Misaabekong Ojibwe Immersion

The Misaabekong Ojibwe Language Immersion program is an option currently offered for Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 at Lowell Elementary, 2000 Rice Lake Road in Duluth.

Classrooms are designed to enrich the education of students by teaching core academic subjects in Ojibwemowin and developing appreciation of their own and other cultures. Bus transportation is provided for students in the Lowell or Myers-Wilkins attendance areas; otherwise transportation is the responsibility of families.

Program Overview & Goals

The goal of Ojibwe Language immersion is to provide high quality educational experiences, beginning in kindergarten that support academic and linguistic development in two languages. Learning in another language fosters students’ appreciation of their own and other cultures, while reaching a high level of academic achievement (Fortune, 2003). Other goals include:

Multilingualism & Multi-literacy

• Signifies a strong commitment and value of the Ojibwe language and cultures
• Increases openness and acceptance of people who speak other languages
• Expands the student’s global perspective of the world 

High Academic Achievement

   It has been suggested that the very processes immersion language learners need to use to make sense of the teacher’s meaning make them pay closer attention and think harder, which has a positive effect on cognitive development (Fortune & Tedick 2003). Research has also shown that immersion students:

• Exhibit greater nonverbal problem solving abilities 
• More flexible thinking 
• Advanced levels of language literacy & proficiency
• Academic performance at or above the same level as peers in English-only classrooms

Multiculturalism

• Knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of other cultures
• Strengthen students’ identity