Games

My student love playing game... and frankly so do I! Here is a list of games that we play. (Students get a turn after then say the vocab. or sentence pattern or conversation or the day.)
1. Basketball (Shoot Out: each students shoots until one student makes a basket.)
2. Steal the Bacon (with flashcards)
3. Paper, Scissor, Stone (Give ea. Student a flashcard/sentence pattern; they ask and answer a question with a partner then play Paper, Scissor, Stone. Winner gets the paper or flashcard, the student gets a new card from the teacher. Play for a limited amount of time to see who can get the most.)
4. Sit on it. (Two students go outside. One student gets a flashcard and sits on it/hides. The two students come back in and ask a yes or no question (ex. May I borrow a pencil? Do you have a dog?) The student with flashcard says "Yes, I ...." All other students say, "No, I .....")
5. 21 (Show the student the first card. Ask, "Stop or one more." Student try to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. 22 or more equal zero.)
6. Dice Game (using colored tape or cones mark off 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 every 3 feet or so. Closer to you is 100 and so on. Students roll the dice and try to get it to stop in 500. If they hit the wall they get zero.
7. My secret word Students have a paper that is folded in half. They write their secret word/answer inside. (Give them ten choices to choose from. Student try to figure out what their friends secret is. (Ex. Will you play basketball this weekend? Do you like turtles.)
8. Pictionary Draw a picture and have the students guess what it is. (Ex. Do you go to the dentist on Mon.? )
9. Bowling (bought at the stationary store on Zhong Hua Rd. It is a small bowling set where you squeeze a large plastic bowling pin and the top pops off and hits the small bowling pens (markers).
10. Sticky Ball games (bullseye, Pin Wheel (draw a large circle on the board and divide it into 6 sections; draw vocab. being practiced. Take turns throwing the sticky ball. Ea. team must hit all the items in the pin wheel to win. Hit the same item twice and it gets erased.)
TO BE CONTINUED

Let me introduce my "puzzle piece".

This activity is straight out of my credential program. Mamma Jen would be so proud. My 5th and sixth graders are going to be given a blank puzzle piece in a couple of weeks. They have to decorate it in a way that tells me 5 things about them. I will give them a list of questions they can draw inspiration from. (Ex. What do you like to eat? What do you like to do? What is your favorite color?) After they finish the puzzle piece they will share their puzzle piece other students in the class. As a wrap up we will put the puzzle together (one class equals one puzzle). I will talk about how everyone of us is different but as a class we are piece of art...


Using the example on the right... Hi, my name is Rebecca. My favorite animal is a sea turtle. I think they are so cool. I like to go swimming after school. On weekends, I like to go surfing at the beach. My favorite beach in Taiwan is JaiLeShui in Kenting. In my free time, I like to paint pictures. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, that's why there is a turkey here. We eat turkey for Thanksgiving. It's so yummy. That's all about me. Thank You.

Sticks

If you have been reading this blog for the past year you might remember the post about the classroom management sticks! What was I thinking! All I can say was that I was so overwelmed at the time that I was trying anything! Sticks (with the students names on them) worked great with my student teaching classroom (of 32 students). It helped me to know which students had answered a question or already had a turn. Well multiply that by 20 and that is.... a whole lot of sticks to keep track of. It was a nightmare!
If I had only known that each student in each class was numbered 1-31 it would of made life alot easier. (For some reason I never asked...) THIS YEAR I wised up(that's not a word is it, oh well). I bought these cute numbers and taped them to some left over sticks from last year (see pictures).
Why sticks? Let me count the reasons... Keep track of who has answered a question, read, done the conversation, etc. ,able to pick at random a student helper (makes it more fair in their eyes),able to practice numbers... at least up to 31... Any one got any other ideas I can use them for?

A whole new look for a whole new year of school

Hallway where the students line up before class! When the bell rings the class leader knocks on the door and the whole class asks, "May we come in?"



Welcome to the Guanshan English classroom! This is an English only environment so you must check your Chinese at door. Thank You!



New seating arrangement. I like this seating arrangement because it is easier to get to each of the students and creates an open area in the front of the classroom for various activities.



New borders! Lots of them... I love the one on the board because I really want them to learn how to encourage eachother in English!


Another View ... painted bulletin board... I will be putting up the students work once we get started.

Altenative to Name Tags

Last year the school bought each student a plastic name tag. It sounded like a good thing at the time. (There was no way I was going to remember 550 kids names even if I did name most of them!) However, keeping track of the name tags was challenge. I did pretty good with students that only came to me (K-2nd) but the students that went to the Taiwanese English teacher's class too never knew where their name tags were. It drove me crazy! I know that I DID NOT want to repeat that again this year.
So my solution... Name Tags on the desk that they can use a white board marker to write their names on and then erase them when they leave class. I just elaminated name tags that I got from America and then taped them to each desk. On each desk I will put a marker and a wash cloth (as an eraser).
That way all of my students also get practice writing their names and I know who every one is.... at least when they are sitting down. However, getting the students to not pick at the tape is going to be a whole other challenge in itself. :(

The Coconut Challenge

Last year we did the Gum Ball Challenge. Each class got their own "Gum Ball Machine" (Paper Drawings) where they collected gum balls (small colored dots) through out the semester. Once they got to a 100 gum balls they got a class party.
Well this year we are doing a similar Challenge with coconuts. (Why coconuts? because I got this really cute palm tree with coconuts for the wall.) I changed it a bit to compensate for a few things that I didn't like about the last challenge. Instead of collecting to a certain number I have set a date (12/30/11). All the classes are competing against each other for the most coconuts. On 12/30/11 we are going to count how many coconuts each class has. And put them in order from 1st place through 18th place.
Then I have picked 18 different prizes for the classes to choose from. 1st place gets to choose first. (Ex. Pizza party) then 2nd place gets to choose from the remaining prizes and so on. This way every class get something for their efforts (which some classes didn't get the last time because they never reached 100 gum balls.) Also I don't have 10 parties to plan in one week which nearly killed me last year.
Here are the list of prizes that are being offered this semster!
Have a class party! (Includes drinks and snacks).
Make a pizza and eat it!.
Watch a movie.
Play dodge ball outside.
Get a piece of candy.
Get a sticker.
Free Time.
Play computer games in the computer classroom.
Play a game of choice in the classroom.
Paint/Draw Pictures.
Get a homemade cookie.
Have a guest speaker come to your class.
Have a dance party!
Do a craft!
Have class outside!
Choose your own seating arrangement for 1 month.
Skype with another elementary school class!
Ice cream party!

Dragon Boat Festival Weekend (Kenting)

This last weekend was a long weekend. (We got Monday off for Dragon Boat Festival.) After a stressful month at work and lots of long days I wanted to just rest and have fun. Woke up on Saturday morning to a beautiful sunny day. I waited around for a while to hear back from a couple of people who I had tentative plans with. Finally I decided, "I'm going to Kenting!" As I was packing my bags, my friend calls and wants to go surfing, so I decided to go surfing instead. I drove 45 minutes up the coast to a small beach. They waves were small but I was just glad for the sun. We surfed for a couple of hours and I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of the day.... weekend. On the drive back I decided, "I'm going to Kenting!" I got home through a tent and a couple provisions in the car and I was off. First road trip with the ZACE (my car..) Rolled the windows down, blared the music and sang to my hearts content. I took the back way down which takes you off the beaten path past several aboriginal villages, through the mountains and back down the east coast of Taiwan. Even though it takes 30-45 minutes longer, it's just so beautiful. I got to Jia Le Shuie about 30 minutes before sundown and changed quickly for an evening surf session. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is there. The lush green mountains surrounding you. A small (like 20 buildings) village sitting off to you right. A red bridge over a lake dead center. The sky every shade of the rainbow. The water is warm and crystal clear. The waves were small but fun. There is always a good vibe in the water. (This place attracts lots of tourist (people from all different countries)). Everyone is smiling and laughing and making jokes. People cheer for you when you catch a wave. Awesome!
It was nearly dark when I got out. There are showers and bathrooms right there. I set up my tent in the dark then headed towards Kenting. The traffic was so bad that I just stopped at a small surfing town, Nan Wan (North Bay), for dinner. Found a place with a really good salad (on a diet: read The New Me Blog if you want to know more.) Journaled for a while and then headed back to camp. As I arrived back in camp, I saw that it was a crystal clear night and the stars where shining for all they were worth. I climbed on top of my car (I used to do this often as a kid) and watched for falling stars.) I sung praise songs to God! One song seemed so appropriate. It goes...

When I see the beauty of a sunset's glory,
Amazing artistry across the evening sky
When I feel the mystery of a distant galaxy
It awes and humbles me to be loved
By a God so high

Chorus:
What can I do but thank You,
What can I do but give my life to You
Halle- lu- jah, hallelujah
What can I do but praise You,
Everyday make everything I do a hallelu - jah
A hallelujah, hallelu - jah

Listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7uP7F-7GQ

I so needed that. God restored peace and joy back into my life. I tried sleeping in the tent that night but it was really hot. I woke up at 4am and got in the hammack till 5:30am then went surfing. Again BEAUTIFUL! I surfed a couple hours showered and went for coffee in the little village up the hill. More journaling. I took a nap and then decieded to go surfing again. (I don't get to surf alot working on the other side of the mountians in Guanshan.)
As I was waiting to change my clothes I heard someone yelling on the beach. Couldn't make out what they were saying. From where I was standing I couldn't see the person but they sounded angry or scared or I couldn't tell. A woman was standing down a ways and I asked in Chinese "What's wrong?" She gave me a dirty look so thought, "Guess she is not worried so I won't worry either." Another minute when by. Thought someone was having a fight, I didn't want to get involved. Then all of a sudden I made out, " 救我 (Save me)". I starting running. Finally a saw a guy out in the water clinging to an upside down surfboard. I was fully clothed in jeans and t-shirt. I knew I couldn't swim in my clothes. So against what I wanted to do, changed into my shorts right there and dived into the water. There was no one on this side of the beach. I swam out to the guy. I could tell he was spent and terrified. I told him we had to turn the board over but he didn't want to let go so I turned it over with him holding on (which scared him more.) I made him get on the board and got behind him and kicked for all I was worth. By that time someone had run for help and a group of surfers came running over with long boards and help him get in. Everyone one the beach and bluffs above were watching. So glad I was in the right place and the right time. The rest of the day I got lots of smiles from everyone.
Surfed again that night and the next morning and then headed back to Taitung. I have to say this was one of the best vacations that I have had in Taiwan. I feel completely renewed!

Sunrise

First time we have seen sun in Taitung in.... I can't even remember. So ready for summer. This picture is sunrise from my bedroom window.

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

5.9 Earthquake

On Sunday afternoon we had a 5.9 earthquake. It is alittle bit scary after the 9.0 Japan earthquake (which we didn't feel in Taitung) the week before. It was around 4pm and I was asleep because I was recovering from another cold. It woke me up, but I thought I was dreaming. It took me a couple of seconds to realize it was real. I could hear the 4 panel windows in my bedroom raddling around. I ran to the bedroom doorway as it continued to shake. I normally don't get too scared but on the 9th story of my apartment building we were really moving! I didn't know what to do! It just kept going. I decieded to run the front door and see what other people were doing. I could hear people yelling from inside their apartments, "地震" (Earthquake). With the scare of the tsunami the week before and only living a couple of km from the ocean I didn't know which was safer... to stay on the 9th floor or get out of the building. As I was thinking about this it stopped. I didn't hear other people going down the stairs so I decieded to stay put. I was quite sick and didn't feel like going down or back up 9 flights of stairs. Earthquakes are quite common in Taitung. I have been in several 6.-7... earthquakes here. Nevertheless I was a bit shaken up after this last one; literally.

Tsunami warning in Taitung!

I was teaching my last class of the day when the 9.0 earthquake hit Japan. We didn't feel it, thank goodness. After class I checked my Facebook and saw my cousin asking if I was ok because Japan had had a 8.9 earthquake. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wrote back that we were all ok. I went down to the office to ask if anyone else had heard about it. (Nobody had.) Everyone jumped on their computers to see what was happening; in Chinese of course. I went up to talk to the other English teacher because I know she has friend that are from and live in Japan. There was quite a buzz after that. I came back down stairs to finish up some lesson planning and then decieded to go outside and watch the 6th graders play dodgeball. About 3:45pm an annoucement came over the loud speaker that school was dismissed and that students needed to immediately get ready to go home and line up on the field. (This is 15 minutes early. WEIRD.) The kids were angry because their game wasn't over but the teachers knew something must be wrong. I ran back to the office to ask what was going on and they said that a tsunami had hit Japan and might hit Taitung at 5:30. I couldn't believe it! The video on CNN was ... unreal or at least it felt that way at the time. I kept thinking this can't be real. There was so much going on around me as people were getting ready to leave. I called home and told my family that there was a warning out but that I would be ok so not to worry. My school is on the other side of the mountian from the ocean and I wouldn't go back into town until the warning lifted. I didn't really know what to do or think. I tried to call friends to see what they were doing but all the phones were down. I drove back as far into town that I felt safe and went up on a mountianside that looked over Taitung. And then I waited.. and waited and waited. There were tons of people up there but it was relatively quiet. We were all lost in thought and all the what ifs running through our heads. At about 6:30 we were told that the danger had pasted so I went to eat dinner and went home to watch CNN. It is scary to know that something like a tsunami could wipe everything and everyone out. Taitung lays at and below sea level so if it were to ever really happen it would be devastating. My heart and prayers go out for the people of Japan right now. I can only imagine what they have been through and are currently going through. May God be with you all.


Taitung city



Waiting for the Tsunami

Welcome to My new apartment

I moved! Actually I am in the process of moving but I have been living in the new place for about a week now. I love it! I love that everything is within a couple of steps away. (If I forget something in the bedroom, I don't have to run up and down stairs to get it anymore.) I love the view from the windows and I love the location minus the rooster (middle of rice fields.) I don't have to drive through town anymore to get to work, which is soooo nice. Here is some pictures of the new place. I painted EVERYTHING!

the front door. 9th floor by the way.

Guest bedroom

My new apartment continued

This is the guest bedroom



It took me 3 hours to put this up. I only had a hammer, nail, screw, and little plastic thing you put in the wall. But I did it!

Painted this mural on the wall... still need to add leaves and fix the birds to look like birds.

This is the livingroom. It is really nice and relaxing. The picture doesn't really do it justice.

This is the kitchen after 8 rolls of contact paper.

My new apartment continued

The kitchen before I covered them... they were this ugly blue marble.


Looking at the "hall" Entrances to bedroom and bathroom.


My bedroom... last room to finish...


Nightview from the row of windows in my bedroom. I love that there is a bright shining red cross right outside my window. Reminds me of what is important and how blessed I am.


Looking the other way

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

This was a voki that we made in class to show them how to create their voki. They loved that they had so many choices to choose from. Can't wait to see what they come up with in the next couple of weeks.

I just made a new Voki. See it here:

This is what we are starting to do with the 4th-6th graders. It has been a mission to try and get them to write out what they want to say ( I didn't want to spoon feed them what to say.) I think the 5th graders are getting close.

Snowboarding Video from YongPeyong South Korea

COMING SOON~ need to remember to bring the disc to school. I know, I know... so forgetful!

This was an EPIC run! 6000 meters (3.5 miles) in all. Amazing view. Hard packed but not icy. Can it get better than this?!

The Old Classroom (Before Teacher Rebecca got her hands on it.).)

This room was a disaster when it was handed over to me... but just look at the difference. I could cry I am so happy with the outcome. (I could also cry I am so tired too!)

The New Improved Classroom

Testing Voki

This is one of the projects that I am working on for next semester. Each of my 4th- 6th graders will make a Voki. So excited because I think the students will have alot of fun with it. Just another idea that I learned from the teaching program that I am able to put into action here in my classroom.

A whole new look

Well I finally did... all the things that I have been thinking over for the past month.. do I get my hair straighten, to I get new glasses, work shoes, running shoes...etc. Well I did (all except running shoes that I plan to get tonight.) I got a new cell phone too... which was not in the plan but since my cell phone "went missing" I got that too. I think I like the new look. I needed something different.

Reflecting on 2010

NOTE: Thought this picture was fitting even though I had posted it before. If you can't tell, I took the picture in a mirror on the side of a huge building. Get it... Reflections. haha!

2010 has been a good year for me. This time last year I had no idea what the future held for me. I couldn't see two feet in front of me... After a rough first semester of student teaching I wasn't sure I wanted to go back. I didn't really know what I would do with my life if I didn't. It was a confusing time for me... trying to figure it all out. After several days of sitting on top of Mt. Baldy I realized that there wasn't anything else that I wanted to do but to be a teacher. I love teaching and regardless what others had said I was confident that I was a good teacher (with room to grow, of course). I returned to the teacher's program with a new determination to do my best and never quit. It was one of the toughest things I have ever done. It tested everything... my will power, my patience, my health, my relationships, my faith, etc. But I did it! I am now a CA Credentialed Teacher. (I still can't believe it.)
Also this time last year I didn't know where I would be after I finished the Credential Program. Going back to Taiwan was always in the back of my mind but with only 5 years to do an Induction program (program to clear my credential)I wasn't I could. But the closer it came to graduation and the constant talk about no teaching jobs in CA, I felt more and more called to go back to Taiwan. I emailed Alex (my Taiwan contact) about everyday telling him to consider me for a position in Taitung.
I had a great experience in my 3rd grade student teaching position. It was an ACTIV classroom with all the modern technology which was fun to use and play with. The kids were super cute and fun to teacher. My Master teacher was super nice and really helpful. I couldn't of asked for a better class. I regained confidence in myself as a person and a teacher.
Around May I got word that there was a position open in Taitung if I wanted it. I didn't hesitate! I was going back to Taiwan. I was given a position in a small school about 45 minutes from Taitung. I ride the train everyday and then walk about 5 minutes from the train station to the school. I teach 20 classes a week (K-6) which is every class at Guanshan Elementary. It has been a challenge but I enjoy every minute of it. I often get asked, "Which do you like better, HESS (my old private school that I taught at) or Guanshan (public school)." I always reply that same, "Guanshan hands down". Even though most days I have 12 hour days (because of the distance and train schedules) I love my job. My classes are just for FUN! No grades. No tests. No homework. Which equals no homework or test to grade or report cards to fill out... I get to do what I love best...TEACH. Also I have celebrity status out here in Guanshan. The kids get so excited when they see me... anywhere! I get about a 1000 HELLO teacher!'s a day. Walking to and from the train station the people will come out to greet me. It's kinda funny, actually. But I am used to it and think of it as an opportunity to spread God's love.
Again, as I sit here and write this, I have no idea what the future holds. I was asked recently if I will renew my contract and I said, DEFINITELY YES!" So that puts me in Taitung for at least another year and half. Beyond that I am not sure. (DARN INDUCTION). But it doesn't matter... not knowing... because I am confident that God has a plan for my life that is greater than anything that I could imagine. Happy New Year, everyone!

Guanshan 2010 Christmas Performance

It all started a couple of monthes ago. Guanshan's principal wants me to do 2 big events each year. We decieded on a Performance in the FALL/Winter and a Competition in the SPRING/SUMMER. As I started to plan what each class would be doing, I tried to keep in mind that the students English ability is limited and I wanted them to feel confident in what they were doing. We had 3 weeks to prepare (3- 40 minute class periods) plus the time we put in before school during the breaks, lunch time and after school. It has been a busy month to say the least. From the minute I woke up in the morning (5:30am) it was go time. The only time I sat down during the day was on the train and driving to and from the train station. The rest of the time was spent teaching, tutoring, making costumes, powerpoint slides, decorating for the gym, in meetings, the list goes on and on...
... and it all ended yesterday! 15 of the 20 classes that I teach preformed (K-1st just came to watch.) Overall the students did good. We had a few minor problems (one student decieded to tear down the Christmas chain an hour before the show began, the chairs were set up...ummm... not like we talked about so a mad rush to change them, powerpoint decided to not work mid-way through a performance, etc.) However, the feed back today has been positive the students are really loving and ... FUN. There smiles make all the work of the last 4-5 weeks worth it.
Here are some pictures from the performance.


One of the 4th grade classes doing Santa Claus is Coming to town! They were so cute! I told them if they didn't sing loud enough that I would slowly turn the music down and so we could hear them. They were the loudest group of the bunch!


One of the 5th grade classes doing an Acrostic Poem (A poem were each letter stands for something related to the word. ex. M is for Magi, E is for Eggnog, R is for Rudolph, etc.) They did a great job at memorizing their lines. They were so cute because every time one of them finished they looked at me as though they were asking, "Was that ok?" I gave them all a thumbs up, of course!


One of my favorites! A forth grade class doing THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY! They were really good but the drums kindof drowned out their voices but I know that they could do it.



The Chinese English Teacher "Teacher Humi" and I doing the MC... if you know me... you would know how much I really hate this. However, for the first time I wasn't in the least bit nervous. I see all these kids and teachers everyday... so no big deal even if there were 600 people there.



Another 4th grade class singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I had to lecture this class a few times for being... naughty but in the end they did really good. I love this picture because of the student's whose hat is sticking straight up and the boys wearing the reindeer hats (which they were all really excited to do (I thought I would have to beg.))