Language and place are inseparable. Across the Federated States of Micronesia, each island or area has its own language, and even individual villages can have their own dialects. Every hill, valley, beach, stretch of reef, and even a prominent coral head or fishing spot carries a name. These names are part of complex place-naming systems supported by place-specific vocabulary. People themselves are often identified through traditional titles linked to land. Local sayings and idioms found in each community offer vivid insights into the worldview of that place and its people.

In Cultural Identity and Ethnicity in the Pacific, anthropologists Jocelyn Linnekin and Lin Poyer discuss the question commonly heard on Pohnpei: Ih mehn ia? Literally "Where is he of?", the question goes beyond birthplace. It asks where a person's land and kin are rooted, what traditional titles they may hold, where their language was learned, and where their physical and social skills were shaped.

This deep connection between language, identity, and place is also reflected in the FSM Language Policy, which states:

Local language should be the foundation for developing thinking and learning skills. Acquisition of English and other languages should build upon the basic (reading, writing, arithmetic, and mathematics) and thinking skills learned in the primary language of the student. Note that research shows that a solid foundation in the primary language improves academic achievement in a second language.

Because a place cannot be separated from its people, teaching and learning cannot be separated from language and culture. The FSM VLA curriculum can therefore nurture students who not only cherish their island homes and honor their cultural heritage, but who can also articulate their significance to others—and advocate for their protection for generations to come.

For this to happen, young people must be grounded in the place-based stories, names, traditions, and customs of their islands and cultures. These rich local resources should be our first source for teaching language arts. By drawing from this local abundance before turning outward, we ensure that students learn through materials that resonate with their own identities and lived experiences. Using place-specific language resources—stories, legends, place names, and oral histories—deepens students' connection to their islands and helps cultivate a lasting sense of place.

Community elders and leaders can be welcomed into classrooms to share legends and stories about significant places and people. Teachers can guide students in unpacking the deeper meanings of these narratives by facilitating small-group discussions and inviting students to re-tell the stories in their own words. Students can further strengthen their learning by creating short storybooks, comics, posters, or even videos based on the local legends and stories they heard from their elders.

The following examples illustrate how deeply place-based knowledge is embedded within the vernacular languages of the Federated States of Micronesia:

• Many languages have intricate counting systems, uniquely specialized for counting specific types of local objects, and some have distinct honorific systems used in formal contexts.
• Each vernacular language assigns precise names to local plants and animals, reflecting generations of observation, use, and ecological relationships.
• Place names across the FSM reflect a location's function, history, land use, and natural features, giving speakers deeper insight into a place simply by knowing its name.
• Local sayings, proverbs, and idioms capture cultural values and are often tied to specific locations, events, or environmental conditions.
• Traditional chants, songs, and forms of poetry provide cultural interpretation, teach moral lessons, preserve historical knowledge, and guide practical skills such as farming or fishing.
• Specialized vocabulary related to ocean currents, winds, stars, and reef structures supports traditional seafaring and demonstrates how language preserves navigational science.
• Ceremonial and chiefly titles in many communities encode lineage, land rights, responsibilities, and social roles, linking identity directly to place and heritage.

There is a strong connection between a person's heritage and language, and their individual sense of identity. Language carries the culture, customs, and ways of knowing within a community. These elements shape how societies interact with—and understand—the outside world. Mastering vernacular languages helps individuals remain connected to the customs, values, and beliefs passed down through generations. It also allows cultural expressions such as folklore, music, literature, and art to be experienced in their original form, without alteration through translation.

This relationship is formally recognized in the FSM Language Policy, which also warns of a serious threat:

Our patterns of first language acquisition have changed in much of our Nation. No longer do our youth learn language by listening to their elders conveying the history, legends, and myths of our islands. It should also be remembered that these legends, myths and fables conveyed much of our traditional values and cultures so youth were learning far more than just language.

Given these concerns, it is especially important to consider how students interact with others on the global scale. The Internet now makes it easier than ever for young people to access the languages and practices of other places. While learning about other cultures is not inherently negative, such exposure should be grounded in local knowledge and traditions. This ensures that students understand who they are as Micronesian islanders first, before integrating additional values and beliefs from elsewhere.

Cultural traditions and customs are the thread that weaves a community together. In Vernacular Language Arts, these traditions and customs should be used as familiar reference points that help students connect learning to their lived experiences. When students use language arts skills—such as listening, analyzing, and reasoning—to explore cultural practices, they engage more deeply and develop a stronger understanding of both language and identity.

For example, many cultures across the FSM observe celebrations and customs in which chiefs are honored with the first and best harvests. This practice of chiefly gifting promotes sustainable agricultural methods and careful stewardship of the land, while offering meaningful opportunities to individuals to strengthen their prestige in the community. With each method or practice rich with its own specialized vocabulary, it also provides opportunities to students who study them to strengthen confidence in their own language abilities.

In addition, integrating cultural knowledge into the curriculum helps students see how language, values, and community responsibilities are interconnected. When students learn the terminology, stories, and principles behind traditional practices, they not only expand their vocabulary but also develop respect for the knowledge systems that have sustained their communities for generations. This reinforces the curriculum's goal of nurturing both academic skills and cultural identity.

Language use in the FSM reflects cultural values, social relationships, and community expectations. The following examples show how they can connect with Vernacular Language Arts instruction:

• Students learn when to be quiet and listen attentively to elders or teachers, and how to express themselves respectfully in different settings.
• The use of high languages is declining; one chief noted that after assuming a high title, he lost most of his friends because they could no longer speak to him in the appropriate respectful register.
• When explaining new concepts, many people turn to English because certain ideas feel difficult to express in local languages. Students can address this by co-creating new terms or expressions in their own languages.
• Riddles and poetry are more than entertainment; in many FSM cultures they preserve unique ways of thinking and communicating.
• Each major economic activity—farming, fishing, handicraft-making, animal raising, boatbuilding, housebuilding, and sailing—has its own specialized vocabulary. Learning these terms strengthens students' cultural identity and connection to traditional knowledge.
• Many island cultures also use metaphor and indirect speech to show respect, avoid conflict, or restore harmony. Teaching students how these forms function helps them recognize when subtle or indirect language is the most appropriate way to communicate.
• Traditional stories, chants, and legends often encode indigenous knowledge, social norms, genealogies, and community history. When students analyze these art forms, they deepen their knowledge of both the language and culturally grounded ways of interpreting the world.

Students need both social and emotional learning (SEL) skills and academic mindsets to succeed in college, careers, and communities, both locally and globally. When students are grounded in their home culture and language, they become reflections of their islands and communities. This sense of identity provides strength and stability at school and beyond.

The FSM Language Policy acknowledges that achieving this is not easy:

One principle we feel is valid is that the content of materials can greatly influence the attitudes and values of our youth. Materials content can be a positive or negative influence on development of values and attitudes, decisions on appropriate careers [even what should be considered a career], and conveying the worth of items and ideas. Today, our children are faced with instructional materials which do not emphasize our cultural heritage, do not promote the development of role models from our local communities, and do not emphasize the productive sectors [agriculture, marine, tourism, and commerce and industry] as seen in the policy directives of the Economic Summits.

The document goes on to ask:

How can language and culture issues be a driving force in improving the quality of life of our citizens both from financial and social standpoints?

Clearly, the FSM Language Policy recognizes social aspects of language arts as vital to community building. Language skills such as listening attentively, speaking respectfully, and presenting thoughtfully foster cultural pride and understanding. Students who are given ways to express themselves within their cultures can use these skills to strengthen their communities and help them progress.

Language arts practices include skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing, which go hand-in-hand with analyzing what has been heard or read to gain understanding. When students gain understanding of content, they can appreciate what they have learned and apply that knowledge to different contexts within their communities. The ability to use these skills across settings helps shape well-rounded students, which in turn strengthens the community as a whole.

Cultural tales and idioms offer students rich ways to express their feelings and emotions. For example, a specific local tree may symbolize strength, while a school of particular fish can serve as a metaphor for cooperation and teamwork. Students can reflect on how different living things appear in local wisdom and experiment with creating new sayings or proverbs. They can even write new stories using characters from traditional legends to explore themes of change, adaptation, and mobility, connecting past knowledge with contemporary experiences.

Furthermore, learning about their mother tongues and cultures in language arts classes helps students see their identities reflected in their formal schooling. By discussing, reading, and writing about familiar cultural experiences, students see their heritage as a relevant part of their education and gain confidence in their value as members of the community. This process also fosters intergenerational connections, as students draw on knowledge from elders and community members, ensuring that cultural knowledge is shared, preserved, and valued across generations.

In language arts classes, students develop practical language skills that link school learning with strengthening their communities at home. Examples include:

• Listening attentively to the teacher with respect and responding or asking questions in a traditionally appropriate manner.
• Knowing local sayings, proverbs, and idioms and understanding when and how to use them.
• Learning and using the names of local places, plants, and animals important to the community.
• Learning and performing traditional dances and chants to mark special events in the community or represent the community on different occasions.
• Perpetuating the use of local languages for simple everyday concepts, such as "open" or "close," instead of using English.
• Co-developing words in local languages for new and complex concepts.
• Engaging in storytelling or oral history sessions with elders to promote and preserve cultural knowledge.
• Using descriptive local language to explain natural phenomena, such as tides, weather, or animal behavior.
• Collaborating with peers to write and perform short skits or dialogues that reflect traditional customs or daily life in the community.

Systems thinking, which includes critical thinking, is a way of examining the whole system—how all parts interact and influence one another—to define and solve problems and to support more effective learning and teaching. Language arts can also be understood as a system made up of patterns, relationships, and perspectives. In Vernacular Language Arts, students are expected to think critically as they analyze texts, make connections to themselves and their communities, and apply what they learn in different contexts.

The FSM Language Policy sets out two clear priorities for the education system: the development of language, and the development of skills and competencies. These include foundational abilities such as basic literacy and numeracy, as well as higher-order thinking skills—"thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, seeing things in the mind's eye, knowing how to learn, and reasoning" and essential personal qualities—"individual and group responsibilities, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity." Recognizing how rapidly the world is changing and how new challenges continue to emerge, the policy affirms one of its guiding principles: "Local languages must expand to allow new concepts and thoughts to be expressed."

This principle underscores the idea that being grounded in one's own language creates a strong system for thinking and acting, one that can support new ideas and perspectives while helping the language itself flourish. Local languages should be studied as the object of instruction, not merely serve as the medium of instruction. Children's cognitive skills should be developed in their first and local languages, as these languages most fully capture and explain the workings of island systems.

Language arts practices, such as reading for comprehension, help students analyze content and understand how the elements or parts of a text relate to one another. Relating literary elements—such as themes, characters, and settings—to real-life situations further strengthens critical thinking. Students also apply systems thinking when they plan and design their presentations.

Systems thinking has been part of traditional island education since time immemorial. It was essential for people to thrive for millennia within the complex and constantly shifting natural systems of the Pacific Islands. For example, traditional navigators taught their students to consider many overlapping patterns when finding their way: the behavior of animals in the sea and birds in the sky, observations of ocean currents and wave interference, the movement of clouds and subtle changes in weather, and the positions and paths of stars and planets in the night sky.

When students learn about such complex systems and relate them to other aspects of their lives—such as understanding that being a keen observer of nature can also make one a keen observer of people—they gain a deeper sense of how nature and human behavior are connected. By recognizing these complex relationships, they can make decisions that lead to more positive outcomes rather than acting at random. Just as ancient voyagers crossed vast oceans with confidence, students who embrace critical and systems thinking are better equipped to navigate the challenges of life.

In Vernacular Language Arts, students strengthen both critical and systems thinking as they engage with texts, stories, and cultural practices, connecting learning to themselves, their communities, and the wider world:

• Students can add their own experiences to the story to deepen their understanding and to develop ideas.
• Students can use well-known and familiar characters from local legends and stories in different contexts and settings as a way to apply critical thinking.
• Students can co-develop words and terms in FSM languages for new concepts in science, economics, and technology.
• Students can observe the land, seas, and sky—taking into consideration both indigenous and Western scientific knowledge—to explore complex systems in the natural world.
• Students can observe and document agricultural or fishing cycles in their communities, identifying patterns and relationships that reflect broader ecological systems.
• Students can analyze traditional songs, chants, and dances to understand the social, historical, and environmental systems encoded in cultural practices.
• Developing cognitive skills in local languages first provides a foundation for thinking critically and systematically across all areas of learning.