Projects and the Weather

First off, for all the spelling kids. Print the list of words from the link below and read the rules!

Rules
2012 Words

Now onto what's been happening lately. Yesterday I got home from a weekend in Sofia as I ended up staying an extra day due to the Peace Corps imposing a travel ban due to the amount of snow. It was a good weekend of catching up with other volunteers, enjoying some delicious food, and meeting with my program staff about what I've been up to.

It's definitely winter as the temperature has been low and we've had quite a bit of snow within the last week and a half. Today there are 54 mph winds here in Sliven with a temperature of 25 degrees F though it feels like 4 degrees F. One to three inches of snow is expected tomorrow and the temperature is expected to drop to 7 degrees F. The wind will also continue. What all that says to me is it's time to stay inside working on my side projects, knitting, and of course a bit of movies or TV. The mayor here in Sliven even declared tomorrow a no study day.


I’m definitely staying busy with a plethora of teaching, after school spelling practice, and side projects. I’m currently working on planning and logistics for my PCPP (thanks again to everyone who helped to fund the project). The English Enrichment workshops will happen in April and May. As of now, three cities are set and I’m still waiting on a few schools to respond whether they will be able to partner or not. It’s a lot of getting materials together and organizing computer files in a logical and efficient way.

Another project I’m working on is a lesson plan for an American Culture Club. I’m creating 27 lessons aimed at advanced middle school students here in Bulgaria who want to learn about the United States through English. Here in Bulgaria students occasionally have an extra class each week based on a topic of interest. With this lesson plan an English teacher will be able to facilitate lesson plans in a fun and interactive manner. It will help the English skills of the students as well as their knowledge of American culture. Every state will be covered as well as topics such as currency, national parks, Michael Jackson, Presidents, and so on.

The third main project I’m working on is an “All About Bulgaria” small group/individual unit for American middle school students. These lessons have no need to be sequential and are designed for students to be able to read and complete with minimal adult assistance. Students can work individually or in a group and are able to turn in answers and projects to their teacher or parent. It’s a great way to get more social studies topics into students’ daily lives. Topics range from the Bulgarian alphabet to roses to creating a 3D map of Bulgaria. My goal is for the lessons to be fun and also make students think critically about a country they may not even know exists.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week, now for a few photos...

Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.