2025 Summer Immersion Symposium
Description
2025 Summer Immersion Symposium at Salish School of Spokane, July 17-18, 2025
Training New Fluent Teachers & Establishing, Staffing, Funding, and Sustaining an Indigenous Immersion School
Goal: provide training and inspiration for teachers, activists and leaders on how to develop a proven fluency transfer system and to plan and operate a successful Indigenous immersion school. Salish School of Spokane serves students from 1 year old to 8th grade with Salish immersion care and instruction. Our students are becoming fluent speakers and have high achievement in literacy, math, science, culture, physical education, music and art.
Participants will learn about:
- our Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System
- how we train new fluent adult speakers & teachers
- how we teach reading, math, science and other subjects in Salish immersion
Training includes observation in immersion classrooms, workshops with Salish immersion preschool and K-8 teachers, and the sharing of operational and funding plans and procedures.
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smasq̓t, 17 ksíyaʔtn̓ 2025 (07/17/25) |
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l̓ k̓ʷinx ? |
Training Activity |
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8:00 am |
Welcoming & Quick Intros (Bldg C, middle or ECEAP slab) |
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8:30-8:50 |
All-school Morning Circle |
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9:00 – 11:00 |
30 Minute Observations in Immersion Classrooms / Teacher Language Training Rotate every 30 mins, 5 observers per classroom, 5 classrooms: Lang Nest, ECEAP, K-2, 3-5, 6-8 |
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11:00-11:15 |
break |
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11:15 - 12:15 |
Participant Round Table and Check In: Participants share where they are in their work/their organization; Q&A from observations |
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12:15-1:00 |
Lunch (provided) (Bldg C- middle and outdoors) |
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1:00-3:00 |
Convening 1: Language Revitalization, Salish Fluency Transfer System- working toward a fluent language-culture community (Bldg C, middle)
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3:00-3:15 |
break |
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3:15- 4:00 |
Day 1 closing |
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sčl̓kstasq̓t, 18 ksíyaʔtn̓ 2025 (07/18/25) |
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l̓ k̓ʷinx ? |
Training Activity |
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8:30-9:00 |
Day 2 Opening Circle |
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9:15-10:00 |
Workshops Rotation A |
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10:00-10:15 |
break |
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10:15-11:00 |
Workshops Rotation B |
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11:00-11:15 |
break |
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11:15-12:00 |
Workshops Rotation C |
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12:00-12:45 |
Lunch (provided) |
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12:45-1:30 |
Workshops Rotation D |
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1:30-1:45 |
break |
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1:45-2:45 |
Convening 2: Indigenized Schooling to Achieve Language Revitalization (Bldg C, middle) |
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2:45-3:00 |
break |
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3:00-3:45 |
Closing Circle |
2025 Summer Immersion Symposium Day 2 Workshops
Track A: Indigenous Language Fluency Transfer System (ILFTS) Training
Track A will be a full-day program of specialized training for communities that wish to adopt and adapt the ILFTS for their own languages, cultures and environments. Training will be tailored to meet the needs of Symposium participants depending upon where they are in the process of developing the ILFTS.
Track B: Rotating Immersion School Workshops
1. Salish Immersion Preschool: Schedule, Curriculum, and Classroom Management
The trainers will tell the story of their Salish language fluency journeys and then share their daily schedules, curriculum and behavior management techniques for Salish immersion preschool.
2. Salish Immersion K-2 Elementary Class: Schedule, Curriculum, and Classroom Management and Teaching Salish Immersion Math
Christina Heinen & Monique Molkjer (1-2 Elem classroom)
The trainers will tell the story of their Salish language fluency journey and then share their daily schedule, curriculum, and behavior management techniques for their combined K-2 elementary class. They will also share their math curriculum and lessons plans and how they teach Salish immersion math to their students.
3. Dual Language Literacy: Alphabets, Spelling, Language, and Literacy
The trainer will tell the story of his Salish language fluency journey and will then present information about how endangered Indigenous language communities can make decisions about their alphabets and spelling systems (orthographies) that will power literacy instruction and student Indigenous language literacy achievement.
4. Salish Immersion Science: Science Lexicon and Curriculum, Traditional Knowledge, and Fieldwork
The trainer will tell the story of her Salish language fluency journey and will then present information about how she has been working to teach science in a Salish immersion environment while incorporating traditional Southern Interior Salish knowledge and lots of lab and field work.
5. Immersion School Making: Teacher Training, Curriculum Development, Financing, and Policies
The trainers will tell the story of their Salish language fluency journeys, and will then share information about the founding and operation of Salish School of Spokane including our Salish Language Educator Development (SLED) Program, Curriculum Development Program, policies, and fundraising.