Field Trip #5: Samana

Where we have been going:  We went on our fifth field trip of the year two weeks ago.  We started learning about Samana with a KWL chart, only in Spanish.  "Saben" "Quieren saber" y "Aprendieron"  The boys really just knew that it was a beach and that tourists traveled in the providence.  Look at the far right column at all they learned!  I should have had them add even more when they were done with the field trip.  When my family was there in December I found a book about the history of Samana that I figured would be perfect to use with the boys.

It was a challenging book.  I created a graphic organizer to help with vocabulary and questions about the text.  The boys read sections by themselves, and I also read to them.  One of the sections I copied and cut up onto poster paper.  They took turns write questions and responding to their classmates questions.  If I were to redo this lesson/unit, I would have practiced this strategy first in English.  It was challenging in Spanish because they struggle with spelling.  If I had a bigger class, the pages would be much fuller, I believe.

We left bright and early on Thursday morning.  Rosa and Joy came to get me at 4:30am.  We went with another family, the Salgado's.  They are a missionary family here in Santiago.  If you're interested in supporting them or learning more about them, visit their Facebook page.  I was really excited to expand and interact with more students.  Plus, they have two girls.  It was nice to have some more estrogen around for the day.  :)

We made the normally 4 hour drive in 2.5 hours.  There was a positive for waking up at the crack of dawn.  I organized the trip with Santi, the same guy we went on excursions with.  After meeting up with the rest of the people that would travel in our group, we headed for the harbor.

The whale watching came first in the day.  It was competitive, which really surprised me.  There can only be three boats around a whale at once.  Those boats can only be there for thirty minutes.  We were around a momma whale and her baby.  One time there was four boats around the whales, and the guides started yelling at each other that one boat had to leave.  We didn't get to see them jumping or anything, which was a bit of a disappointment.  But it was pretty incredibly to be so close to the big, majestic animals.

After the whale watching we went to Cayo Levantado, an island nearby.  We swam in the ocean there for an hour.  We explored the mangroves of Los Haitises and got to see birds and crabs in the water.

At lunch the kids did ziplining.  We ate at the same place that we ate with my family back in December.  This time, however, there was a buffet.  The yummy pasta filled my stomach.  The ziplining took too long, so we weren't able to go to both of the Taino caves, which is unfortunate.

We did get to go to the cave with all the drawings and paintings on the walls.  I noticed way more than I did the first time I went.  It was fun to see the same thing with new eyes this time.

The very end of the day was spent at Cafe del Mar swimming in the pool and resting.  I was finally able to relax.  I wanted the trip to go well, so I was a little stressed throughout the day.  But it was a successful day; we got to see some new things and hang out with some new friends.

We spent the night at a hotel right in the town of Samana.  I got to have a sleepover with the girls from the other family we went with, which was so awesome.  The next morning we were going to go to Playa Rincon, which we learned about, but it started raining.  So we got pan de coco and left.  It was another tiring, but successful field trip. :)

Here are links to the boy's blog posts about the field trip.

Andrew                  Isaac                 Joseph 

Teaching at the Haitian School

What we've been doing: A few months ago my friend Michelle and I were talking about teaching.  She works at the private school in Santiago.  She also helps out with a Haitian school run by her friend Yves.  Michelle suggested we work with that school.  I went with her one weekend to bring them food for lunch, and I got to hear about the history of the school and church.

It used to be a night club with cabanas along the outside for prostitutes.  It went out of business, and Yves decided to turn it into a church.  One of the church's first members?  A lady who used to dance there when it was a nightclub.  Talk about a redemption story.  I love how God can change people and places from something sad and horrible into people and a place of worship.  Yves began to have Bible studies with the Haitians that moved into the little cabanas, but he realized many of them did not know how to read.  The building turned into a school during the week.

Michelle and I were talking about how it would be a cool opportunity for the boys and I to go and read to the kids there in Spanish.  Most Haitian kids know a little French, a little Creole, a little English, and a little Spanish.  Most are not fluent in any of those languages.

I met with Yves, and he seemed to like the idea so we set a date in the beginning of March for the boys and I to go and read with the kids.

The boys and I went to the little bookstore in Nacional (a supermarket) here in Santiago.  The boys and I each picked out a simple picture book in Spanish to read with the kids.  Then we created flashcards with the word and an image we drew.  The cards were laminated and we practiced reading.  Each flashcard also had a motion to go with it to help the kids remember and learn the motion.

We prayed for this trip for the month before as we prepared for it.

TRIP #1:

When we got there Yves showed Rosa and the boys the church/school.  He explained the history and why he created it.  Then, we got in a circle with the older kids and practiced names while throwing a giant inflatable basketball.

The kids sat down and I taught the vocabulary for my book, Yo Tambien.  We did the actions.  They loved running and jumping while learning "correr" and "saltar."  I would sat the word and they would do the action.  Then, I read my book with the whole group.  When I said the word while reading the book, the kids would do the action.  At the end, we reviewed the vocabulary and I quizzed each kid, giving them a Spongebob sticker when they said the word correctly.  Once that was done, we divided up the larger group, and each boy read his book and did the vocabulary with a group of 6-8 kids.

Then the little ones came in and I read my book to them.  We divided them up into smaller groups like before.  The little ones were not as focused, but some of them don't regularly hear Spanish.  I was so proud of the boys.

Afterwards when we discussed what went well and what didn't, the boys mentioned how nervous they were.  They also mentioned how some of the kids were talking when they were trying to talk (which made me chuckle a bit).  The walls of the school are just partition walls, they do not go all the way to the ceiling.  You can hear everything going on in all the classes, which the boys said was a little distracting.  Overall, it was great first experience and it made us excited to continue working with the school.

TRIP#2

We started off with the older kids, just like the time before.  We stood in a circle and practiced names again.  Then I quizzed them and reviewed the vocabulary that we all learned from my book.  The boys read in small groups, and then again as a whole group.  Joseph and Rosa had the best idea to hand out the flashcards to different kids, so that when they heard their word that they would raise it high in the air.  They LOVED doing this.

After we were done with the books, we played "pulpo" or octopus.  It's a tag game.  Joseph was inside with the littles, which was precious.  Andrew, Isaac, and I were outside with the big ones.

We ended the day by passing out cookies to everyone.

At the end I gave the books and flashcards to the teachers.  Next time we are going to do a play with them.  Thank you to Rosa for the awesome idea.  I figured animals would be a good topic that most kids like, so I think we will try to do Noah's ark.  The little ones can be animals.  They could make animal masks for the performance of the play.  Prayers appreciated as we continue to work with these wonderful kids.

Con mucho amor.

When I am weak, HE is strong

*meant to post last Thursday*

What's been going on in life:  It was a long week.  An exhausting week.  But I was still able to see God's hand at work.  I was able to see His hand more because I desperately needed His help.

Last Sunday night I spent an hour talking to mom and dad about our latest fieldtrip, about getting me a visa to teach here, about trips, about life... I love talking to people from home, but it also can make me a little homesick.  On Monday guess what I finally got in the mail: my birthday package from Sydney!  It felt like I had a little piece of Oregon here with me in the DR.  Just what I needed.

Chandler sent me this sloth picture on Tuesday, and it brought a smile to my face.  Sloth pictures and videos are the key to cheering me up.  Only 114 days until Chandler and Sarah come visit me. (insert party hat emoji here)

Tuesday night I did my laundry, but I wasn't able to start it until I got home from teaching Amalie.  By the time I got my clothes hung up, it was dark.  In the morning they were still a little damp and I did not have time to take them down.  When I came home Wednesday afternoon, Amanda had taken them all down for me and folded them.  It was the best surprise to come home to.  It was just one little less thing I had to do and worry about.

Every Monday I go to the SCS Bible study.  We are learning about Gideon this semester, and I love the study we are doing.  It's by Priscilla, and it is all about God using our weaknesses.  Tuesday night I was feeling really exhausted, drained, and overwhelmed.  I texted those words to my mother.  Wednesday morning I decided to be good and get up early and read my Bible.  I opened to a day of the Bible study.  Guess what the first words on the page were...  I couldn't believe it.  The whole section was about us being overwhelmed and exhausted and how God uses those moments even more.  It was exactly what I needed to read.    

"Our weaknesses are the conduits through which we experience God's strength."  

Tomorrow I leave for the beach for the weekend (yay for Independence Day and no school Friday!).  I thought I was going to have to go to La Sirena to pull out money from the ATM.  I know going to the grocery store may seem like a little thing, but for me it means walking or getting a ride there.  It means having to wait in lines, and it means having to take a taxi cab back to my apartment.  Taxi rides can sometimes mean  spending 5 minutes in the car with a creepy stranger.  But this morning I looked in my desk, and I found just the right amount of money to cover my expenses for the weekend.  AKA I do not need to go to the store or ATM anymore.

This week I also finished reading God's Smuggler.  If you haven't read it, go buy it on Kindle or Amazon because it is one of my favorite books.  I am teaching it to the boys later this spring.  It is about Brother Andrew who smuggles copies of the Bible to communist countries.  It was such an incredibly convicting book.  There are and were people in this world who don't have access to a Bible, who can't afford a Bible, whose government doesn't permit the Bible to be read.  I have access to it whenever I want.  I have the ability to read it in English or Spanish.  I need to use that incredible privilege and not take it for granted.

from: here 

THANK YOU, JESUS!  I needed these little reminders of Your presence this week.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What we've been doing:  This week we studied Renaissance artists.  It started back in December when I bought a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask from La Sirena.  I love using costumes and props, but it has been difficult to do that here in the DR.  The boys love TMNTs, so I figured I could use the mask for something.

I threw out the question on Twitter, asking for help.  I wondered if anyone had any ideas for how to incorporate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into teaching middle schoolers.  One lady suggested I use it for teaching the Renaissance artists.  What a brilliant idea, I thought.

MONDAY: Michelangelo

This was my favorite day.  I put the mask right next to the white board.  I asked the boys what they thought we would start learning about.

We started off by taking some notes about the life of Michelangelo.  We watched a video of the Sistine Chapel that walked through the intricate details of the panels on the ceiling.  Michelangelo also wrote a poem about what it was like to paint the ceiling.  This website has the lyrics and audio of a gentleman reading the poem.  Then I told them we would also be painting like he did today.

I had taped paper under their desks/tables during lunch.  We used story dice for inspiration of what to paint.  They laid on the floor and painted there masterpieces.  Here were the results.

Andrew made a star.  Joseph made a black helmet.  Isaac made a bloody ax, and a sunset.  Next time I might have them paint something more Renaissance-y.  But it was still SUCH a fun day.

TUESDAY: Leonardo

We began the day by reading a mini article about the life of Leonardo and about the Mona Lisa.  Then, I showed them 20 different parodies of Mona Lisa.  In one example she was a balloon animal, in one example she had short hair, in one example she had duck lips and an iPhone, in one example she was a Lego creature... The boys loved looking at the different samples.
'
Then I told them they were going to update the Mona Lisa.  Here were there final products.

WEDNESDAY: Donatello

Donatello was a sculptor.  After learning briefly about his life, the boys sculpted using aluminum foil.  Here were the creations they made.

Isaac made a duck/dragon with poop.  Joseph made a knight/soldier on a horse.  Andrew made a creature with a cigar.  I made a ballerina (thank you Joanna for adding the skirt to her!).  

THURSDAY: Raphael

Today we looked at the life of Raphael.  I am learning so much along with the boys.  Raphael mysteriously died on his 37th birthday.  At 11-years-old he was running his father's workshop after his dad died.  We looked at the pictures he painted in the Vatican, as well as some of his architecture and portraits.

I found this awesome website with lots of lesson ideas for the Renaissance time period.  I used this lesson plan and adapted it to fit Raphael.  I had the boys write two mini-essays.  One from the point of view of the artist (Raphael) and one from the point of view of the subject.  I gave them three different portraits to choose from.  They were really creative.  If we had more time I would have had them type them and put them on their blogs.  I might have them do that next week, actually.

The boys really wanted to do self-portraits like Raphael, which next time I probably would spend an extra day or two to complete.  I will fit those in a different unit somehow, because they were very excited to paint themselves.

Another change I would have made was to start the week by looking at the clip from the TMNT movie where April talks about the names of the turtles.  This would be a neat intro and connect to the lives of my students.

Taking Risks

What we've been doing: Last month we did one of the neatest things I've tried as a teacher.  The Reyes Academy participated in our first Mystery Skype.  I connected with a teacher a month ago in a #sstlap chat.  Each person participating has to introduce themselves.  I always state I am teaching in the Dominican Republic, and @Kristierinkle replied and told me she traveled here last year.  She asked me if I wanted to do a Mystery Skype with her class.  I had heard the name tossed around, but I didn't know much about it.

I started looking online at how Mystery Skype works.  It's a guessing game.  Using yes or no questions each class tries to figure out where the other class is.  The boys brainstormed questions and looked on maps.  We used an atlas and figured out about hemispheres and geographical locations.

The boys had the greatest time connecting with a class from North Dakota.  Once each class figured out the location, then the students got to ask other questions.  We were asked if we ate bugs here in the DR!  They asked us about weather and languages and if they could come visit.  It was such a neat experience, but boy was a I nervous before we did it.

I had hoped the following week we would do a Mystery Skype in Spanish, but the school dealt with some snow issues, so we weren't able.  Hopefully before the end of  the year we will have another opportunity to do a Mystery Skype.

Happy Birthday to Me!

What I'm thankful for: I have the GREATEST people in my life here in the DR.  I was brought to tears multiple times on Tuesday when I got to celebrate my 23rd birthday out of the country for the first time.

Monday afternoon I didn't have any obligations after work, and I desperately needed a haircut.  I asked Rosa if she would take me to her salon.  I figured she would drop me off, and I would take a taxi home.  Little did I know that she was going to stay with me and pay for my manicure, pedicure, and haircut.  I felt like I was in a movie.  I was getting read for some fancy ball.  I just need to find my prince.  :)

Tuesday morning we pulled up to the Reyes' house, and I walked in.  I found my boys and Rosa in the classroom with a cake and a giant candle!  They had decorate the whole place with balloons and tissue paper flowers.  They sang me happy birthday.  It was SO SWEET of them.  And I was so surprised.  Little did I know that the day would be full of surprises.  

After teaching the boys, and eating cake for lunch, I headed over to Amalie's house to teach her.  Amalie and I share a birthday, so I brought cookies for us.  She opened her present and we played with some play doh that afternoon.  She learned how to say 'happy birthday' in English.  

I got home from teaching Amalie to find Joanna and Amanda busy making dinner.  I had no idea what they were making.  They told me to go in my room and not come out until they told me to.  Amanda had e-mailed my mom asking about my favorite foods.  My mom sent her the recipe, and they made one of my favorite meals.  It was like having a piece of home with me here.  The garlic bread was also super yummy and led to lots of laughter and jokes about not kissing any boys that evening.  

After dinner they told me to put on my shoes.  Then, I was blindfolded.  What an experience.  I had no idea where they were taking me or what was going on.  I thought we were going to stay at the apartment all night and make Valentines cards for the girls at the girls home.

Joanna did a lovely job blindfolding me...  Amanda looked over at me while she was driving and started laughing.  We needed to capture the moment.  I have never actually been blind folded before, or at least in a long time.

We finally arrived to our destination and I got to take off the blind fold.  A bunch of friends surprised me at Sweet Frog!  Amanda has planned it all.  It was fun to spend time with people.  Ruthi made me this cute cookie, Michelle got me the best smelling body spray, and Amanda put together this notebook.  She went around and had everyone sign and write notes to me in it.  That's when the tears came.  She remembered that I had said I love notes from people.  It was the most special gift.

I could not have possibly asked for a better birthday.  I felt so very loved.  What a special day to remember.

Con mucho amor.

Valentines Day

What we did to celebrate:  We spent the week making watercolor Valentines for family and the help in the house.  The boys did a great job using white crayon and pretty color schemes when they were creating.  Some of them wrote sweet little notes, while others looked up poems and quotes on the internet.  We talked about how you are supposed to sign and start notes and letters.

Today began with a graffiti wall about chocolate.  Then, I used a short article about the history of chocolate with the boys.  I found Tweet Tribune on Smithsonian website that I love using.  They e-mailed out the article and some lesson plan ideas, which I tweeked to work for us.  Instead of printing out the article, I just posted it to Edmodo, and we took turns reading it aloud.  We talked about what surprised us from the article.  Did you know Americans eat half a pound of chocolate a month?  Did you know that chocolate was used as part of the rations and salary of soldiers in the Revolutionary War?

Then, I read aloud a short article about the chocolate shortage.  Lastly, I read aloud some chocolate facts.  The boys added to the graffiti wall more words about chocolate.

The Tween Tribune suggested the students create a skit where two book characters meet.  The scene must include chocolate.  I turned it into a creative writing assignment instead of a skit.  I specified the boys needed to use characters from the two books we just finished, In Search of Honor and The Sherwood Ring.  I really love The Tween Tribune, and they just started doing weekly e-mails with articles and lesson plan ideas.  What an awesome resource.

One of my boys even wrote his story in the style of one of the novels we read.  The Sherwood Ring is set up with flashbacks to the past written from a different character's perspective.  He mimicked that style for his own assignment.  I was filled with so much joy when I found that out.

Here's a resource from Hershey's with more lesson plan ideas about chocolate.

In the afternoon we played Loaded Questions, and we snacked on chocolate and cookies.

Tomorrow I am going to New Hope in la Vega to make Valentines with the girls!  It will be a day filled with love, I hope.

Con mucho amor.