Converting English games into Anatomy Activities

In the English classroom we all have some go-to games that are helpful for reviewing all types of new vocabulary and information. A golden rule in the second-language community is to teach no more than 7-10 new words in any given class. As a TEFL volunteer preparing a charla on the reproductive system for 5^th and 6^th grade girls, I was struck by how much vocabulary is involved and how little practice I had originally planned into the session.

In light of that, here are 3 games I easily adapted to help the participants (girls ages 10-13 in this case) become more familiar with the new information about their bodies:

1. Busca el (los) órgano(s) que…

This activity is adapted from the common game “Find the person who…”  and is a good follow-up to the presentation of different organs and their functions. It gives the participants a chance to actively investigate and review the positions and functions of different body parts.

Piropo rage: a playlist

Fellow blogger, TEFL-era and GAD member Emily has created the following playlist to get you through the days when ignoring piropos just isn't good enough and responding to them proactively doesn't seem possible...

You will not check my right to move around the public sphere and effect positive change!

Resource Overview: Teaching English to Prevent HIV Manual

Education is a key to preventing the spread of HIV and reducing stigma and discrimination against those who are living with the virus. Teach English to Prevent HIV: A Teacher’s Manual is designed to enable PCVs to teach English while also providing students a safe space to learn about HIV/AIDS and develop life skills that reduce their vulnerability to infection. The curriculum focuses primarily, though not exclusively, on speaking and listening skills and aims to achieve a measurable impact on students’ knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, intentions, and behaviors.

Props to the HIV-AIDS Taskforce for sharing this information in their monthly update!

Program Design:
This manual is designed for school-based programs targeting students ages 13–16 with an intermediate level of English language proficiency, but could be adapted for an intermediate community class, a group of college students studying English or even a class with English teachers.

Most lessons last one hour, except lessons 10 and 11 which require project work and more time; however, all lessons could easily be extended to an hour and a half with more time for review and language reinforcement activities. 

Camp GLOW Follow-Up Projects!

The camp itself was a huge success and a fun opportunity for the girls, Volunteers and Nicaraguan organizations that participated. Motivated girls were given a chance to work with volunteers in their community to do a follow-up project. There were 22 girls who ended up taking part in a project, which is huge considering that there were just over 60 campers! We thought we'd talk a bit about what each girl did, as it's an accomplishment worth recognizing.

Welcome to the new GAD members!

Welcome to the newest members of GAD: Monica and Ilana from HE 61, Emily from TEFL 62 and Morgan from Environment 62! 

New and exciting things are going down with GAD -- organizing a pilot program for a boys' camp in Chinandega, developing teacher trainings about gender in the classroom, and getting started on Camp GLOW 2015!! 

Stay tuned for updates and information or get in touch with us at gad.nicaragua@gmail.com to get involved!

PCV Project - Literacy at the Casa Materna

Yet another project idea for working with women in the Casa Materna! Isabel from TEFL 60 shares about her experience teaching the alphabet to women waiting to give birth…

I was fresh to site and looking for ways to get involved in my community. I tapped my Health 58 site mate Melissa who worked at the Casa Materna and told her I would love to put my interest in reading to use and do workshops with the pregnant women about the importance of early childhood literacy and how to read aloud to their kids. 

There was a long pause from Melissa. “Well, the problem is that most of the women don’t know how to read themselves. Lots of women come in and can’t even write their name. So...”  

Resource - Volunteerism Action Guide

Service-Learning and Volunteerism may have become common fare for high school-ers, college students, and adults in the United States, but bringing these ideas and practices into our work in Nicaragua can be a powerful way to empower adult or youth groups in site. A service activity can bring together a group of teachers, or health workers, or members of a specific neighborhood—depending on community needs and your connections.

As part of its V2 Volunteerism initiative, Peace Corps has published a “Volunteerism Action Guide: Multiplying the Power of Service.” According to an article on the Peace Corps website…