Winter Camp and Winter Break

Winter Break\Chinese New Year is coming. Chinese New Year starts February 6 and ends February 11. Now that's the way to have New Years. It's a big travel time all over Taiwan because most everyone goes home. Lots of businesses are closed during the time.

Annie and I will go to the beautiful east coast for four nights at a couple of B&Bs. We'll go January 26th -30th, before the big Taiwanese travel rush.

It's Winter Camp at Future Heir. (Nice for me, just 12 teaching hours an plenty of planning time for next semester.)

This is one week where some of the students - about 10-20% come for a week of "fun" and learning. The theme this year is the Olympics since the Olympics are being held in China this year. However, my part of winter camp is to teach regular reading curriculum to a different 1st grade. This is okay since I've taught this curriculum before and I don't have to do a lot of research. I did change the lessons thought to adapt to lower-ESL-level kids. Yesterday was the first day and I was quite the hard-ass. I had one boy cry for about 1\2 hour, but he came around and had a good time.

We're reading a story from their Houghton Mifflin book called "The Kite." It's a good news\bad news type story. The good news is . . . We ended up writing our own good news\bad news story about going to Tom Dragon (Tom Dragon is a giant play ground with 1000s of colored balls and tunnels similar to what you see in Mac Donald's indoor playgrounds.)

Today we'll review the story and everyone will make a kite.

Freezing Point Depression - Making Ice Cream

For our final Science Club this semester we made ice cream - thus launching me into the realm of "amazing" and perhaps becoming one of the most popular "club" teachers.

(Thanks to the University of Hawaii, Hilo, science elementary education teaching certificate professors and students "2005-2006"for this idea)

The science is about depression the freezing (and melting) point of ice from 32F to 20 something degrees F by adding salt to the ice.

The ice gets really cold and the bag frosty on the outside.

We didn't get a chance to measure the temperatures but I hope to do this when the Science Club continues next semester.




















http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/a/aa020404a.htm

Helen Keller

This is my afternoon class working on their book reports. In the past few months I've been reading a short version of "Helen Keller." They love the story.

It amazes them how Helen learned to talk and listen by putting her hands on a person throat and mouth. Also, seeing with her hands was a big hit.

I wonder if they'll remember the story in a couple of years. I don't remember much or anything about first grade. Do you?


Here one of my students shows Helen reading Braille.

Sunday Morning at the Traditional Market

Breakfast after going to the traditional market. All vegetarian noodles and soup. Very delicious.

Mushrooms at the market.
Busy day at the Sunday morning traditional market.

Hello Bye

Saying goodbye to the family. Cindy, Nan, Maytai (doesn't like picture taken), mom and day, Polo (puppy) and Annie. Sunday afternoon in Changhua. Everyone is going somewhere. We will go back to Taichung. Others will go to Taipei. Nice weekend.

More Bubble Fun at Science Club

It's the second to the last science club for this semester. We did one more bubble procedure. We made a different recipe of bubble juice and bubble blowers out of rolled up paper. The science part is measurements, shapes (cone) and air pressure, and of course fun. There isn't any formal assessment but my goal is to make science fun. I believe I succeeded.

More Hushanyan

Through the circle. This temple was built sometime in the 1700's.
Close to the god.
The incense burner.
The lion gods. The sign says "don't sit on them."

What does it all mean. I don't really know yet.

Hushanyan (a temple)

A nice sunny Saturday afternoon at a temple. Very nice time.
You have to know where the incense burner and restrooms are...
The main god.
A trail on the mountain side.

A break.

Making Bubbles Science Club

"Say something. "In 2nd grade science club we've been making bubble juice and trying different recipes. Here we are testing the giant bubble juice and wand. It still needs work. Science club is really fun. I teach it every Monday for 40 minutes. This clip was taken at 5:40 pm December 31 at the end of class.

I like the dissapointing sounds the kids make when the bell goes off.

The goal of the class is to introduce the 2nd graders to the fun and wonder of science.

The Election

The election process has started in the US. The same people that brought us the Iraq war are in power. They are changing their story but their story is is really the same.

Now it almost seems like invading Iraq was a good idea. Why is that? What's changed?

Think, what our lives might be like if we didn't invade Iraq. Maybe our country would have done something different. Maybe opportunities to really lead the world into something greater would have presented itself. Maybe there would be enough money to buy houses.

Or ? Let me know what you think.

The media isn't reporting Iraq so much now. How many years has it been? How many have died.
The people who brought us Iraq are still there. For money people = how much has this cost? How much is oil? How much are organic beans?

Here's an Eminem video. Nice reminder. It's right on. Eminem is cool. He gives me hope for rap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOLMVQa0KD8