Afternoon Activities: Trip to Cijin Island

On Monday, July 23, a group of teachers, students, and teaching assistants traveled to Cijin Island by ferry boat.  The ferry ride lasts less than 10 minutes, and the Kaohsiung Harber is scenic.  The ferry takes motorcycles and bicycles aboard, as well as people. Cijin Island has many small shopping areas, open seafood markets, and an historic lighthouse. 


















The group rented "bicycles built for four," which are actually vehicles with seats and pedals for four people.  The group was large enough so that three bicycles were rented, and the group divided into "teams" for racing.  Of course, it is difficult to "race" through the walking area of Cijin Island where hundreds of tourists are strolling along and cars and motorcycles are sharing the road.   


Two of the three bike groups decided to race, anyway.  They pedaled faster and faster down the road, narrowly avoiding pedestrians and motorcycles.  WIth four people pedaling, the bike vehicles travel rapidly, and before they knew it, they were well on their way toward Cijin Seahore Park near the other end of the island.  Some of the group members had less of a commitment to pedaling fast for such a long time!

Nevertheless, they all got quite a bit of exercise going to and from the seaside park, and they enjoyed the breezy warm weather.  They watched the many boats on the water, and eventually pedaled all the way back to the bicycle rental store where they started.  Then, they wandered around on foot through the shops and markets, looking at the large sea creatures (some were still alive) and buying a few souvenirs! 

MODEL UNITED NATIONS: San Sin High School and TCC

For the first time, San Sin High School is building a Model United Nations team that will participate in a Model U.N. Conference in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in August. Coincidentally, two of the American teachers from the San Sin Summer English Program are active participants in the Tallahassee Community College Model U.N. group. Josi Markel is the current President, and Frank Vasconcelos is the TCC team's head delegate and ex-officio Vice-President. They took this opportunity to meet with the San Sin students to provide a detailed introduction to Model U.N. and to help prepare the new team for the upcoming conference.

Two lengthy meetings were held, and both Josi and Frank provided extensive information to the students and their sponsor, Julia. They reviewed the United Nations structure and conference procedures. They discussed the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  They also introduced the San Sin students to important terms and phrases that would be used repeatedly at the conference, such as: placard, delegate, caucus, agenda, speakers list, committee, and formal debate.

Frank and Josi taught the San Sin students the formal procedure for addressing the Chair and fellow delegates: "Honorable Chair and Distinguished Delegates..."

Then, Josi directed a simulation, where everyone was invited and encouraged to participate.  Delegates included not only members of the San Sin Model U.N. team, but American teachers, San Sin teachers, TAs, and friends of the English program.  Each person chose a country to represent, and then it was time to put all of the new knowledge into practice!  Roll was taken, the agenda was set, and the participants jumped into a riveting discussion of nuclear non-proliferation.  There was very enthusiastic participation from the "students," and a tremendous amount of information was learned by all.  Best of luck to the San Sin Model U.N. team in August!



Newspaper article about the San Sin High School
Model United Nations team.

WEEK FOUR: Teaching about Movies and Entertainment

The American teachers taught a unit on "Movies and Entertainment" during Week Four, and the San SIn students were highly interested in the content.  Many new vocabulary words were introduced, including: blockbuster, audience, character, genre, documentary, musical, drama, horror, science fiction, and others.  Song lyrics and movie lines were reviewed and analyzed, and movies were compared in terms of their themes and outcomes.  The San Sin students wrote about their favorite movies and actors, and they practiced oral conversation questions about "best" and "worst" movies.



















Week Four was extremely busy as the students in every English class prepared for their Project-Based Learning (PBL) reports on Thursday.  Each class developed teams, and the team members worked together to develop an oral presentation on a topic related to their Summer English Program curriculum units.  The teachers spent additional time assisting them in organizing and correcting their English usage, and they listened to the students rehearse their oral presentations.   The PBL projects provide an opportunity for the San Sin students to apply what they have learned and to demonstrate their English speaking skills.  Principal Wang attends to see the presentations!  And the American teachers serve as the judges! 

Saturday Trip to Sandimen and Meinong

On July 21, the American teachers traveled on a school bus with the teaching assistants, Helen Lee, Jerry and Ellie Fussell, and Mr. Shih to the Sandimen Artistic Village in the mountainous area of Pingtung County.  First, they stopped at the Dragonfly Bead Art Studio to try their creative talents at glass bead making and glazing. They were instructed by native aboriginal women who helped them select from designs designated for each month of the year. 

The women assisted them with each step, including heating the glass, refining and decorating the bead shape, and adding color designs to the glass surface.  They also put the final smoothing touches on each creation.  Some made a bead bracelet and others made a necklace. They were very proud of the finished product!

                               

Next, the group went to the nearby Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park.  They arrived just in time to attend a dance and folk song performance by members of several native aboriginal tribes. Many native tribes inhabit the island of Taiwan, including the Amis, Yami, Paiwan, Truku, Thao, Rukai, and Puyama tribes.  The Amis is the largest aboriginal tribe in Taiwan, while the Paiwan tribe is known for producing the greatest number of native handicrafts.  The colorful costumes and beautiful dance rituals made their performance so enjoyable!

 

And of course, the student teachers had to test out the strength of a very old, but very sturdy, suspension bridge with a breathtaking view!

WEEK THREE: Teaching about Careers and Professionalism

The third curriculum topic in the Summer English Program was Jobs, Careers, and Professionalism.  Many new English vocabulary words were introduced, including: workplace, qualification, supervisor, responsibility, resume', interviewer, reference, teamwork, and others.  The students considered aspects of many different occupations and the type of work they might like to do in the future.  They learned about jobs that demand a university degree, jobs that require uniforms, and jobs that involve working with people.  They learned about the components of an effective resume' and practiced writing the sections. 









Each and every day at San Sin High School has been a new experience for the American teachers.  Over time, the San Sin students become less shy, and many are very eager to practice their English skills with the American teachers.  The afternoon activities with small groups of students provide a wonderful opportunity for the San Sin students to communicate using only English, and their skills seem to improve rapidly! 

Field Trips on July 16-17

On Monday, July 16, the students enrolled in the Summer English Program, their American teachers, and the teaching assistants boarded busses and traveled to the Taiwan Soya-mixed Meat Museum. The owner of this thriving food production business is Ms. Chen, a graduate of San Sin High School.  The group toured the museum and production areas, learning how tofu, seaweed, "iron eggs", and other food favorites are mass-produced, packaged, and shipped. 

They were treated to a presentation by Ms. Chen, in which she described the history of the company and how they reached their current level of production. The group was served a delicious noodle lunch. Then, they learned through direct experience how to make "iron eggs."  Step-by-step they were guided through the process, and each person present ended up with four cooked eggs to take home.  The eggs would be ready to eat after a few days left in the home refrigerator!

Finally, when all eggs were cooked, packaged, and sealed for taking home, Ms. Chen led the group in a funny song and dance, making everyone laugh and laugh as they tried to follow her ever-changing moves!  (See the short video below!)  She generously presented gifts of packaged food to the American teachers, and the group climbed on the bus to travel back to school.  Many of the students were absolutely exhausted from the excursion!

VIDEO:




On Tuesday, July 17, the San Sin students and their teachers attended a large exhibit located near the Dream Mall entitled "River of Wisdom - Animated Version of the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival."   The original masterpiece by Zhang Zeduan of the Song Dynasty is located in the National Palace Museum.  Thirty times its original size, this Animated Version of the "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival," produced with modern multimedia technology, is projected onto a giant screen more than 120 meters long and six meters high.  

The painting shows such details as moving adults and children, running water, goods being displayed for sale, boats moving through the river, camels carrying crates on their backs, and many other images. The animated exhibition gives the observers the feeling that they are in Bianjing, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty 900 years ago.  It was a rare opportunity for the American teachers as well as the San Sin students to learn about the culture and wisdom of the hard-working Chinese people who lived during the Song dynasty!