Indianapolis Trip

Despite a few weeks of harsh weather, we were finally able to take a trip to Indianapolis. First, we spent a little time exploring the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The Indy 500 has been won by many Brazilians, including Emerson Fittipaldi, Hélio Castroneves, Gil de Ferran, and, just last year, Tony Kanaan. 

After a quick lunch at Nick's Chili Parlor, we went to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. The largest children's museum in the world, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis is unarguably also among the best. We would like to give both Crystal Salenda and Josh Estes of the museum, who organized a wonderful tour of some of the museum facilities for our group. We felt so welcomed and really got a feel for the important work done at the museum. 

Bonding and School Boards

On Super Bowl Sunday, we watched the game and the advertisements at Notre Dame's sports bar, Legends. We were joined by some of our partner teachers from the South Bend Community School Corporation. The school community has been so kind and welcoming during this experience, and it has been a pleasure getting to know them.

The next day, we visited the SBCSC School Board meeting, where we introduced ourselves, explained our experience in the schools, and expressed our gratitude for the opportunity to enter the schools. 

Workshop: Cultural Currents

This week, we looked at the different ways a person's culture can influence the way they learn a language. Do they have previous biases, positive or negative, about speaking more than one language? How is language acquisition seen in their community or home? Is speaking a second (or third) language something common or uncommon in the area from which they come? 

So many factors affect language acquisition. By exploring the different funds of knowledge each student brings to a classroom, a teacher is better able to plan lessons and assignments in a way that will reach them. For part of this week's assessment, the teachers were asked to create lessons that promoted cultural discussion and inclusion in the classroom.

 

For a reminder on how to make a mini-books, visit this link:

• http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/makingbooks/minibook/index.htm

Notre Dame Football

Being at Notre Dame during the off season can't stop the spirit of football from forming new fans. On Saturday, we were introduced to one of the many inspiring stories surrounded Notre Dame football: Rudy. As the film ended, and many of us dried tears from our eyes, we set out for Notre Dame Stadium. 

We'd like to give special thanks to our you guide, Gerry. An usher for 26 seasons, Gerry hasn't missed a home game in his time working at the stadium. He taught us so much about the stadium and the rich history of football at Notre Dame. 

We finished the day with some great Mexican food from Salsa's. 

We are the Brazilian Curling Team

With visions of Cool Runnings dancing in our heads, we headed to Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena to try our hands at the great sport of curling. Most of the Brazilians hadn't ever set foot on an ice rink, let alone tried to curl before. However, with some great instruction from the friendly staff at the arena, we were curling in no time.

Clay High School

Clay High School

Clay High School was one of the two high schools where some of the Brazilian teachers had the privilege to co-teach. Clay's vision statement to prepare students to face life and its challenges is deeply imbedded in the way in which the school runs. Our teachers had the chance to see the day-to-day happenings of the school and become part of that lifestyle in some small way. The entire group was even invited to watch a basketball game at the school, a great cultural experience for the Brazilian teachers. Thank  you so much to the students, faculty, and administration of Clay High School for provided such a rich experience!

Some of the Brazilian teachers showing their school spirit:

Washington High School

Washington High School

Two groups of Brazilian teachers co-taught at high schools within the South Bend Community School Corporation. One of those was Washington High School. Washington's mission is to provide its students with the skills, knowledge and behaviors necessary to be productive citizens in a rapidly changing society. The Brazil group had the amazing opportunity to get to know United States classrooms and how language learning happens in all classrooms, regardless of the subject matter. We would like to give a huge thank you to the students, faculty, and administration of Washington High School for provided us with this incredible opportunity!

Some photos of the group who co-taught at Washington and some of their co-teachers: