Last Thursday, during parent-teacher conferences, Maȟpíya Lúta Elementary School took a significant step in supporting Lakȟóta language learning by sending home 60 books with every kindergarten through 2nd-grade family. These books, created by the school’s curriculum team, are designed to build early literacy skills in Lakȟóta, helping young learners develop confidence and fluency in the language.
The books distributed included three specialized series:
🔹 Wičhóiye Wówapi – This series introduces high-frequency words through repetition and pictures, helping students recognize words automatically and strengthening both fluency and confidence in reading.
🔹 TPR Wówapi – These books align with students’ Total Physical Response (TPR) lessons, reinforcing vocabulary and commands related to themes like family, school, and food. Each book concludes with sentence stems that encourage families to engage in Lakȟóta conversations at home.
🔹 Wówapi2Yawa – A leveled reader series that integrates high-frequency words and common vocabulary. Many of these books reflect the local community and home life, making reading both relevant and exciting for students.
By providing these books, Maȟpíya Lúta continues its commitment to Lakȟóta language revitalization, ensuring that students and their families have meaningful opportunities to create stronger readers with the language both in and outside the classroom.