INTRODUCTION:

• Ask: Does anybody speak a second language?
  • Have students share what language(s) they speak, followed by having students share how to say ‘hello’ in different languages (for example ‘Hola’ in Spanish, ‘Aloha’ in Olelo Hawaii, ‘Bonjour’ in French, etc.) 
• Say: California is home to the largest number of Hmong people in the United States.  
  • According to the Name Census (2023), there are approximately 99,591 Hmong people residing in California; 86,175 living in Minnesota; and 54,019 who are in Wisconsin. According to Milestone Localization (2021), the Hmong language is one of the 200 languages spoken in the state. 
• Today we are going to learn another language: Hmong.
  • Teachers can provide the following context: Hmong people have their unique language, which might have been related to languages in China and Laos, yet it is also different from Chinese, Thai, Laotian, and Cambodian. The Hmong people have two different dialects: Green and White. Some words are spoken the same but some are spoken slightly differently. The Hmong language is a ‘tonal’ language - this means the definition of a word will change depending on the tone with which it is spoken. 
  • Teachers can also utilize information from the lesson background to provide additional context. It would be helpful to show students on a map as well. 

INTERACTION WITH FIRST SOURCE:

• Start with the Origin of Hmong Written Language: Distribute and popcorn read as a class the “History of the Catholic Church in Laos & Hmong Romanized Phonetic Alphabet” by Txhawb California Directory (98–102) https://ucdavis.box.com/s/qebb7yvbrm8rohuhvd3exlo8xaq4ef1f. 
• After reading the article, do a comprehension check asking the following questions. Questions can be written down or discussed with peer(s).
  • Who was Yves Bertrais (Txiv Plig Nyiaj Pov)?
  • What caused many Hmong to convert to Catholics?
  • Who was involved in creating the Hmong text?
  • How long did it take to create the text?
  • How did written language spread?

SHARED LEARNING

• Say: The cultural identity of Hmong is distinguished by the dialect they speak. As you previously learned, the two principal dialects in the Hmong community are Hmong Leng (Green/Blue Hmong) and Hmong Der (White Hmong). Other dialects are spoken and mutually intelligible. The Hmong Leng is called Hmoob Ntsuab (Green or Blue Hmong) by the socially and more politically dominant Hmong Der. Hmong Leng means ‘vein,’ which carries the lifeblood of all Hmong, and the White Hmong is named after the ceremonial skirts of the White Hmong female. Each group dresses differently. Hmong Leng females wear only skirts and blouses. The skirts are made in thick cross-stitch embroidery, batik-designed, and bright colors. White Hmong is divided into subdivisions. Females wear skirts, pants, and striped clothes. Pants are solid black and skirts are solid white. The artwork on the clothing is based on the region. They have special costumes for religious celebrations.The ornamental designs on the outfits also serve to protect them from evil spirits. The language and costumes are only one aspect of the Hmong culture (Thao, 2006).
• Have students explore and compare/contrast the outfits between the two dialects using this virtual exhibit  https://artreachstcroix.org/bigread-fashion/. 
  • Teachers can provide students with a venn diagram or T-Chart to jot notes.
  • Teachers can supplement context with information from the lesson background on language dialects.

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

• Say: Now that you know about the language dialects, we are going to learn and practice the Hmong alphabet, consonants, vowels, and tones.
  • In addition to the videos shared below, it’s best for teachers to have a paper copy for students to access the alphabet.
• First, have students watch the YouTube video “Ntawv Hmoob: First Hmong ABC Song” (0:43 seconds)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhT8raFgNAQ. 
  • Play the video again and have students hum along. Play the video a third time and have students sing along this time.
• Once completed, have students pair up with a partner/group and share what they notice about the video and their overall thoughts.
  • What do you notice about the Hmong ABC song? Students should notice that it uses the same letter of the English alphabet.
  • What do you notice about the sounds of the letters from the song? Students might be able to notice that the pronunciations sound different.
• Say: Now we are going to briefly learn the consonants, vowels, and tones.
  • Second, play the video to introduce and practice “Lesson One - Hmong Single Consonants” (4:25 minutes)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p9lQ9C9igk.
  • Third, watch video to introduce/practice vowels Lesson 3 - Hmong Vowels (2:30 minutes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtA89JxQzbQ.
  • Lastly, watch video to introduce/practice tones Lesson 4 - Hmong Tones (4:10 minutes)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CIoR80nR48&t=25s.

CULTURAL PRODUCTION

• Say: Now that you know about the origin of the Hmong RPA and dialects, we are going to look at some common Hmong words and phrases. (Print out handout, “Common Words and Common Phrases” for each student or project on the board for the whole class to see.)
• Read over the list of “Common Words and Common Phrases” (refer to the English pronunciation in the third column) together as a class. Have students get into pairs to practice the list and talk about their favorite words. Have them independently circle their choice of eight words or phrases that they would like to include in their Personal Dictionary.
• Say: To conclude our learning of Hmong RPA (written language), we are going to create a Personal Dictionary to illustrate some of our favorite Hmong words and phrases to help us remember and be able to share them.
• Teacher Background on Personal Dictionary - The Personal Dictionary project gives students the chance to focus on a specific set of vocabulary that is important to them and to share their linguistic ‘fund of knowledge’ with others. What are some of their favorite words and why? Image and text work together in this project to convey meaning, and this project can allow students to explore a range of artistic media and techniques. As these dictionaries are short and relatively easy to construct, you might have students create several with a different focus for each. One might be a dictionary of favorite foods or their favorite places or their favorite adjectives. 
• Teachers pass out paper and model these steps for creating the Personal Dictionary booklet:
  • Fold your paper in half.
  • Fold your paper in half, again to make four rectangles.
  • Now, fold in half, one more time, to make eight rectangles.
  • Cut along the middle fold up to the second to last rectangle (do not cut all the way).
  • Fold the crease between sections four and eight and then fold up the remaining sections in a zigzag to create the accordion shape of the book.
• Give students time to write and illustrate their eight Hmong words or phrases.
• This Personal Dictionary can also be created digitally using a web application or a hybrid of both digital and on paper. 

CONCLUSIVE DIALOGUE 

• Have students present their Personal Dictionary to small groups or the whole class. 
  • Alternatively, students can record themselves sharing their personal dictionary on a platform such as Flipgrid or Screencastify.
• Use this simple rubric or create your own to measure students’ creation and delivery of their Personal Dictionary. 
  • Rubric: 4- Excellent, 3- Good, 2- Fair, 1- Needs Improvement
    • 4 (Excellent) - Students successfully illustrated  and presented seven to eight Hmong words or phrases
    • 3 (Good) - Students successfully illustrated and presented five to six Hmong words or phrases
    • 2 (Fair) - Students successfully illustrated and presented three to four Hmong words or phrases
    • 1 (Needs Improvement)  - Students successfully illustrated and presented one to two Hmong words or phrases