QULIRIURALTA(LETS KEEP TELLINGSTORIES):
PACE MODEL WITH TRADITIONAL YUP'IK STORYTELLING IN A SECOND GRADE DUAL LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
By:
IreneM.Wassillie,B.A.
AThesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment oftheRequirements forthe Degree of
MasterofArts in
Applied Linguistics UniversityofAlaskaFairbanks
December 2019 © 2019IreneM. Wassillie
APPROVED:
SabineSiekmann,CommitteeChair Wendy Martelle, Committee member
Leslie Patterson, Committee member SallySamson, Committee member PatrickMarlow, Program Chair
Linguistics Program Todd Sherman, Dean
College of Liberal Arts MichaelCastellini
Abstract
This research was conducted in a setting wherethe students are losing their Indigenous language. Itis centered aroundtheretentionandrevitalization of the Yugtun language. The goal ofthe research was togain insights into how second graders in adual language enrichment school constructed meaning and focus on form in their classroom. The instructional model employed aspart of this investigation is thePACE Model, whichis a story-based approachto teachinggrammar through focus on form withan emphasis on meaning making. The modelis consistent with Indigenous oral storytelling, culturalvalues, traditions andexpectations.
The study involves myself and fourteen secondgraders in Napaskiak, Alaska. ZJW Memorial School is one of 28 schools in the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Of these fourteen students, only one spoke Yugtun as his first language. The otherswere immersed into Yugtun as a second language. I implemented the PACE approach over the course of25 days. Data was gathered through field notes, student artifacts, video and audio recordings. The data reveals that meaning making andbuilding background knowledge can bea challengefor both teacher and students. Italso reveals thatthe teachershould be implementing multimodal approachestobuild comprehensible inputsothat students may produceoutput inthetarget language.
Table of Contents
Page
Abstract ...iii
Listof Figures ... viii
Listof Tables... x
ListofExcerpts ...xi
Chapter 1Introduction ... 1
Why Storytelling is Important... 2
Why We Need to MaintainOur Language...3
Why IWanted to ConductThis TAR... 5
How This Thesis is Organized...7
Chapter 2 Literature Review ...9
Storytelling...9
Multiliteracies ... 12
PACE Model...13
Chapter 3Research Methodology...27
Study Design: Teacher Action Research... 27
Analytic Framework: ConstructivistGrounded Theory... 29
Instructional Plan... 34
Research Activities...37
Chapter 4Analysis ... 43
Meet Group One ... 43
TheStory ...44
PACE Lesson Preparation andImplementation ...46
What ILearned ... 47
Presentation...48
Attention ...83
Co-construction ...87
Reflection onCo-Construction phase... 90
Extension ...93
Conclusion ...103
Chapter 5 Conclusion... 104
Presentation ...104
RespondinginEnglish... 105
Foreshadowing Grammar Explanations. ...106
UsingBase-forms to Introduce Vocabulary. ...106
Setting the Stage...107
Attention ...107
Co-construction... 108
Asking Higher Order Thinking Questions...108
Havingthe Students Retell. ... 109
Simplify Text, But MakeitChallenging. ... 109
Choosing a Story with Repetition... 109
Echo Reading. ... 110
Extension ... 110
What Iam Doing Now. ... 110
What ILearned ... 112
References ...113
List ofFigures
Figure 4.1: Traditional Sod-house ... 44
Figure 4.2: Grandchild Falling Down fromWindow ... 45
Figure 4.3: Grandmother Scolding Grandchild ... 45
Figure 4.4: Vocabulary Illustrations... 50
Figure 4.5: Picture ofaFamily ... 61
Figure 4.6: Sod-houses... 67
Figure 4.7: Sentence Stems...68
Figure 4.8: Student Writing 1 ...69
Figure 4.9: Student Writing 2 ...69
Figure 4.10: Akalleq Storytelling... 71
Figure 4.11: Taukuk-gguq-atam (There lived thosetwo) ...73
Figure 4.12: Maurlurlua (HisPoorGrandmother) ... 75
Figure 4.13: MaurlurlurluaQenengluni (His Poor Grandmother Got Angry) ...77
Figure 4.14:Aga-gangii(Ow-ow) ... 78
Figure 4.15: Qanrutellruyaqluten (I told you)...79
Figure 4.16:Storymap This is the page that J and L wrote... 81
Figure 4.17:Storymap... 82
Figure 4.18: Illustration... 84
Figure 4.19:Patterns found ...86
Figure 4.20:Worksheet -eller (naughty) and -urluq (poor)...90
Figure 4.22: Animal Story R and L... 98
Figure 4.23: Kap Story page 1...99
Figure 4.24: Kap Story page 2...99
Figure 4.25:QugcuunStory ...100
Figure 4.26:CungassStory ...101
Figure 4.27: Tupak Story...102
ListofTables
Table 3.1:TheProcessof TAR ... 28
Table 3.2: TAR and CGT ...31
Table 3.3:Overview Table oftheParticipants ... 34
Table 4.1:Avelngayagaurluq Pages One and Two... 44
Table 4.2:AvelngayaurluqPagesThree and Four ... 45
Table 4.3:AvelngayagaurluqPages Five and Six ... 45
Table 4.4:TheVocabularyIChose ... 49
Listof Excerpts
Excerpt4.1: Asriq (naughty)...52
Excerpt4.2: Maurlurluq (Poor grandmother)...53
Excerpt4.3:Avelngayaurluq (Poor little mouse) ... 54
Excerpt4.4:Milpagluku (To throw) ... 56
Excerpt4.5:Nunurtuq(He is scolding) ... 56
Excerpt4.6:Qer'aqtaalria (One who is running back and forth)...58
Excerpt 4.7:Tutgara'urluq (Poorgrandchild) ...59
Excerpt4.8:Tua-llu-gguq (Once upon a time)...71
Excerpt4.9:Taukuk-qquq atam (There lived thosetwo) ... 74
Excerpt4.10: Maurlurlua (His Poor Grandmother)... 75
Excerpt4.11:Aqvuq (Running) ... 77
Excerpt4.12:Agaganii (Ow-ow) ... 78
Excerpt4.13: Tang pika-i (Upthere) ... 79
Excerpt4.14: Atam una (look at this)... 84
Excerpt4.15: Qaill' qanerta (What does it say) ...88
Excerpt4.16: Asmartuq (Snap in two)... 89
Excerpt4.17: Wiinga ciumek (Me first) ... 91
Excerpt4.18: Ilquq man-a cilluku (Head is crushed)... 92
Excerpt4.19:Akwaugaq (yesterday)... 94
Excerpt4.20: Akleng (Poor)...95
Chapter 1Introduction As a child,my mother told us this bedtime story:
Taukuk-gguq-atammaurlurluqellriikuitaarqellriik, aka tamaani akwaugaq. Enecuaraurlumegniuitaarqellriik,maurlurluatutgaraurlurlua-llu.
Caqerlutekuitaurluinanermegni avelngayagaurluqaquiyaryunga'arrluni.Maurlurluan pillinililuku,“Avelngayagaurluuqasriurluryaqunak at'a.”
Maurlurluamingqeqcaaraurluinanranipikaggunegalerkunavelngayagall'er qer'aqertelliniluni.
Aa-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess,ika-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess!
Avelngayagallraaqpagsuulleraaqatracillraa igtell'erciquten! Maurlurluan nunulliniluku.
Niicuunaniavelngayagall'er qer'aqtalliniluni. Aa-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess,ika-vess-ka-vess- ka-vess. Avelngayagallraaqpagsuulleraa atracillraa igtell'erciquten!
Maurlurluannunurluku.Anglill' pag'ullermi avelngayagall'erminiicuipaa!
Aa-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess,ika-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess.Avelngayagallraaq pagsuulleraaq atracillraa igtell'erciquten! Maurlurluan ataam nunulliniluku.Niicuunani
avelngayagall'er qer'aqtalliniluni Aa-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess,ika-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess! Avelngayagallraaqpagsuulleraaqatracillraa igtell'erciquten! Maurlurluq
taqsuqengluni.
Maurlurlurluaqenengluniipuuksuaraminekmilpalliniluku.
Aa-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess,ika-vess-ka-vess-ka-vess!Avelngayagaurluqigpallalliniluni. Aga-ganii, aga-ganii,il'quq man'a ciilluku, tulimakmalruk asmart
Kitak ataqanrutellruyaaqekemkenqer'aqtaareskevkenak!Akngirqurainartuten! InEnglish this story goes as follows:
Once upon a time, there lived poorgrandmother and herpoorlittlegrandchild. They lived in theirpoor little house. One day thepoorlittlemousedecided to go play out. The poor grandmother said, “If you play outdonotbenaughty.” He went out to play,but decided to play runningacrossthewindowontop oftheirpoorlittlehouse.Grandmother yelled, “Naughty little mouse, donotrunacrossthewindow you will surely fall.” Butthe naughty little mousedidnotlisten. After afewtimesthe grandmother got mad and threw her poor little ladle atthenaughty little mouse. Hefell and crushedhis little head and broke his ribs. Grandmother ranout and said, “Itoldyou,mypoor little mousethat you will surely fall, now you arehurt.”
Why Storytelling is Important
InourYup'ik culture oral stories were passed down along with the morals of thestories. These storiesarethepillarsthat lead our lives in theright path as theYup'ik (real person) ofthe land. I grew up listening to stories from mymother.Shetold us Yup'ik children's bedtime stories during spring and summer camp.The story I retold is one of the many she toldme and one that I chose to use as partofmy teacher action research.Her stories had chants to lull meto sleep. I also listened to mygrandfather and his friends telling stories and softly chuckling at times. These stories were toldatcommunitygatherings where everyonewaspresent.Theelders and leaders ofthecommunity would tell thestories and everyone, adults and children alike would listen quietly. Storytelling teachesrespect,responsibility, and is agateway to the tradition, rules and valuesoftheYup'ik cultural way oflife.
Why We Need toMaintain Our Language
Waqaa, Cikigaugua, Napaskiarmiunguunga. AngayuqaagkaMayuralria,Miili-llu. Aataka Akulmiungullruuq, aanaka-llu Iqugmiunguluni. YuurtellruungaNapaskiarnitamaani-llu anglilua.
Hello,my name is IreneWassillie,Iam from Napaskiak,Alaska. My parents are Nicholas and Mary Steven. My fatherwas from the Akula area and my mother wasbornin Russian Mission. Iwas born and raised in Napaskiak. My first language is Yugtun.
WhenI started working as a teacher aide in Napaskiak in 1985, all thestudents spoke Yugtun as their first language.The only studentthatspoke English wastheteacher's child. By 2000, less than halfofthestudentsspokeYugtun. Today, none ofthestudentsthat come into kindergarten speak Yugtun. The last Yugtun first language speaker in ourschool is in third grade this year. Today,thestudents we areteaching in kindergarten, first and secondspeak English as their L1. Mostoftheparents and grandparentsdo not regularly speak to youngchildrenin Yugtun. These children only hear and speakYugtun in school. It is evident from this rapid change in only a few years thatlanguageshift takes place very quickly. Inthe 30 years I have been working,it went fromstudentsspeaking all Yugtun to speaking all English or speaking Yugtun as L2.
I have always valued ourYugtunlanguage.It is sad and heartbreakingthat we are losing ourlanguage.I believe once a language is lost, part ofthe culture and traditionsarelost with it. I believe the language is the core, theheart and thevoiceofthe culture and traditions of its people. As a grandparent ofstudentsthatarestill in theelementary grades, I speak to them in Yugtun at home and have them answerme in Yugtun. Iusemy kindergarten grandchild to doinformal assessmentasking what they learned in Yup'ikclass as I amtheirteacher. If he can tell mewhat
he is learning and sayit in Yugtun,I am satisfied.Asa teacher, I want what they arelearningin class to go home as homework.I have theparents help the children build Yugtun words using base-forms.Forexample, one timeIaskedmystudents to work with their family to identify words usingthebase-form niicug- (hear). Together with their parents oroldersiblings they built words fromthatbase-formsuch as: niicugnilartua (I listen), niicugtua (I want to hear),
niicugniunga (I am listening).
Myresearch took place in Napaskiak, Alaska at the ZJW Memorial School. Our school is a K-12 school with an enrollment of169. Napaskiak is atown ofabout 500 people. Mostof the residents are ofYup'ik origin.Yugtun is the main language ofthe elders and older adults.Most ofthe younger adults and thestudents first language is English.
There is a growing concernthat our students arelosingthemother language. As aYugtun teacher, Iam seeingthestruggles of the studentsas they try to learn the language I took for granted. When Ifirst started teaching, I could havenever imagined that we would be losing it at thisrate. The grandparents are fluent,the parents speak it, butthe children arenot speaking Yugtun.
Our school is a dual languageeducation school (DLE).DLE is aprogramthat isdesigned to support language maintenance. In ourschool,we use Yugtunasa medium of instruction for half of the day in secondthrough sixth grade andforan hour and a halfin kindergarten andfirst. InNapaskiakthe DLE program serves kindergarten through sixth grade. Incoming
kindergarteners speak thelocalEnglish dialect. In ourschool, thestudents in kindergarten and first grade are taught inEnglish for languagearts and math. Social studies, science andhealth are taught inYugtun. Fromsecond grade to sixth grade the students are taught halfof theday in
English andthe other half in Yugtun. They havelanguage arts and math in English andlanguage arts, social studies, science and health in Yugtun.
I amthe Yugtun teacher for grades kindergarten, first and second grade. This was thefirst yearthey have languagearts in Yugtun with me. The students and Iget frustrated. They get frustrated when they are notsaying the words correctly. Iget frustrated when they arenot responding theway I want them to speak and respond in the language. They usuallyrespond in English, not in Yugtun. WhatI wanted to focus on was how we might overcome these struggles andfrustrations.
Why I Wanted to Conduct This TAR
As aDLE teacher in theLower Kuskokwim School District, I am notthe only one who is concerned about language loss. Many of residents of Napaskiakandthesurrounding
communities agreethat our students needto become successful in learning both Yugtun and English. Eventhoughour students might understand more Yugtun than we sometimes realizeor assume, they are generally notas successful in speaking Yugtunas weall wouldlike. I have noticed that students in my classroomwould sometimes getfrustrated when they arenot saying thewords correctly. They needtohearthe language and keep practicing it to become confident in speakingthe language in the classroomas well as outside of theclassroom. Since mostthe children hearand speak Yugtun primarily intheschool, we needto make sure that we make the most ofthe time we havewith them in our classrooms. However, while LKSD has invested a lot oftimeand energyintocreating Yugtun materials for our classroom, Ihave found it difficult to work, in particular, withthe languageartscurriculum. One of my concerns is thatthelanguage artscurriculum thatthe district adapted was largelytranslated from English toYugtun, andinmy opinion doesnotmeettheneeds ofour students. In learning about the PACE model, I liked that
it integrates elderstorytelling,Yugtunorallanguage,the written language and a hands-on project that reflects the Yup'ik culture.
For my research, Ifocusedonthesecond-gradelanguageartsusing PACE. I chosethe PACE model becauseit starts offwithstorytelling, and then focuses on grammar in thestory. After that, the teacher and thestudents work together to create meaning while usingthefeatured focus onform. Another reasonthat drew me in the model wasthe extension activity. For the finalphase, I askedstudent to give apresentation using the grammatical feature thatthe students had focused on. Using this model has thepossibility to open this awarenessonofgrammatical features and connecting them to other patterns in thelanguage. I wanted to gain insightsinto how wellit would work withmysecond-gradestudents in anIndigenousDL classroom.
The storytelling approachwasthe main key forme in embracing this method. Because with oralstorytellingwe make our own imagesofthe story as it is being told. This is early literacy atits first stages. Itwasmy hope thatthis model would help mystudents'language and literacy development,sinceYugtun is theirsecondlanguage.Thepresentationwasan event to gather parents to seetheir children using the language to show them that they can speak and use itsuccessfully.
My choice in choosingthe PACE model builds onthe work of other LKSDYugtun teachers.The goal of my research was to improvemy own teachingmethod. It also directly supportsmystudents in their roles as second language learners. Iwas also hoping that what I learned would also be beneficial to otherteachers and students in LKSD. Iwas curious to seeif PACE could enhancetheYugtunReading Program, support vocabulary and grammarlearning and to move forward at afaster pace in learning and usingourIndigenous language.
Myresearch question was, “How do studentscreate meaning and focus on form using the PACE model in a 2nd grade Yugtun Language Arts Classroom?”It is significant for meand other Yugtunteachersto do research to look forwaystobuild back our Yugtun language where studentsare using andpracticingit. One of thereasonsI chose this was because we all want our students tobe successful in listening, speaking, and writing in their second language.I wanted to strengthen proficiency inthe Yugtun language andculture. I was curiousto see if thismodel would help me andmy students to achievethat goal. Ibelievethat once the students gain enough of the language theywill have a better grasp of the traditions,values, and culture of theYupik. How This Thesis isOrganized
Inmy Chapter 2, Ifocus on storytelling,meaning making, dual language education, input/ output hypothesis, second-language acquisition, focus on form andthe PACE model. These topics provide a foundation forbothmy instructional decisionto use the PACE model, and formy inquiry into students' language learning process. Chapter 3 describesthe main elements of my research methodology. This chapter reflects how I planned my research. Itexplains teacher action research andthe constructivist grounded theory. In Chapter 4, Ipresentmy research findings. What patternsI found,what Ilearned from this research and what I could changeto make meaning more meaningful. Chapter5 tells what conclusions I found and how I am planning tocontinue using what I learned inmy classroomto enhancethewayI teach, so that I can strive to be a better teacher of the language thatIlove.
Chapter 2 Literature Review
I used thePACE modelin my research, because it addressestheneeds ofmy students in becoming Yugtun speakers. My overall goal is to strengthen proficiencyin the Yugtun
Language. I chose this model sothat maybe we can reverse ourdying language into a thriving language full of traditions and culture of theYup'ik. This chapter summarizes research thatis relevantto three conceptsthat serve as the foundation ofmy research: 1) storytelling,
2) multiliteracies and 3) the PACE model. Storytelling
As children growing up inthe early 1960s, my peers and Igrew up in avillage where everyone spokeYugtun. We heard oral storytelling in community gathering. Oral storytelling in our Yup'ik culture has been handed down from generation to generation and has special
significance. Kawagley (2006) states, “As young childrenthe traditional Yupiaq people were given speciallyground lensesthrough which toviewtheir world” (p. 16). These storiesare the lensesthatprojectthe knowledge that was passed down tothenext generation throughthe Yup'ik ways of being. These lenseswerethe building blocks of ahealthy life-style and waysof living in harmonywiththe world around us. Kawagley (2006), also explainedthat these stories allowed children to savor thewordsandvisualize events, so the childnot only listened quietly but learned self-discipline andrespect for the rights of others. Agosto (2016) states,
“Visualization, ortheability to picture astory or otherwritteninformation, is afoundational literacy skill, helping young readers to comprehendwrittentexts” (p. 23). She found that during storytelling, children created mentalpictures of the stories and oftenenvisioned themselves in the storysettings taking part in the action.
John (2009) states, “The methodof Indigenous/Yup'ik constructionof knowledge begins withteaching achild how to beattentive, how tolisten carefully, and how tointernalize lessons andmorals” (p. 10). She went on to explain that “inqerquutet” (rules) and "qunruuyutet”
(advices)were taught repeatedly. An "inerquun” (rule) is a“we donotrule”. For instance, "Iqluyuilukul." (We do not lie.)is an“inerquun”. Onthe other hand, a "qunruyun” (advice) is "Ilatenkenkekuvkiyugnikekngaten amllerciqut." (If you are kind to yourpeers, you willhave a lotof friends). The third oneis an "alerquun" (rule). For example, “Qigcikutelurtukut”(We respectone another). The difference between “inerquun” and"alerquun" isthat"inerquun" is delivered as a"we do not” statementwhile"ulerquun”is delivered as a"we are” statement, and a "qanruyun”is astatement of advice. These rules oradvices connectstorytelling andmeaning making together to deliver alessonthatconnects culture and literacy. Irememberour mother tellingusbedtime stories. These stories contained morals of being a respectfulperson and to obeyourelders and parents sothat we wouldnotcomein harm's way. She would tellus,
“Ellanguten ellakavnek, allamek yuangerpet nataqusngaituten. (You have become aware of your world, you will not findanother awareness even though you lookforone.)” To become awarein ourculture comesat a time when achildis around eight or nine yearsold. This stage as also called "Ciutenguaralria" (when onehears what is told to them and retains it) (A. Evan, personal elder teacher. 1975) This age offirstawarenessis anideal timeto tell children stories thathave a moral about beingagoodand kindperson; onethat listens totheir parents and elders. Webster andYanez (2007) state, "Astory toldby an elder is an oral performance, atype ofdramatical recital” (p. xiv). They furtherexplained, "Narratedwith characteristic understatementthe story itself is a model of traditional Yupikconflict resolution, underlying the importance of
community opinionand silence as apower controller of behavior in traditional society” (p. xxv). Children are taught that when someone is bothering or taunting them notto respond or answer in an angry manner. The right wayto respond tothisis to maintain astoic andunperturbedsilence, andthento walk away. Children are instructed that whatever they say comes back to them and that silence most effectively deflects and neutralizesanger. The oral storiesthat children were told deliver amessagethat indirectlysends thismessage of maintaining a quiet humble reaction to any given situationthatthey encounter. The process of how to listen to the stories is critical to our cultural connection. The contents and thewayto listen to a story areinterdependent.
John (2009) states, “Yup'ik Indigenous parental methodfor raising a proper child with sound mind essentially apply to the mental, social, and physical welfare of the child in the community” (p. 59). A properchild is achildthatlearns from the stories thataretoldto himor her, sothatthey can be an asset to the community when they becomeadults. Meaning making in our Yup'ik world view isbuildingawareness andnurturing in awaythat addresses the whole child's awareness of who they areandwherethey came from. So, because we have become aware of our world, we should behave liketherespectful people that our creator meant us tobe. It was taught thatthere is interconnection in the world aroundus betweenall living things. For example, in many of the stories thatI have heard, human form can easily changeto animal form. Theseanimal forms shed their parkas to become human again. Mystory, “Avelngayaurluq” also displays this change, when he goes outto play, he uses his animal form. In relation to animaland human changing shape in oral stories, Kawagley (2006) commented, “There was a ready
communication between humans and animals displaying a feelingof oneness” (p. 28). Similarly, reporting on herworkwith Aboriginalstudents andrelatedness, Martin (2008) discusses that oneness explains relatedness between elements ofland and people interms ofkinship and
beyond embodied physical forms in a waythatis quite simple but deeply profound (p. 61). In other words, relatedness is experienced indepth as a set of conditions, processes and practices that occur among and between animals, plants, skies, climate, waterways and people. Teaching these kinds oflessonsthrough stories to our younger children gives themaccess tothe lenses whichbuild meaning in ways thatare more consistent with Yup'ik meaning making.
In our Yup'ik wayoflife, then, meaning making isconnected to storiesabout being a good person and making good choices. This meaning making process includes listening,
absorbing, seeing, observing, practicing, and then doing. For example, when achildis learning to bead the first step is observingwhile listening totheinstructor making aproject. The next step would be to practice withtheinstructor by copyinghis/her design. The laststep would be to createtheir own design. Thesame can be said about learning to be ahealthy andprosperous person. Each child learns using these steps astheygrow into adulthood. Then, as adults, they become positive role models.
Multiliteracies
Inthewestern education, meaning making isusually learning somethingandtaking it apart to better understanditandthen putting it back together in their own way. A multiliteracies perspectiveoffersa different approachto language learning, onethat is more congruent with Yup'ik ways of meaning making,because it emphasizes multiple modes of meaning making. Cope and Kalanzis (2009) stated, “In a pedagogy of Multiliteracies, all forms ofrepresentation, including languageshould be regarded as dynamicprocesses oftransformation rather than
processes ofreproduction”(p. 10). This meansthat learners aretaking what they are given, they become meaning makers, andthey are the makers and re-makers of what theylearned. This is
similar tothe Yup'ik wayof teachingthatI described earlier. Yup'ik stories can also be
multimodal theycan include oral storytelling (quliriq, (qanemciq), story-knife (yaaruiq∖ dancing (yιιraq) and string illustrated stories (airraq). On multimodalilties of meaning, Cope and
Kalanzis (2009)wrotethatmultimodalmean has many modes including written language, oral language, visual, audio, tactile, gestural and spatial representation. Yuraq is storytelling that involves the motions and gestures thatrepresentthemessage ofthe story through music and dance. Yuraq involvesoral,visual, audio, gestural and spatial representation. In string stories (airraq)the storyteller uses string to tell their story have drawing on oral, visual, audio,tactile, and spatial forms of representation. During Yaariuq, the storyteller uses a knife to make symbols asthey tell the story, utilizingwritten, oral, andspatial representation. In the classroom, ateacher can integrate storytelling, inthe Yup'ik tradition,with a multiliteracies approachto help students understand and create rich storiesthroughmultiplemodes of meaning making. This makes learning an ongoingprocessthat starts at home, continuing at the school and comes back tothe home.
PACE Model
According to Adair-Hauck andDonato(2002a) the PACE model is a story-based approachtoteaching meaning and form with a focus onproficiency. The reason I chose the story-based approachisbecauseIgrewuptostorytelling. Storytellingisthe foundation of meaning making; awayto open up ways of thinking. Storytelling is also a tool foropening your imagination. It was awayfor parentsand grandparents to teach theway of life in theYup'ik culture. I chose PACE because it emphasizes building proficiency: Proficiencyis the ability to perform actions or functions using the targetlanguage. Proficiencyis the ability to use the language for real-world purposes, whichis what we needto focus onto maintain and revitalize
our Yugtun language.Proficiencyoriented teaching emphasizes communication asthe core of second language learning and views grammaras awayto supportmeaning. So, building proficiencyis making meaning and building onthatto apointwhere you can use the target language in asetting wherethereis apurpose. Building language proficiency ismy overarching goal, so it madesense formeto investigate aninstructional approachthat is designedto teach language through storytelling.
The PACE modelwas originally developed for older students thatare learning a foreign language. Iwantedtoexploreitto see if it workedin an elementary Yugtun immersion
classroom. I ambuilding on theworkof my collegesinLKSD. For example, Lincoln (2016), a first-grade teacher in Toksook Bay, had her students listen to an elder storyteller using chants and songs. Her focus on form was tohaveher students notice how Yugtun words change from singular to dual and pluralforms. Unlikemy students, her students speak mostly Yugtun. Also, Strunk (2016), a first-grade teacher in Quinhagak, applied the PACE model by using an elder storyteller in her project, she alsohad high school studenttutorsworkingwiththe first graders to make iMovies using iPads. These projects provided some evidencethatthePACE model could be successfully used in Yugtun immersionclassrooms, howevertheydidnot include thetype of systematic dataanalysisI employed inmy research. Sinceall ofmy students wereYugtun second language learners, Iwantedto connect the elderstoryteller andthe book I made ofher story to buildmy student's proficiency andfocusing onmeaning.
Glisan andDonato (2017) state, “The PACE model makes use of a coretext in the form of an interesting story from the target languageculture” (p. 95). They furtherstatedthat stories are excellent ways topresent language forms to learners, because stories naturally create a context, they are meaningful and can be made relevant to the learners' lives. Oral storytelling,
according to Agosto (2016), is beneficial toliteracy as youngchildren we are drawn to
storytelling and listening to storytellers. Ibelieve, asAgosto (2016)that storytelling forany age is beneficial toliteracy (p. 21). I grew up to oral storytelling,which ledme to become interested in reading andenjoying other cultures through the stories I read.
When talking about PACE, Paesani (2005) explained, “The frameworkof the story providesa continuous flow of mental images that help thelearnerto assign meaning and functions tothe forms theyhear” (p.19). This means that the listeners form pictures ofthe story thatisbeingtoldbythe storytellers. Adair-Hauck andDonato (2002b) selected a Francophone storyfrom Senegal, “Le Bras,la Jambe et le Ventre” to design aPACE lesson. Thestory involves threebrothers who have reached an agewhere they want to go outand see theworld. Their father,whoisdistraught about therecent death of his wife, begs them to stay with him. They finally get his blessing and went out. The father reminds them notto be ungrateful or egotistical andnotto forget all the things thattheirparentshave done forthem. Two of the brothers donot heed their father's advice andthey experience negative consequencesfortheir actions. The story my elder told is of a grandchild who was nota very obedient child and he got hurt because he did notheedthewarningof his grandmother. I wanted my students to understand thelessonthatthe storyteller was telling. Iwanted them to make meaning of the context.
The “P” in PACE represents “Presentation”. During thisphase, the focus is on
meaningful language. This meansthatthe students need togain the whole meaning of thestory andnotjust the phrases or sentences ofthe story. The students needto know the characters, the setting, the main eventandthe moral of the story. By the end of the presentation phrase, the students should be able to retell the story with some visual aids. In order to prepare students for the first telling ofthe story, thePresentationphase also includes listening and pre-storytelling
activities. Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) state, “Many storytellingactivities can play a criticalrole by tapping into the learners' higher critical thinking skills” (p. 280). They statedthat teachers canhavethe students predict what thestory is about by using the title as a clue to activatetheirhigher critical thinking skills. They can write about what the story might beabout and later they cancompareitwiththeauthor's intentions. Italsobringsthe culture tothe
classroomthroughthe story.
Anotherwaytolook at the presentation phase isthat is provides what Krashen (1982) callscomprehensible input. According to Krashen (1982), when input is understood this way, information about second language syntax is automatically available to the learner. Partofinput hypothesis is that learners can and should be exposedto language just aheadof theircurrent level of ability, rather than exposed only to language they already know. The Presentationphase of the PACE modeltaps into the students' ability to learn language in meaningful context.
The final stage ofthe presentation phase is when theintroduction of the target vocabulary words ofthe story. Adair-Hauck and Donato (2002b), statedthat for theirlessontento twelve criticalvocabulary words were introduced using props, visuals and mime toassistthe learners' comprehension beforethe story phase. Somepossible ways they used to introduce vocabulary were; using facial expressions, using pictures, showing visuals, acting outaction verbs, andusing props. For my introductionof thevocabulary, I selected 18vocabulary words. I used the
smartboard to write the words and illustratethemeaning. For some words I used gestures, acting outand pictures to getthe meaning for the concept ofthe word. Lyster (2007) states, “To ensure comprehension experiencedteachersrelyextensivelyon techniques that transform subject matter intocomprehensible inputfortheir students...”(p. 59-60). He statedthatteachers are known to modify theirspeech byspeaking more slowly in thebeginning grades, emphasizing key
vocabulary words orphrases. Teachers also facilitatecomprehension using extensive body language, including gestures and facial expressions and a rangeof paralinguistic elements.
Teaching vocabulary todual language learners is critical, because without building vocabulary theywill be unableto use the target languagetogetthe meaningacross to their audience. According to Gillanders, Castro and Franco (2014), teachers should become aware of how they use language in the classroom. Theyneed to teach specific words in a variety of ways andtheyalsoneedto learnabout Dual Language learners(DLLs) and how much of thetarget language and sociocultural experience the students have. Theymade thefollowing suggestions forteaching vocabulary:
• Provide opportunities forDLLsto listen anduse words in avariety ofcontext and multiple occasions.
• Create conditions in which words are learned in an effective and efficient manner. • Take intoconsideration thatDLLs come tothe classroom with different levels of the
target language.
• Take advantage of knowledgeof thewordinthefirstlanguage.
• Makeexplicit connectionsto children's sociocultural experience at homeand community.
• Create situationsinwhich children are actively engaged in learning a new word. (p. 215-217)
Ifwe want our students to beable to communicate inthe target language asthey progress in their knowledge of their second language, itisvital tobuildtheir vocabularyin the first few years of immersion. The first step inteaching vocabularyis forthe teacher to provide
opportunities for students tohearand use the vocabulary words in a variety of contexts and multiple occasions.
Using the vocabulary words in a variety of ways and using it often (7-12 times) in
meaningful context is important sotheywill beable to use it ontheir own. As teachers, we need to target these wordsin specific activities wherestudents are repeating and using them. I wanted to learn more about teaching vocabulary,because students come to school with different
exposure to the Yugtun language. Someofmy parents speak totheirchildren in theYup'ik language but donotrequirean answer inthe same language. Others come fromhomeswherethe adults use Yugtun to communicate among each other, but speak to the children in English. In somehomes, childrendo nothear Yugtunat all. To make explicitconnections tochildren's sociocultural experience at home and community, Ihave the students bring homeworkthat builds wordsthatbeginwithabase-form. For example, tobuildwordsthatwith mana- (to fish). They came back with words like “Manallruunga (I was fishing), Manaryugtua (I want to go fishing), Manarciqua (Iwill fish). Gillanders, Castro and Franco (2014) also suggestthat inorder for
students to learn a new word, we needtoengagethem in situationswherethey are using the words; be it repeating theword, writing theword or sayingitin a sentence (p. 217).
When discussing vocabulary teaching, itis important to recognize that Yugtun words work quite differently from Englishwords. In Yugtun, a word usually startswith a base-form. Base-formsare verbs likeaqui- (to play). These base-forms are used to build sentences. For example, aquigua (Iam playing) to aquiyugtua (I want toplay)to aquillruunga (Iplayed outside).
As part of thePACE model, key words fromthe story are pre-taught in different tasksor activities. These activities mayinclude memory cardsgames or cooperative activities. Inaddition
tointroducingthewords in the pre-presentation phase, vocabulary building continuesinattention and co-construction phases. The students arereceiving, repeating and then practicing thetarget words.
Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002a) statedthat these prelistening and prestorytelling activities setthe stageforthe storytelling. After theintroduction of the target vocabulary words, the actual storytelling takes place. Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) explain, “During the actual storytelling phase, the teacher tells or negotiates the meaning of the story using ancillary tools (props, illustrations, gestures, mime) to help conveythe meaningof the story” (p. 282).
Comprehensible inputcantake several daysbefore the students masterthetargetword or vocabulary. For our storytelling, we went outtoan elder's home tohearthe story. This was followed thenextdaybythe introduction of thebook, whichI made forthe students to use as a text.
Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) suggest, “For this story, the teacher could ask for volunteersto actout parts of the main characters:Bras, Jambe, Ventre andPere as s/he tells(not read) the story”(p. 282). They also statethatto deepen the learners' comprehension the teacher needsto retell the story several more times. In the second telling/reading, this caninclude graphicorganizers to assist in focusingon theWho-What-Where-When ofthe story. Atthis stage, the students can also retell the story using props oractoutthe story. The studentscan also sequence the story using smaller propsor visuals asthe teacher tellsthe story. When the students comprehend the story and are ableto retellit, thenitistimefor the focus on form or theattention phase. Giroir, Grimaldo, Vaughn andRoberts (2015) recommend, “After thesecond reading of the text, teachers extend vocabulary understanding,making furtherconnectionstothe words' usesinthetextand how they relate to contextoutside ofthe text, includingstudents' experience”
(p. 645). They also recommended that students practice reviewand listen forthe vocabulary duringthe second reading of thestory.
“A” represents “Attention”. Thisis when theteacherhelps to draw attention to a
grammatical feature in thetext. It makesit clear to the learner what the instructional target is and providesactivities to assist them in discovering howthegrammarof the language supports the meaning making process. In immersion instructional settings focus on meaning toooften does not moveon to focus on form. Glisan, andDonato(2017) state,“.. .focus on form must always occur in a meaningful contextand must make visible tothelearner how aparticularlanguage formis used forthevariousmodes ofcommunication” (p. 92). So, in an immersion setting focus on form should not be isolated but should be taughtinthecontextof the story notin aseparate lesson. Long (1991) states, “Instruction which encourages a systematic, non-interfering focus on form produces afaster rate of learning and(probably) higherlevels of ultimate SLattainment than instruction withno focus onform” (p. 47). Thismeansthat students in immersion settings can benefit from focusing on form morethan from receiving comprehensive inputalone. During the“attention” phase, students' attention is drawntothetargeted language features in thecontext ofthe story.
Lyster(2007) explains, “Form focused instructional options are generally considered most effective when implemented in communicative contexts, to ensurethat learners will beable to transfer what they learned in the classroomto communicative interaction outsidethe
classroom” (p. 43). Students need focus onformthatfocuses on meaning through noticing, this results in students who can understand what is said to them. This knowledge carries to being able touse what they learned inconversations using the language they learned to the world outside of the classroom.
For my students, I wanted tofocus on -eller (naughty one) and -urluq (poor one). Adair-HauckandDonato (2016) state, “The Attention phase takes placein a relatively short period of time. It is aphase ofthelessonwherethe teacher has the opportunity todraw learners' attention to the form thatwill be discussed in thenextphase of the lesson” (p. 216). Adair-Hauck and Donato (2016) statedthatthe attention phase is necessary to call attention to some salient part or linguistic element. Theirexamplefor this phase was to use an overhead transparency with example sentences taken from the story and highlighting the forms for investigation.
For my Attention phase, I was trying to draw attentionto -urluq (poor one) and -eller (naughty one). Language forms in my language are different from English language forms. Sally Samson, a Yugtun Language Instructor at the Kuskokwim Campus explains, “A word or
sentence always begins with a base-form and these base-forms are always a noun orverb. After the base-word there are different post-bases andtheir functions are different. Actually, they have two functions. The first function is to add agrammatical function tothe base oradding more informationtothe base. For instance, angaq (boat) becomes angyarpak (boat that is big). Inthe secondfunction, there are post-basesthatchangethe meaning of the base. Ifthe base-word is a nounit can become averb or ifitis a verb, it can become anoun, forexample, atkuk(parka) and atkuliuq (she is making aparka), -li-changes a noun toa verb and teng- (to fly) becomes
tengssuun(airplane oran object that flys)”, where -ssun changes it from a verbto anoun. (S. Samson, personal communication, December 15, 2018)
For instance, inmyproject when I say, “The poor little mouse”in Yugtun itis “Avelngayagaurluq(mouse littlepoorhim/her)”and “the naughty or bad little mouse” is “Avelngayagaller(the mouse,little, bad, him/her)”. The base-form (avelng-) is followed by the post bases (-yagaller). So,within the wordtherecan be many post-bases (morphemes).
“Aquiyaryugciquten-qaa? Aqui-yar-yug-ciq-uten-qaa(play-go to-want-in thefuture-you?)” Will you want to go play outside later?' isagood exampleto see thepost-bases. The Attention phase usually doesnottake alotof time. The teacher has the students focus on the targeted
grammatical structure. Inmy research, I drew their attention to -eller (naughty one)and-urluq (poor one).
“C” standsfor“Co-construction”. During the “C” of PACE, the teacher and student co construct the grammaticalfeature. Glisan and Donato (2017) state, “During the Co-construction phase, the teacher assists learners indeveloping the concept ofthe target structure highlighted in the Attention phase” (p. 97). The teacher has to assist the students in understandingthe
functional use of thetargetedgrammatical feature. They further wrote thatthe teacher and learners can co-construct the structure, meaning and the function of the grammatical featurethat was noticedat the Attention phase. Adair-Hauck and Donato(2016) state, “Co-construction involvescollaborative talk between teacher and students to reflect on, hypothesis about, and createunderstanding about the form, meaning and function of the new structurein question” (p. 217). In this phase, the teacher asks questionsthatare clear and direct. Some questions may be, “What patterns do you notice in thistext? What do you think they mean?Do you seechanges that occur within the words?”
Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) state, “We needto note that, unlike guided techniques, whichrely primarily on teacher questioning, a co-constructed explanationisnotaninterrogation, onthe contrary, co-constructed explanations acknowledge that learners may not recognize the target forms on theirown”(p. 285). They claim thatthe students should be able to ask questions and co-construct with one another andwiththe teacher to discover the target patterns. During this phase, theycan also constructstory mapsto reconstruct the meaning of the story.
For thisphase, I wanted my students to be able to read the story ina guided reading setting and to identifythe featured grammaticalfeature. I wanted them to complete the story using the grammaticalfeature. In an immersion setting students too often donot produce the kind of output that Swain(2000) talks about. Swain (2000) states, “One role for output in second language learning is thatit may promote “noticing” (p. 99). She went on and said that noticing a formmust occur for it to be acquired. I wascurious to how using thePACEmodel wouldlead to students using Yugtun in the classroom. Swain (2000) also states, “Anotherway in which
language may servethe language learning process is through hypothesis testing” (p. 100). She went on and saidto learna language, studentsneed to do something andthiswould be through speaking andwriting. Swain(2000) argues, “Itseems to me, thattheimportance ofoutput to learningcould be that output pushesprocess language moredeeply with more mentaleffort than doesinput” (p. 99).
“E” standsfor“Extension”. Adair-Hauck andDonato (2002b) explain, “Negotiation of meaning, as well as negotiation of form, are at theheartof extension activities” (p. 286).
Negotiation of meaning is when learners engage in activities that involvescommunication using prompts they attempt to understandthe meaningof the word. Negotiation of form is how a teacher usesfocus on form togive corrective feedback. They further statedthat secondlanguage learner researchers have stressed that acquisition occurs when learners havethe opportunities to use the language in ameaningful transaction, transferring comprehensible input into output. In other words,using thegrammatical feature. Extension activitiescan be a wide variety of activities including information gap, role playing, drama, games,writing projects, surveys, and other activities that are endless. Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) explain, “Later on to be sure, the extension activitiescan include different contexts or stories that provide interactive activities
using the grammaticalforms” (p. 286). They pointed outthatextension activitiesstretch the learners to move fromthe semanticlevel tothe syntactic level, they move from focus on meaning to focus on meaning and form. The students work together to createthegrammatical structurethat was featured forpublication. Thenforthe extension,thegrammatical feature is used in a presentation orpublication. One rationale fordoingthisisthe output hypothesis. Swain (2000) stated, "It seemstomethatthe importance of output to learningcould be that output pushesthelearnertoprocess language more deeply-with more effort-than does input. With output the learner is incontrol” (p. 99). Shealso statedthatthey need to create linguistic form and meaning and in so doing discover what they can or cannot do. Students' meaningful production of languageoutput would thus seem tohave a potentially significant role inlanguage development. Atthis phase, our students are using the vocabulary andthetargetedlanguage features to create asentence ora paragraph. For the“E”, my students made an animal book and a class book withthe grammaticalform thatthey learned.
In conclusion,Adair-Hauck andDonato(2002b) explain, "Story-based language learning activities provide an excellentvehiclefor integratingcultural products, practices and
perspectives forbeginning andintermediatelevel students” (p. 290). They went on and stated that throughout the story some of the culturalperspectives and values indigenous to West Africanculture in"Le Bras, laJambe, et la Ventre” such asthe importance of nature andthe need tolivein harmony withnature, the importance of lineality, andrespectforelders were addressed andthat the story"echos” the importance of actionsthat reflect being responsible family and community members. For mystudents, Iwanted them to learn that our caretakers teach us to listen andrespecttheir teachings. I wanted them to be able to distinguish the
difference between-urluq and -eller intheir own lives and how our elders taught young children to become role models.
Adair-Hauck andDonato, (2002b) conclude, “Inthis sense, aPACElessonis a powerful democratic pedagogical tool for all students” (p. 292). This is a bridge thatconnectstheway I learned growing up listening to stories and using PACE, which brings storytelling tothe
classroom, thatbrings culture and traditions in the formof storytelling. I was curious asto how my students wouldreactto this way of learning andif theywould be able to use the grammatical feature I was focusing on. Using thePACE model is a powerful instructionaltool to connect literaturewithourculture and storytelling in a second languageclassroom. It is away to bring back our oral storytelling and connectit to classroom instruction. I had a potluck withmy students andtheir families toconclude my lesson. It was a wonderful experienceto see the students proudly presentto their families using the target language.
Chapter 3 ResearchMethodology
Myresearch is centered in theretention and revitalization of the Yup'ik language, some call it Yugtun (in the language of the Yup'ik). SinceI felt likemy students werenot retaining and practicing thetarget language duringtheregular languagearts program, I wanted to investigate what would happen when implementing thePACE model, a promising method for teaching language and literacy inaYup'ik/English Dual Language classroom. In order to gain insight into my own teaching and my studentsmeaning making process, I designed a teacher action research study and usedconstructivist grounded theory to analyzemy data. Specifically, I wanted to answer the followingquestion:
How do students create meaning andfocus on form using thePACE model in a2ndgrade Yugtun Language Arts classroom?
Within this larger question, I focused on how and when my students would use the target language (Yugtun) during instruction throughout PACE.
StudyDesign:Teacher Action Research
Mills (2018) explains that TARismademeaningful in that it helps teachers to identify theneedstheir students andfocus on ways to address these needs with an action plan. Somekey features or characteristics of TAR are that (1) itfocuses on students, (2) itentails systematic data gathering, (3) it requires a reflective stance, (4) it leads to instructional change, (5) itis cyclic.
I wanted to see what would happen when I used thePACE model. If it was a useful method to use in ourteaching ofYugtun as a second language in athematicunitin social studies and language arts. I wanted my students to be more successful in learning vocabulary andthe grammar astheyusethe language andI thought thatPACEwould be a tool touseformy research. This addressesnumberone inthe characteristics of TAR. According to Mills (2018)
action research is a systematic inquiry system. It isthe data collection and analytic procedure that makes TAR systematic. Using PACEis asystematicwayto approachmy teaching andusing TAR is a systematic approach to my research.
Onekey characteristic of Teacher Action Research (TAR)is created by teachers for themselves (Mills, 2018). It has a focus on the research topic and explains how theteacher researches on an area or skill thattheyfeel that they need to focus on to better themselves. When entering into TAR a teacher looks into their own teaching strategies orteaching method and identifies an areathatthey want to focuson. The teacherestablishes a research topicthat they think thattheyneedto address. They plan on how theywill gathertheirdataand conduct the research. Then he makes an actionplan to follow through on their research.
Mills (2018) statesthataction research has the following four steps; 1. Area of Focus, 2. Collect data, 3. Analyze andinterpretdataand 4. Develop an actionplan. The following table has the steps and how I used these steps in myresearch.
Table 3.1: The ProcessofTAR Four steps of
TAR
Steps I took
Ares of Focus Used thePACE model in a 2nd grade classroom for meaning making and focus on formin Yugtun.
Collecting data • Video and audio recordings, • noticing worksheets,
• mapping activities, • journal entries,
• -ellerand-urluq book pages, • grading rubric
Analyze and interpret data
Transcribing, translating and codingthevideoand audio recordings Looking forpatterns orcritical moments
Develop an action plan
Mills (2018) states, “It is generally acceptedin action research circlesthatresearch should notrely on any single source of data, interviews observation orinstrument” (p. 139). This is when triangulation is recommended. I used atriangulationmatrix to set thetime line and the research data collection. Thisgave my research a structuretofollowand ameans to collect data in a qualitative data collection technique. Collecting information in many different ways gives the research strength.Mills (2018) claimsthattheteacheristheinstrument who, in collecting data,utilizes a variety of techniquesover an extended period of time.
This gavethe research validity as Mills (2018) stated, “In short,the validity ofour action research depends in whether the solution to a problem (our planned intervention) actually solved ourproblem” (p. 153). Tohavevalidity, Ineeded to have credibilityas a teacher in notingall the changes I canmake asa teacher to better myself. One of thebiggestchangesI wanted to make was to make my story to be repetitive, with simple words andthemoral to be something like patience. After that, I went into the reflectivechanges and made instructional changes. It is a cycle (cyclic)that on-goings for all teachers that want to make a difference in their teaching. Analytic Framework:ConstructivistGrounded Theory
Charmaz (2014) states, “Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) is grounded theory methods thatconsistofsystematic guidelines forcollecting and analyzing datato construct theoriesfromthe data” (p. 1). Itoffers a set of general, principles, guidelines, and strategies rather thanformulaicprescriptions. It letsussee, hear, and useoursense while doingthe data gathering. CGT also has explicit guidelines that show how toproceed. It leads oneto make early stops to analyze what one finds in theirdata, then go back and forth between dataand analysis. This keeps one interactive and involved untilonefindstheirpath and final destination. Charmaz
(2014) listed ninegroundedstrategiesthattheorists use, butstatedthat most researchers engage in one through five:
1. Conduct data collection and analysissimultaneously in an interactive process 2. Analyzeactions and processesrather than themes and structure
3. Usecomparative methods
4. Draw on data (e.g. narratives and descriptions) in serviceofdeveloping new conceptualcategories
5. Developinductive abstract analytic categoriesthroughsystematic data analysis 6. Emphasize theory constructionrather than descriptionsor application of current
theories
7. Engage in theoretical sampling
8. Search for variations in thestudiedcategoriesorprocess
9. Pursue developing category rather than a specific empirical topic (p. 15)
CGT starts with a research question. Afterthis, one collects data with participants, in my case, this is with mystudents.Afterthe initial gatheringofdata, one then goes to initialcoding. Initial coding moves us toward laterdecisions about defining ourcoreconceptual categories. Through comparing data with data,Charmaz(2014)statesthat we learnour research participants view as problematic and begin to treat itanalytically(p. 116). This is followedby focused coding. Charmaz (2014) explains, “Infocused you usethesecodes to, shift, sort, synthesize and analyzelargeamountsof data” (p. 138). Charmaz (2014) went on and explainedthat focused coding expedites your analytic work enormously without sacrificing the details ofyour data and codes. Focused coding is a step in organizing howyou treatyour data and a way to manageyour emerging analysis. As Ianalyzedmy data Ilookedforan emergent theory to explainmydata.
Charmaz (2014) stated, “Codingisthe pivotal link betweencollecting dataand developing an emergent theoryexplain these data” (p. 113). She claimsthat grounded theory coding generates the bones of your analysis. Through coding you define what is happening inthe dataandbeginto find the meaning. Through the procedure, researchers haveto becareful to avoid forcingtheir datato preconceived codes and categories. All researchers have
preconceptions andthis ties to who you are, where youcome from and how you were raised. These influence what we attendto and how we make sense of it. This being said, and since my research question is based onunderstanding andusing a second language, Ikept in mind these preconceptions and asked myself tolook closely at the conversations andlookfor incidents that linktothe research question to find evidenceinthe incidents. So, how didI useTAR and CGT in my study design? The following table helped meto see how they areintertwinedand how I used them.
Table3.2: TAR and CGT
TAR CGT
I gathered data by recording and taking notes
Conduct datacollection Itranscribed andtranslatedmy data into
English
Analyze actions andprocesses rather than themes and structure
Ibegin by looking at my dataand comparing and startedcoding
Usecomparative methods Iwrotenotes and memos todevelop
new conceptsthatwerebeingto show
Draw on data (e.g. narrativesand
descriptions) in service of developing new conceptual categories
The coding changed asI went over them again and again to draw in an
understanding of thetranscription
Pursue developing category rather thana specific empirical topic
I drew an overarching umbrella to see thepieces coming together into smaller categories
Developinductiveabstract analytic categories through systematic data analysis
In these smaller categories I saw
incidents thatneededto beaddressed to analyze
Emphasize theory construction rather than descriptions or application of current theories
Theoretical sampling emerged indata analysisin chapter 5
Engage in theoretical sampling Using the pieces of PACE to search for
variations in thecategories or process
Search forvariationsinthe studied categories orprocess
Since TARistheprocesswhere questions are created and research is implemented to discover our own teaching method and improvesour practice and CGT takes these data collectionsand provides a structureto code andanalyze data, they helped metoengagein theoretical sampling asIprogressed into theconclusion of my study.
Setting
I didmy research inNapaskiak, Alaska at the ZJW Memorial School,which is a K-12 school withan enrollmentof169. The population ofthe community is about 500. Yugtun is the main language of the elders and older adults, whilethe younger adults andthe students mostly speak in English.
We are a DualLanguage Education school (DLE), which serveskindergartento sixth grade. The studentsthat come in speak thelocal Englishdialect. Inour school, the students in kindergarten and 1st grade are taught in Englishfor languagearts and math. Social studies,
science and health are taught in Yugtun. From second grade to sixth grade the students are taught half of the day in English andthe other half in Yugtun. They have languagearts and math in English and languagearts, social studies, science and health in Yugtun.
For the second grade, Yugtun instruction isa 150-minute block in the morning that covers languagearts, social studies, science andhealth. Then at theend of the daybilingual centers areinthe language of the day, which is YugtunforMonday and Wednesday and English for Tuesday and Thursday. During this centerstime, the students work on extension activities related to objectivesthat were taught during content times.
Participants
I didmy research inmy second graders' classroomduringthe languagearts and social studies time andinthe afternoon duringcenters time. During the time of the research, I had 14 secondgraders. Since our school is a DLE program, the students work in pairs or quads formost ofthe day. For instance, for languagearts the students are grouped by English reading
proficiencylevels. Eachgroup has one high reader, twomedium readers and onelowreader. The high and medium are paired and medium and loware paired in thisgroup offour. They are all beginning readers in Yugtun, because in secondgradeitistheirfirst year of languagearts in Yugtun(in kindergarten and year,these students received languagearts instruction in English. Pairs consistof a student rated as high andmedium in Yugtun and a student rated asmedium and lowin Yugtun. Ofthese 14 students, I picked agroup of four formy research (see Table 3.3). These students are seven and eight yearsold. Three outof these students werejust startingto produce simple sentences inYugtun. Their first language isEnglish. They do not speak Yugtun outside of school, exceptforone student whose first home language isYugtun. Atthe beginning oftheyear he spokemostlyEnglishbut understood Yugtun and spokeit better than his peers.
Table3.3: Overview Table ofthe Participants Pseudonym gender English reading
level
1st language Yugtun reading
J boy Low Yup'ik reads 3 letter syllables
3 to4 letter words
L girl Medium English reads 3 lettersyllables
3 to4 letter words
R boy Low English Sounds outletters
S girl High English Can read 2-3 syllable
Words
The reason I picked these four was because this grouping represents the general population of the class. Risthe lowest readerand his understanding of Yugtun is the lowest, where J isthehighest in Yugtuncomprehension and his English reading skills arelowbutnotas lowasR's. S isthehighestreader in English, andLis quiet and attentive, herunderstanding of Yugtun ishigherthanR's. S is able to decodeYugtun slowly buther comprehension is low. Within this quad, RandL and S andJwere paired.Behavior wise, J has short attention spanand has to do things quickly or he will lose interest, whileR's demeanor is laid back, but he gets his work done. L isquiet andwilling to please her teacherand S is aleaderand encourager of her peers. In anideal DLE setting each quad always represents a high, medium, medium andlow achievinglearner.
Instructional Plan
I used thePACEModel as my instructionalmodel, a story-based approachtomeaning making and focus onform for standards-based language learning(Adair-Hauck and Donato, 2002a). It is anapproachtoteaching of grammarthatemphasize communication as thecore of second language learning.
The PACE stands for Presentation, Attention, Co-construction and Extension
“P” in PACE standsfor “Presentation”. Thereare pre-listening andpre-story activities to buildbackground knowledge. Thenthe actual story is told. Thestory can be followed by other activities focusing on comprehension and meaningmaking.
“A” in PACE standsfor“Attention”. The teacher focuses students to aparticular language form or a grammaticalfeature of the story.
“C” in PACE standsfor“Co-Construction”. This is when the students and teacher co construct thegrammarby finding patternsinthe text. This is done through indirect, guiding questions or giving hints.
“E” in PACE standsfor“Extension”. Here the students are engaged inactivities that encouragethe grammatical structuresto be created inany form thatwill be presented to an audience. They haveto demonstrate thatthey have comprehended the content of the lesson or the grammatical feature.
I selected my story afterthinking about the oral storytellingthat we are losing along with language loss. When I think about language loss, I think about the stories thatweretoldtothe children as they were growing up and alongwiththese stories are the morals thatare imbedded into the stories. The old ways of our peopleare disappearing along with themis thehistory anda difficultway of life wheretheland was the main source oflifefor survival.
For “Pre-P” or“Pre-Presentation” in my research, I introduced the vocabulary andhad students write these with pictures in their writing journals. We also did cooperativeactivities to retain these focus vocabulary words. The students built sod-houses forthe setting of the story. We learned thatlong ago, our people lived insod-houses with awindow on thetopwhich was alsothe smoke hole for thefireplacethat was inthe center of the sod-house. We did this by
lookingat old pictures of the village and learning thatNapaskiakhad only sevenhouses when it was established in the early 1930s. We lookedat pictures of sod-houses in other books and finally did a Google search on the smartboard. Afterthe search, the students worked in quadsor triadstobuildtheir own sod-house using popsicle sticks andglue. Then we went toan elder's house andhadherto tell the oral story withamoral on behavior and following rulesat home, at school andthe community.
I retold the story of the elder using my version of the story. Imade the story into a book givingattention to a grammatical feature. I modeled a storymap withthe students using what happened in thebeginningandmiddle. ThenIhad the students work in pairs to finish the story map with an ending.
For “A” or“Attention”, we went into reading centers. Ihad studentsecho read andfollow along withtheirfingers. Inone ofthese reading centers, I hadthe students looking at text and looking for patterns. This was the noticing phase ofthe process. Inthe Yugtun language, most sentences start with a base-form and endwithseveral post-bases or morphemes tomake a sentence.
For “C” or the “Co-construction” ofthis research,we were lookingat post-bases/patterns and drawing conclusions. Inthis section Ihadthem lookfor -urluq (poorone) and -eller (naughty one)inthe story. Thisisthe co-construction of meaning.
For “E” orthe“Extension” of my research Ihadthe students make their own story page thathad a simple language sentence using -urluq (poor one) and-eller(naughty one). Students createdtwo different books, onethat featuredanimals andthe other with themselves asthe characters. I change this into iPad research of the animals they chose. The animalhadtodepict the characteristic of-urluq (poor one) and-eller (naughty one). The pairsdrew the pictures that
depict these characteristics. This took a fewdays, because we would goover therubricof the expectationstohave a goodgrade. When thatpage wasdone Ihad themmake another page with themselves as characters, again using the grading rubric.
For theirpublication, I had them write invitations to their family fora celebrationof their finished projects. We gotready by recordingthe students reading their pages. We dida small presentation whereI explained what wedid. We watched the elder tell her story and read my book together. This was followed by aslideshowwhere each read their book pages.We
concludedby having ourpotluck. We had all theparentspresentwith grandparents and siblings. The instructional plan was combined withthe setup of how Iwould collect dataand how I was going to set up the recorders. This is thetableI used toplan the research.
Research Activities
Table3.4 provided an overview of the researchactivities I engaged in to collect data. Table3.4: Research Activities
Research activities Description 1 Distribution of
consent/assent forms
Collection of assent/consent forms
I had the students invite the parents with a letter since we already hadour PSTC duringthatweek. After thatIset up a meeting orphone call to sign the forms for theparentsthat did not respond to the invitation letter.
2 Video recording classroom activities
Building vocabulary and concept development
I video recorded while elder toldthestory. I set up the camera behind the students to capturethestoryteller. Ihad my computer photobooth in front of the classroom.
I also recorded the small group activities. Onegroup was video recorded and theother group wereaudio recorded. This took place during the guided group activities. Myfocus wason one group. This quad hadtwo boys andtwo girls in the group.
3 Video recording classroom activities
I was using a camcorder andtwo audio recorders
The audio recorders were placedon the tables ofthe focus group.
Students were instructedon rules of what not to do when the recorders are placedon the tables and then they practiced. 3 Taking notes I used a clipboard tojot down notes. I used the video and
audio recordings asback-up.
4 Journaling I made entries aftereach activity when the students left for the day.
5 Transcribing I transcribed their small group activities and used the video recordings as data.
In order to collectdata,I used a camcorder and photobooth forthe first twodays when I introduced the vocabulary. Photobooth crashed on the third day because of a virus in the camera andI lost the photobooth recordings. I also forgot to turnthe camera on one day, butthe audio recorders were onsoI still gotdataforthatday. Despite that, Icollected a lot of data.
The planned instructionalprocedures orlessonplans and related datacollected are provided in Table 3.5. The weekly plans didnotproceed as I had planned them. Things like testing, assessments and culturalactivities took some of the research times.
Table3.5:Table ofPlanned InstructionalActivities and Research Procedure Lesson or activity Data collected Week 1 activities Presentation
1) Building back-ground knowledge
a) Research sod-houses
b) Make sod-houseswith craft sticks and glue
2) Vocabulary introduction.
• Video recording
• Audio recording
• Journal entries
a) Using the smartboard for introductionthe vocabulary b) Students writing vocabulary
into their writing journal c) Co-operativeactivities with
the vocabulary toretain vocabulary
Week2 activities 3) Fieldtrip
a) Elder storytelling 4) Meaning making activities
a) Students writingabout the story asthey heard it.
b) Students making story maps. c) Students writingabout the
moral of the story.
• Video recording
• Journal entries
• Student story-maps
Week 3 activities 1) storyintroduced astext. a) First reading ofthe story b) meaning making by writing
about the story c) makingastory-map Attention 2) Centers time a) Guidedreading i) Echoreading Co-construction 3) Noticing activities
a) Looking forpatterns in text b) Looking for-aurluq, -eller c) Makinga matrixfor grading
• Video recording
• Audio recordingtobackup
• Writing stems
• Journal entries
Week4 activities Extension
4) Making the animal book
a) Students workingin quads to researchanimal of their choice
b) Students working in pairs to make their own pagesforthe cla
