Hello to Everyone: Busy Days in the Classroom

From Linda

Today we told our students about Christmas in America, complete with reading a narrative and singing such songs as Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, and the 12 Days of Christmas--we taught them the song and each student sang one of the parts; it was especially fun to hear Samson sing "Five Golden Rings!" Sherry Trainer sang a solo of a familiar carol, which the students loved ("Do you have a recording?" they asked), and I played a couple of songs from Handel's most famous composition (a few of them were familiar with the well-known chorus).

It's been fun trying to have a lot of variety in class. We played a fun compound word game today with students pantomiming words like seasick and cupcake for their team to guess. We've also done a good amount of storytelling in class, which the students love. Yesterday, I invited a guest speaker for an hour (our teammate Ben) to talk about American football, which prompted a lively discussion on money, fame, and the elusive pursuit of happiness from it. Tomorrow I'll be testing my students on things we've covered so far, particularly pronunciation. On Friday they're looking forward to a graduation party with prizes I brought and cakes I'll purchase for the occasion.