SHI TO OFFER PRE-CONFERENCES ON NATIVE LITERATURE, ARTFUL TEACHING

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will offer two pre-conferences on Native literature and artful teaching prior to its annual culturally responsive education (CRE) conference in August.

Raven Writes: Native Literature Pre-Conference

SHI, in partnership with NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN), is offering a pre-conference for K-6 educators. The two-day session, scheduled for August 5–6, will focus on developing high quality reading lessons for Native literature. The pre-conference will take place at the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. each day.

Educators who participate in the Raven Writes pre-conference will have the opportunity to earn one credit from UAS, which can be used towards renewing their teaching license or advancing on the district pay scale. Participants will also receive a stipend upon satisfactory completion of the session, and those coming from outside of Juneau can apply for a travel stipend to stay through the CRE conference, which runs from August 7–9.

During the pre-conference, teachers will learn about Indigenous Genius by Design, explore how to select quality mentor texts and develop a reading lesson plan based on state standards and the science of reading.

Raven Writes is a Sealaska Heritage education program that provides culturally relevant writing curricula, family engagement activities and professional development for elementary students, teachers and families. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Voices on the Land: Artful Teaching Pre-Conference

SHI, in partnership with the Juneau School District’s Artful Teaching program, is offering an Arts and Literacy Integration Pre-Conference, which will take place at Thunder Mountain School from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on August 5–6. This pre-conference is free and open to K-12 teachers.

Teachers will spend time engaging in workshops with Kennedy Center-trained art integration educators that include:

•         Reading art across the curriculum
•         Creating comics
•         Observational drawing
•         Designing classroom spaces so arts integration can thrive
•         Facilitating academic conversations
•         Using Tableau for comprehension and assessment

Lodging and airfare will be covered for a limited number of participants. Preference will be given to K-6 Alaska Native educators who plan to stay through the CRE conference from August 7–9.

Voices on the Land is a literacy based Sealaska Heritage program that integrates visual, performing and digital arts with traditional knowledge. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Educators interested in attending may register through the following links: Raven Writes Registration and Voices on the Land Registration. Registration is also open for the CRE conference.

Our Cultural Landscape, SHI’s CRE conference, is held in partnership with Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution and the Association of Alaska School Boards.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption: Student participates in a Raven Writes event. Photo by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: Media outlets are welcome to use this image for coverage of this story. For a high-resolution version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com