Community Classes & Programs
A variety of community language courses, both in person and online, are taught year-round. Descriptions of the course types follow along with other relevant information. Youth language enrichment activities (i.e. Summer Turtle Program, Family Immersion Camp and After School Programming) are led by WLRP trained staff who have received CORI clearance and are approved to teach by the lead project linguist.
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Eligibility Requirements: Mashpee, Aquinnah, Assonet & Herring Pond enrolled tribal members and/or members of their household (tribal or non-tribal). Except for youth-specific programs, children must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration: You may register on-line or at the first class. Please note that registration closes after the first class unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Classes typically run for ten weeks. All students must sign and adhere to the student agreement prior to being able to participate in class.
Class Tuition: Free of charge to tribal members and their families however, donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. (Please see 'Ways to Help' page.)
Locations: Classes are offered at several different locations. Please choose a location most convenient to you.
If interested in taking a course, please contact us at info@wlrp.org or call us at 833-333-WLRP x701
Beginners Courses
Beginner Noun Workbook
This course teaches the history of the language. Each speaker learns about Wampanoag gender classification and number of the noun. Also covered in this course are: truncation, peripheral endings, demonstratives, and the yes/no interrogative.
Noun Possession Workbook
This course introduces the speaker to the structure of the Wampanoag phrase. The workbook covers person, number of the noun, dependent noun stems and kinship traditions, inalienable nouns, and the locative case for a noun.
Intermediate Courses
Animate Intransitive Verb Workbook
This workbook covers person and number for the AI verb as well as incorporating knowledge gained from the Beginner courses. Also included are the conjunct forms, if/when, for this verb.
Transitive Inanimate Verb Workbook
This workbook covers person and number for the transitive verb as well as incorporating knowledge gained from all prior courses. This verb form introduces the speaker to the realm of absolute and objective forms of a verb. Also included are the conjunct forms, if/when, for this verb.
Inanimate Intransitive Verb Workbook
This workbook focuses on the verbs relating only to inanimate subjects. The speaker learns number and incorporates lessons from prior work on other forms of the verb as well as basic beginner knowledge. Also included are the conjunct forms, if/when, for this verb.
Particles, Prenouns, Preverbs Workbook (In production)
This course will cover very useful particles that are used without regard to person or number. The speaker will also be introduced to prenouns and preverbs allowing modification of both phrases to say a wide range of things with more specificity and eloquence. Prior knowledge of nouns and verbs is essential.
Advanced Courses
Transitive Animate Verb Workbook
This is the speaker’s introduction to theme, who is acting upon whom and all themes are covered for person and number. Also included are the conjunct forms, if/when, for this verb.
Subordinative Verb and T-Subordinative Verb Workbook (In production)
This course deals with cases involving clauses that are not independent but rather statements lending more necessary information to the main clause and cases verb phrases involving the idea of ‘to do X’. This form includes both the Inanimate and Animate subjects.
Immersion Courses
Total Physical Response
Where are Your Keys?
Immersion Second Language Acquisition
Immersion Game Nights
Family Immersion Camp
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​Youth language enrichment activities (i.e. Summer Turtle Program, Family Immersion Camp and After School Programming) are led by WLRP trained staff who have received CORI clearance and are approved to teach to by the lead project linguist.
Youth Programing
Summer Turtle
This is a comprehensive language and cultural instruction program for youth ages 6-12 years. The three week program that occurs during the summer, covers kinship, ceremony, protocol, story, games, fishing, gathering, song, numbers, clothing, flora and fauna, and our place in the circle of Creation. A heavy focus is learning these topics in the language.
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The purpose of the program is to expose our youth to Wôpanâak language set within a cultural context.
Throughout the 3-week program period, Tribal children are immersed in language acquisition activities including the basics of alphabet, pronunciation, grammar, sentence structure, formation and syntax. Each morning consists of language instruction, then game playing within the language. Some of the proven language acquisition games include Ômash (Go Fish), Scrabble and Uno.
Mashpee School District's KC Coombs and Quashnet Schools - After School Program
In partnership with the Mashpee Public School District and with funding provided by the Department of Education's Office of English Language Instruction, the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project provides after-school language and culture enrichment programming for students in the KC Coombs (Pre-K to 2) and Quashnet (3 to 6) Schools on Tuesday-Thursday for 16-week blocks during each semester of the academic school year.
The programs begin at 2:45 and continue until 3:30 pm.
In addition to the after-school programming, WLRP regularly partners with the Mashpee School District to support English Language Arts curriculum by providing literature options that focus on Native authors and/or with Native protagonists.
Mashpee High School Wôpanâak Language Classes
The Mashpee Middle-High School, in partnership with the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project offers credit-bearing Wôpanâak Language classes as part of their World Language Department.
Originally launched in academic year 2017-2018 with Wôpanâak Pasuq (Level 1), the High School began offering Wôpanâak Nees (Level 2) in 2018-2019 and Wôpanâak Nuhsh (Level 3) in 2019-2020. The goal is to offer a total of five levels of language courses to interested students.
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Students at the Mashpee Middle-High School may enroll in Wôpanâak Language classes at the outset of the school year..
Elders "Lunch & Learn" Program
The Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. elders’ language class taught by Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project (WLRP) instructors has been very popular since its inception back in 2014!
The class is funded by a Tribal Health and Elders Services’ Title VI Administration on Aging grant. Our instructors have created a fun and interactive conversational class tailored to elders’ language requests, and they are happy to have any and all elders drop in at 11:30 a.m. or at Noon!
Each class is followed by a free luncheon in the Tribal Community and Government Center gymnasium prepared by local caterers according to healthy nutrition guidelines for elders. Elders do not have to attend the language class to attend the Tuesday and Thursday Title VI elderly nutrition program luncheons. ALL are welcome!
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Please call Donald Peters at (508) 477-0208 if you would like to sign up and attend the free lunches which are available for all those tribal members ages 55+.
Certified Workbook & Immersion Instructors
jessie baird
Eva Blake
Toodie Coombs
Tracy Kelley
Jennifer Harding
Nitana Greendeer
Camille Madison
Tia Pocknett
Melanie Roderick Durwood Vanderhoop
Certified Workbook & Immersion Instructors
jessie baird
Eva Blake
Tracy Kelley
Nitana Greendeer
Tia Pocknett
Melanie Roderick
Certified Workbook & Immersion Instructors
jessie baird
Tracy Kelley
Nitana Greendeer
Melanie Roderick
Certified Workbook & Immersion Instructors
To be determined via ACTFL scale exams
Certified Workbook & Immersion Instructors
All instructors for this course will be those employed by the WLRP Master Apprentice Project and CORI’d individuals as deemed competent by the Master/Apprentice team each Summer.