ ᐃᓕᓂᐊᕈᑎᑦᓯᐊᕙᐅᖕᒪᑕ. ᐃᙱᙳᐊᕐᓂᖅ, ᐱᓪᓗᐊᖅᑐᖅ ᐆᑦᑐᕋᕆᐊᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᖃᓯᐅᔾᔨᓯᒪᑐᐊᖅᐸᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᓪᓚᕆᒻᒪᑦ ᓱᕈᓯᓛᑯᓗᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓕᓐᓂᐊᖅᑎᓄᑦ ᐱᙳᐊᕐᓂᒃᑯᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᕋᐃᑦᑐᑯᓘᒻᒪᑕ.
ᐅᖃᐅᓰᑦ ᓇᓂᓯᔾᔪᑏᑦ: ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ, ᑐᑭᓯᒋᐅᖅᓴᓂᖅ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᑦ, ᓱᕈᓯᓛᑦ ᐃᓕᓴᔭᖏᑦ, ᓂᔾᔭᐅᓯᔭᕐᓂᖅ, ᐃᒻᖏᕐᓂᖅ, ᒧᒥᕐᓂᖅ, ᐅᖃᕆᐅᖅᓴᓂᖅ
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