The 1996-97 Grade Four classes in Nain
Because the Grade Four students in most Newfoundland and Labrador schools learn about Nain in their Social Studies program, and because so many of them contact us for information, we thought we would like to include our own message in our school's website.
Following these pictures of our two classes is a short description of our class groups, the way we are taught, and what it is like to be a young person in Nain.
| English Grade Four | Inuttut Grade Four |
|---|---|
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| Here we are, with our teacher, Mr. Coombs. | We have two teachers. Ms. Andersen teaches us in Inuttut and Mr. Murphy teaches us in English. |
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Grade Four is divided into two classes. When these students enrolled in Kindergarten (in 1992), their parents had a choice to enrol them in either Inuttut Immersion program or the regular English program. Generally, the backgrounds of the students in both classes are very similar. Many students in the regular class have Inuttut spoken in their homes, but their parents chose for them to have English instruction at school.
Students in the English program also have classes in Inuttut, but the students in the Inuttut Immersion program have more classes in Inuttut language, and are also taught other subjects in Inuttut.
In Kindergarten, Inuttut was used most of the time, but each year the amount of time for instruction given in English is increased. Now, in Grade Four, students in Inuttut Immersion spend their mornings receiving instruction in English for math, science, social studies, language arts, music, and physical education. In the afternoon they have Inuttut language classes and are also taught art, religion, and health in Inuttut.
The two classes have math together where the teachers work as a team. After new ideas are introduced, the joint class is divided into two equal groups.
The Inuttut Immersion class is taught by Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Andersen in the morning. In the afternoon, Mrs. Andersen teaches them on her own. The regular English class is taught by Mr. Coombs all day, except when Mrs. Murphy teaches them Inuttut. Mr. Keeping is the physical education teacher for both classes, and Ms. Tilley teaches music to both classes. Mr. Strickland is the Elementary Resource teacher, and works with the English class. Presently, Mrs. Webb, the Inuk Vice-Principal of the school, is doing a teaching internship with Mr. Coombs. Mr. Coombs takes both classes to the computer lab. Each class also has a computer of its own.
Illusivut: Both Grade Four classes participate in the Illusivut (Native Lifeskills) program where they go out in small groups to be taught by people in the community at their homes. Four days this school year will be used for Illusivut, with instruction in wool duffle work, embroidery, knitting, beadwork, woodworking, and soapstone carving.
Science Olympics: The two Grade Four classes enjoyed a Science Olympic activity together before Christmas. Another one took place in January.
Sustained Silent Reading: The last ten minutes of every school day is used for sustained silent reading. Everyone in the whole school, from Kindergarten to Level Three, as well as all teachers and staff stop what they are doing and spend that time reading something of their choice.
Recreation: Recently we had a heavy snowfall that covered over the icy crust that developed after some unseasonably warm and rainy days. The children are enjoying sliding and getting out for snowmobile rides, as well as ice fishing, skiing, and skating at the arena. There are sports before and after school in the gym. The youth hockey league is now underway at the arena. Most children like to play outdoors. Street hockey is popular. At home, many watch TV in the evenings. Nain has 13 cable channels as well as a channel which shows both the program guide for the other channels and some local broadcasts.
Winter weather is usually very cold and clear, but sometimes we have heavy snowfalls and blizzards. Sometimes school is closed because it is either too stormy or just too cold to go outdoors.
If your family moved to Nain, you would probably feel at home quickly. There are many clubs and activities associated with the school. There is Wolf Cubs for boys and Girl Guides and Sparks for girls. The school library is open several evenings each week. Students could go there in the evening and send a report of your life at Nain back to your old friends on the Internet. You would probably make new friends quickly. Most children are part of large, extended families, meaning they have several aunts and uncles and many cousins. They often visit their grandparents as well. After you made friends with a few students, you would probably find that you became friends with many more. Nain has a reputation as a place where families who move here can feel at home and enjoy their time with us. There are two churches in Nain: the Moravian Church, founded in 1771, and the Pentecostal Church.
There are herds of caribou not far from Nain. Many hunters have brought back meat for their families. The stores and the school canteen have foods that could be found in most places, but people still treasure the native foods of Labrador.
If you went for a walk, you would probably see large black ravens flying around. In wooded areas, you might see some ptarmigan, spruce grouse, chickadees, and Canada jays. You might see squirrel and fox tracks. On clear nights the northern lights often put on a spectacular display.