The goal of the Common Curriculum Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Culture Programs: Kindergarten to Grade 12 is the development of communicative competence. Communicative competence is the ability to use a language to function in a variety of language contexts and situations offered by the specific culture.

Five Components

For the purposes of the Dene curriculum, communicative competence is represented by five interrelated and independent components.

• Modes of Communication relates to what learners will be able to do with the language, the functions they will be able to perform, and the contexts in which they will be able to operate.
• Language Learning Strategies help the learner to learn and to communicate more effectively and efficiently.
• Language Competence addresses the learners’ knowledge of the language, and their ability to use that knowledge to interpret and produce meaningful texts appropriate to the situation in which they are used.
• Application relates to language functions which is what learners are expected to perform in the language context used.
• Reflect on Language Learning addresses the learners’ abilities to reflect on and set goals to continue to develop their language skills.

Each of these five components of communicative competence is organized as learning outcomes in this curriculum.

The learning outcomes are broad statements identifying the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that students are expected to achieve in the course of their language learning experience. The five learning outcomes serve as a foundation for the Dene 10, 20, 30 and are based on the model outlined above. The order in which the learning outcomes are presented in the curriculum does not represent a sequential order, nor does it indicate the relative importance of each component.

Modes of Communication

• Learners will use Dene in a variety of situations and for a variety of purposes in the school, the home, within and outside the community requiring interaction, production, and interpretation of culture.

Strategies for Learning

• Learners will use various strategies for learning Dene.

Language Competence

• Learners will use Dene effectively and competently to communicate.

Application

• Learners will use Dene to give and receive information, to socialize and celebrate, interpret and produce talk, and inquire about culture.

Reflect on Language Learning

• Learners will assess and reflect on their own language skills and set goals for future improvement.

Indicators

Each learning outcome is further broken down into specific indicators that learners are to achieve by the end of each grade. The indicators are interrelated and interdependent. In most classroom activities, a number of indicators will be dealt with in an integrated manner. The indicators are categorized under each of the learning outcomes. The indicators for a particular grade level will be addressed in that year as well as in successive years. If we understand that language learning progresses in a spiral form, then language acquired in the preceding years will prepare the learner for a broadening of application and language acquisition in the following years.

In this curriculum the following areas of experience are only recommendations, teachers should incorporate other alternative areas of experience that are of interest to the learner.

Areas of Experience