I Walked a Mile in her Shoes

During their stay in South Bend, the Brazilian teachers were welcomed into the community with open arms. Whether it was at Notre Dame, at South Bend schools, at local restaurants and shops, or even at their hotel, the outpouring of love and support offered to the group was incomparable. While it would be nearly impossible to express how thankful the group was to all those who had a hand in making them feel so welcome, they did have an opportunity to give back to the community in a small way.

For more that 20 years, St. Margaret's House in South Bend has walked in solidarity with women and children in order to make a difference in their lives. St. Margaret's House is a day center devoted to improving the day-to-day lives of women and children through meals, workshops, and community.

Each year St. Margaret's House hosts a Winter Walk called "I Walked a Mile in her Shoes." This one-mile walk brings members of the community together to show solidarity with the women and children in the community that need their help. The Brazil group was honored to take part in this walk.

During the walk, the group had the opportunity to meet Senator Joe Donnelly, who was also there to show support of St. Margaret's. 

Penn High School

In addition to the incredible welcome we received from the South Bend Community School Corporation, we were also invited to visit Penn High School in Mishawaka. The size alone of Penn High School is enough to leave an impression, and the Brazil group was able to take a tour of the school and meet some of the students who attend it.  

The technology available to students at Penn High School left the group wanting to see more of what the school had to offer. Below you will find links to some of their student activity groups and the work that they produce. 

For more information about the Penn HS robotics team, the Black Knights, visit their website at: http://robotics.phmschools.org/

They also have a rockin' YouTube Channel! 
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUaKS4EYNThuMYrY1gk_I9Xw

Also, the Penn HS news network, PNN, has loads of stuff for you to check out:

• Their main YouTube Channel where they post their show
• https://www.youtube.com/user/PennNewsNetwork
• Their main news website where they post stories written by students - 
• http://massmediastudies.net/
• Their Twitter profile -
• https://twitter.com/pennnewsnetwork

Valentine's Day

While missing a holiday away from family and friends can be a difficult experience, the opposite also can be true, as the Brazil group learned on February 14th. Valentine's Day, a holiday very unique to the United States, greeted the Brazilian teachers with open arms. Celebrating a new holiday in a new land can be a lot of fun.

The anticipation actually started weeks before as the advertisements and build-up to the holiday appeared in stores and on television. And so started the questions: What does this holiday mean? What should we expect? How should we celebrate? As the week grew near, Jenny was able to give a little lesson about what Valentine's Day means in the United States: a special day to show people that we care. During Jenny's lesson, the Brazilians made their own homemade Valentine's Day cards to give to people they appreciate.

Later that day, the group received a tour of Notre Dame's Snite Museum. To celebrate Valentine's Day, the Snite Museum of Art offered a special exhibit showing different types of love through paintings, sculptures, and abstract art. In addition to viewing the amazing art exhibits offered by the museum, the Brazil group also learned how to make foam Valentine's Day prints to paint and transfer onto paper. The curators, guides, and education staff of the Snite were so helpful and informative during our visit.

Basilica Tour

If you've ever visited campus, you know that Notre Dame has a slew of impressive buildings and beautiful views. However, few of these vistas are as iconic at the University's Main Building, also know as the Golden Dome, accompanied by the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. While the group had the opportunity to visit the Main Building one of their first days on campus, they didn't explore the Basilica till a few weeks later. Some group members had attended mass on campus, and some had wandered independently through the impressive doors of the Basilica. Yet, it wasn't until Jeremy Dela Cruz, a seminarian at Notre Dame's Old College, provided a tour that the Brazilian teachers were able to get a full grasp of the rich history and significance of this religious site.

 

The Basilica, which replaced an earlier church that was erected by University founder Father Sorin in 1840, was built in 1870. The mother church for the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart houses the largest collection of French stained-glass of its kind in the world, and has become a beacon of religious tourism. It is the heart of the University of Notre Dame, and it's easy to understand why as one walks through its impressive arches and columns that line the wooden pews of this old church.

The group was also lucky enough to visit Notre Dame's Log Chapel, located near the Basilica. Although the original chapel burnt down, the Log Chapel is a memento of the earliest days of the University. Built in 1831, the original chapel was a headquarters for missionary activity in the area. The rebuilt chapel is used frequently for mass and offers a more interpersonal religious experience.

 

Special thanks to Jeremy Dela Cruz for the wonderful tour he provided for the Brazil group. Dela Cruz is in his third year of religious formation. Originally from California, Dela Cruz speaks Portuguese fluently and has spent time working in schools in Brazil. He is a member of Notre Dame's Brazil Club that was so welcoming and kind during the experience of the Brazilian teachers.

A Trip to Shipshewana

The stark contrast of modern day mini vans carefully passing horse-drawn carriages on the highway to historic Shipshewana was the Brazil ND group's first taste of the blending of cultures that exists in that small, Indiana town. Famous for its surrounding Amish and Mennonite communities, Shipshewana offers a glimpse into unique subcultures of the United States that have been present since colonization.

Our first stop was the picturesque Menno-Hof Amish/Mennonite Information Center. This center and the people who facilitate it offer an incredible peek into the faith and life of Amish and Mennonites. The tour began with an introduction to the differences and similarities between the two faiths. After which, we visited a series of rooms depicting what life was like for members of these groups in their beginnings and as they transitioned into modern times. Finally, we saw how Amish and Mennonite groups function in society today. While their lives may seem foreign to what is seen as "typical" U.S. culture, their history and contribution to life in the United States is invaluable.

Seeing cultures such as these, which are so contrary to what the media portrays the United States to be, provided an example to the Brazilians teachers of just how diverse U.S. culture is, compared to the often homogenous lens of Hollywood. Additionally, it offered a chance to compare the colonization processes that happened in both North and South America.

To end our beautiful, snowy day in Shipshewana, we had a family-style dinner at the Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery. With of group of 36, that was no easy feat. However, thanks to the patience and hospitality of the restaurant, we left full and happy.

It would be a mistake if we forgot to mention the assortment of pies we had for dessert. Heavenly. 

Workshop: Assessments

This weeks we took a deep look into formative assessments, summative assessments, lesson plans, and unit plans. The teachers analyzed the way they planned lessons and learned new ways to do so. Ultimately, they were asked to make a unit plan based on something they would teach in their classrooms in Brazil. Not only did they write clear objectives and assessments, but also they used the practices and methods learned throughout their time at Notre Dame to create interactive lessons that would enhance student learning. What we really wanted was to give the Brazilian teachers practical things they could implement immediately in their classrooms, and this activity was a great way for them to pick and choose what precisely would work best for each of them.

Here is a link to the ACE Unit Template we used in class:

• http://ace.nd.edu/downloads/unit-planning-template-2

Below you will find links to rubric resources that will help you assess student work based on the objectives and goals you have created for a lesson:

• One great way to grade non-traditional assessments is a rubric.  Things like role-play, dialogues, presentations or other non-test assessments.  Rubrics are a wonderful tool, but are sometimes difficult to make.
• This website, Rubistar.4teachers.org provides a great start to rubrics on almost any topic.  Once you choose the type of rubric you want to make, you can edit the categories and the requirements found in each box to fit your topic.
• Here are some more sample rubrics for you that we used in our classrooms!  Enjoy!

Workshop: Music in the Classroom

One day in class we had the opportunity to look at some fun and engaging way to utilize music in the classroom. Below you will find a list of websites and resources you can use to integrate music into your English as a foreign language classroom.

Opening Videos

I like to use music videos to get the attention of my students at the beginning of class. They know that they are expected to be in their seats and silent by the time the video ends; however, this happens primarily because students are excited to watch the video. Below are some links to some of my favorite channels on YouTube to find good videos, but the options are endless. (Always preview videos before showing them to a class, as many groups don't edit bad words.)

• The Piano Guys - An all-male group using instruments in unique ways to put a classical twist to modern music. 
• Pentatonix - An a cappella group that covers songs in a way that is visually stimulating and sound beautiful. 
• Walk Off The Earth - A five-person band that makes music videos of covered songs and originals that are entertaining and one-of-a-kind. 
• Julia Nunes - A one-woman wonder show, with videos made using ukulele, guitar, and innumerable homemade instruments. 
• Postmodern Jukebox - A group that takes hit music and puts the lyrics and music into a different era. The songs come out sounding similar to the original but take the listener back to a different time. 
• NPR Tiny Desk Concerts - National Public Radio records famous artists performing their music at a small desk in the NPR offices. The mini-concerts are intimate and honest.  

Idea Toolboxes

• EFL Classroom - A list of 50 ideas on how to you use music activities in your English as a foreign language classroom. This goes beyond using music as a filler; instead, it gives specific examples of how to use a song to extend your students' learning.
• Learning from Lyrics - This is a great resource for music that can be used in the classroom. This contains a database of over 3,000 songs for use in the classroom.
• Movie Segments - A blog made my a Brazilian teacher from Brasilia. This provides an organized list of movie and television clips you can use to teach specific grammar concepts in your classroom and to assess their comprehension. 
• The Literacy Shed - A database of video clips to promote literacy in learning. Feel free to explore this great resource. I particularly like the "Great Animations Shed" for its use of cartoons to teach literacy. Each clip has lesson ideas, so you can choose what works best for your students. 
• The Karaoke Channel - A YouTube channel with over 5,000 karaoke videos. Use this in class to get your students practicing English pronunciation. This is a great reward for students at the end of class if you have extra time. 

Journal Activities

• Complex Writing Prompts - An incredible compilation of complex writing prompts for higher level English speakers. These writing prompts really make students think and use their imaginations. 
• Simple Writing Prompts - A short list of simple writing prompts for mid-level English speakers. 
• Writing Music - Partner journal entry activities with calm, relaxing music to help students concentrate and reduce talking in the classroom.  

Music Video Project

To see an example of the rubric I gave my students for the Music Video Project, click here.

To see the video I showed my students as an example, click here.