Earthquake Evacuation Drill

During our Dynamic Earth unit, we learned all about earthquakes.  However, none of the students had ever actually been in an earthquake because they don't usually occur in Northern Ireland.  Part of what they learned about earthquakes involved what to do before, during, and after an earthquake in order to stay as safe as possible.

One of the best things to do in preparation for an earthquake is to have a survival bag that contains some basic necessities so that if an earthquake does occur, a person can just grab it and go to a safe place.  The students were given the task of creating and bringing in their own survival kit in a backpack or small bag.  Items that were included in most bags were water, food, first aid kits, blankets, and flashlights.  The students were also told to include something to entertain themselves with, because if they were really trapped somewhere after an earthquake they would want something to do.  Many students brought dolls, books, and board games.

On the day the students brought their survival kits into school, we had a grade-wide evacuation drill to the assembly hall.  The students made sure to duck and cover during the "earthquake", and then we made our way through the hallways, making sure to avoid falling debris and jumping over cracks in the floor.  Once everyone made it safely to the assembly hall, the students were placed in groups and each person discussed what was in their survival kit and why.  Below are some pictures!

A lot of fun was had by everyone!  The students were great about entertaining themselves, and also discussing what was in their survival kits.  Some even created a sort of triage area with first aid supplies!

Thanksgiving

I am a few weeks late with this post!  If you're from America, you know that a few weeks ago we celebrated Thanksgiving.  However, it is an American holiday, so no one in Northern Ireland celebrated.  This meant that I had to go to school and teach on Thanksgiving!!

It wasn't all bad though.  One of the lessons that I got to teach that day was about Thanksgiving.  I showed my students a video clip on how Thanksgiving first started with the Pilgrims.  We talked about the first Thanksgiving, and how it was a huge feast celebrating the friendship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

We also watched clips from the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  My students loved the balloons, especially the one of Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon!  In Belfast there is a parade with floats and balloons on St. Patrick's Day, but my class said it is nowhere near a big as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

It was a lot of fun talking about all of the different things we eat on Thanksgiving, the football that people watch, and the parade.  I also told the students that a large part of THANKSgiving is talking about what we are thankful for.  I told the class that I was thankful for my family, friends, education, and the ability to travel.  As an activity, the whole class made turkeys by tracing their hand, and then wrote things they were thankful for on the "feathers".  Here are some pictures of the turkeys!

Hand turkeys from P6T

Our Thanksgiving Board in the classroom

Stay tuned for the next post on our earthquake evacuation drill!

Dublin

The other weekend I got to go down to the south of Ireland, to the capital city called Dublin.  Dublin is bigger than Belfast is, and it has a more urban feel.  There was definitely more hustle and bustle!  All of the American students who are student teaching in Belfast got to go on this trip.

There was a lot to do in the short time we were there!  I took the open-top bus sightseeing tour.  It was freezing and very windy when we were in the park!  I went to the Guinness factory, Trinity College where I saw the Book of Kells, and to St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral.  My days were jam-packed!!  Here are some pictures of the Old Library at Trinity College.  It was the coolest library I have ever seen!

 Old Library at Trinity College

 Old Library at Trinity College

Everyone speaks English in Ireland.  Although, sometimes it is hard to understand them if they have a very thick accent.   However, some of the people who live in Ireland do know a different language.  Americans usually refer to it as Gaelic, but the people from Ireland call it Irish.  There are a few schools where everyone only speaks Irish, and all of the teaching is also done in Irish.  In Dublin, almost all of the street signs are in both English and Irish.  Below is an example of what Irish looks like.  

An example of Irish

Stay tuned for my next post on the lesson I taught about Thanksgiving!

Superhero Day

As I have talked about before, the students over here are required to wear uniforms to school everyday.  Here is a picture of what they look like:

Some of my students in their uniforms

However, sometimes the school has special days where the students don't have to wear their uniforms.  The other Friday was one of those days.  It was officially Superhero Day, and the students came in dressed as their favorite superhero.  We had everyone from Spiderman to 007.  Even the teachers dressed up!  Since the students have to wear uniforms most of the time, they get really excited about wearing different clothes, which makes that entire day more fun!

This day was even more special than usual.  If the students came to school dressed in something other than their uniform they each had to pay £1 (this means one pound, which is the form of money here.  £1 is equal to $1.56 right now).  This money was collected and given to a charity in the UK.  The charity that this money went to is called Children in Need.  This charity helps children who are sick, have a disability, and/or are disadvantaged. 

Below are some pictures of us all dressed up!

My class and I on Superhero Day

Myself and Ms. Ream (the other American student teacher).

She was Kung Fu Panda and I was Super Tourist

My class with their teacher, Mrs. Thompson, doing a silly pose!

Stay tuned for my next post about my trip to Dublin!

Carrick-a-Rede and The Giant's Causeway

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to do a bit of adventuring and sightseeing over the weekend.  I went up to the North Coast of Northern Ireland to two places.  The first place I went was Carrick-a-Rede.  I have done a lot of traveling, but this is one of the prettiest places I have ever been!  Take a look!

Carrick-a-Rede

Carrick-a-Rede

In addition to all of the amazing views in this area, Carrick-a-Rede is famous for having a rope bridge that people are allowed to go across.  Apparently, about ten years ago, the bridge was nothing more than a plank of wood and two "handles" of rope.  I've talked to some people who have crossed the rope bridge back then, and they said it swung a lot and was not for the faint of heart!  It doesn't sound all that safe to me!  Luckily, because so many people were coming to the area and crossing the rope bridge, it was updated and is now much safer to walk across.  I have to admit, I was still a little scared, but I did cross it twice!  

Me in the middle of the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede

Me with the rope bridge at Carrick-a-Rede in the background

From Carrick-a-Rede I went to a place about 15 minutes away called The Giant's Causeway.  This place is also on the coast, and it is really interesting because the rocks there don't look like normal rocks.  They all have very similar shapes, and look like they are pieces of a honeycomb.  Scientists think that the rocks are formed like this because of an ancient volcano, but there is also a legend that the people in Ireland tell:

According to legend, the columns are the remains of a causeway built by a giant. The story goes that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool), was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Fionn accepted the challenge and built the causeway across the North Channel so that the two giants could meet. When Fionn sees the Scottish giant Benandonner, and realizes he is much bigger, he runs back to Ireland to hide. Fionn's wife, Oonagh, disguises Fionn as a baby and tucks him in a cradle. When Benandonner reaches Ireland and sees the size of the 'baby', he reckons that its father, Fionn, must be a giant among giants. He flees back to Scotland in fright, destroying the causeway behind him so that Fionn could not follow. Across the sea, there are identical basalt columns (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at Fingal's Cave on the Scottish isle of Staffa, and it is possible that the story was influenced by this.

(This excerpt was taken and edited from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant's_Causeway) 

Here are some pictures of some of the rocks at The Giant's Causeway.

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway

Going to Carrick-a-Rede and The Giant's Causeway was one of the best days of my trip so far!  If you ever make it to Norther Ireland, these are two places that you must visit!  I hope I can go back again someday!

Stay tuned for my next posts where I will be talking about some of the things I have experienced in Gilnahirk Primary School!

Volcanoes

The first "subject" I started teaching is called The World Around Us.  This is a combination of Geography, History, and Science and Technology.  This is completely different from the US, where all of those areas are taught as separate subjects!  Let me tell you, it was a bit confusing at first!!

For my first lessons I taught the students about volcanoes.  There was so much that I didn't know about volcanoes that I had to learn!  I had to learn about the different types of volcanoes and the different types of eruptions.  I also learned about where volcanoes are in the world, how they form, and about some of the most active ones.  One of my students asked me if I was a scientist, and after learning all of this information about volcanoes, I almost feel like one!

I think I have mentioned that over here, the students don't go to specials, but rather the teacher teaches all of them.  This means that the classroom teacher teaches music, art, P.E., and library!  It is a lot of work for the teacher, but one thing I really like about it is that all of the lessons, even the specials, can relate to each other!  In the class I am in, while I was teaching the students about volcanoes, they were creating pictures of them for art and writing poems about them for literacy!  I think it's really nice to have everything connected like that!

We decorated the door to our classroom

The pictures of and poems about volcanoes that my students made!

My favorite lesson was when we went outside and made a volcano erupt!  We also exploded a Coke bottle with some Mentos, and made the top pop off a little container and have it fly into the air with some water and dissolving Vitamin C tablets!  It was so much fun!  I will try to get some of the pictures that the students took on the school iPads.  I think they also have some pretty funny video of it!  

I am now teaching the class about earthquakes, and we had an earthquake drill the other day!  I'll try to get some pictures of that as well!

Stay tuned!

Half-Term Travels

Sorry it has been so long since I posted!! I was traveling and then things at school really picked up!

So, about two weeks ago, the students had half-term break, which meant that they were on vacation and didn't have school.  Luckily, I didn't have any classes either, so I was able to go on a couple of adventures!

The first place I visited was Brussels, Belgium.  It was so pretty!  The apartments were so cute, and the other buildings were magnificent.  The area that I liked the most was called the Grand Palace.  It is a little square in the center of the city surrounded by large buildings, but not like buildings that I'm used to.  These buildings were built hundreds of years ago, and have so many tiny details on them that I could have spent all day in the square just looking at them!  Below are some pictures I took of the buildings in the Grand Palace.

 This is a picture of the King's House.  The King doesn't actually live here, but he used to!

This is the top of the King's House

This is a guild house, which means that it used to be the headquarters for a specific profession.  

I also took a day trip to the city of Bruges, also in Belgium.  Bruges is one of the quaintest cities I've ever been in.  The streets are small and made up of cobblestone, and some of the side streets are so small, two people can barely walk through at the same time!  The only bad thing about Bruges is that it was freezing and very windy the day I went, so I spent most of my time shivering.  I think I would have enjoyed it much more if it had been a little warmer (and trust me, I NEVER say that, so it must have been really cold!).  I've included my favorite picture from Bruges below.

Bruges, Belgium

I enjoyed Belgium and all of the beautiful buildings, streets, and areas.  However, I have to say that my favorite part of being in Belgium was the waffles.  I had the BEST waffle I have ever had in my life!!  I think I would go back just for a waffle!

Best waffle with whipped cream I've ever had!  

After spending a few days in Belgium, I then traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Edinburgh is my most favorite place in the entire world!!  I was so happy to go back and to meet up with friends I had made when I lived there for a year!  

I took a train from Brussels to London.  Once I was in London I had to switch trains to take a different one to Edinburgh.  The train station I was in in London happened to be Kings Cross Station, which is were Harry Potter catches the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9¾.  Of course I couldn't resist taking a picture!

Me at Platform 9¾ in Kings Cross Station, London

The second train took about four and a half hours to get from London to Edinburgh.  Once in Edinburgh I got to see all of my friends that I hadn't seen for a few years!  I also got to explore all of the sights again with some of my friends from my program.  One of my favorite places in Edinburgh is the castle.  It is big and on the top of a huge hill and looks over all of Edinburgh.  Some of the best views of Edinburgh come from the castle.  Here is a picture I took of the castle from below!

Edinburgh Castle on a very sunny day!

I went back to Belfast at the end of the week, and I really miss Edinburgh!! However, it is nice to no longer be living out of a suitcase!  

After all of the traveling and exploring I have been exhausted, which is why it took me so long to get this post up.  Now that I have gotten back into the routine of school, I will put up another post in the next few days about the first few lesson I taught in my P6 class!

Stay tuned!!

Gilnahirk Primary School: P6

As I said in an earlier post, I am doing the second half of my student teaching at Gilnahirk Primary School.  I am in a P6 class with 30 students, and the teacher I'm working with is Mrs. Thompson.

I have found myself comparing the school and the students to my first placement at Meriwether Lewis (hi Mrs. Oehler's class!! I miss you!).  Gilnahirk is located in a pretty wealthy neighborhood and does not seem to have very much diversity.  This is similar to Meriwether.  However, I did find differences as well.  Gilnahirk is a little bit smaller in terms of building size.  There is more of the building around the back, but this will give you an idea.

Gilnahirk Primary School 

The entryway into the school

The class sizes are also different.  They are much bigger at Gilnahirk!!  While, there are only two classes for every grade, each class has 30 students in it.  That has been a bit of an adjustment for me.  I went from 23 little six year olds to 30 nine and ten year olds!  Below are pictures of the P6 class that I'm in.

Here are a list of other differences I have noticed:

• ALL of the students wear uniforms ALL of the time!
• Everyone talks with an Irish accent
• The students study religion in school and even practice hymns 
• They say "Maths" instead of "Math"
• The teachers teach every subject, including health, PE, art, and music

While it may seem like there a lot of differences between this class in Belfast and my first class in Charlottesville, I have found some things that are the same.  Students in Northern Ireland have allergies just like students in the United States do!

I have also found that the most important things (the staff and the students) are the same as well.  Everyone at Gilnahirk has been incredibly nice and welcoming, just as they were at Meriwether Lewis.  Most importantly, the students are nice, welcoming, and fun.  And I think they are excited that I am here to teach them!  Below is a sampling of the gifts I was given on my first day in the classroom!

Getting things like these from students is one of my favorite things!

This next week the students have what they call Half-term Break, so they are on vacation for an entire week!  I'm making the most of it by traveling to Dublin in Ireland, Brussels and Bruges in Belgium, and Edinburgh in Scotland.  I'm so excited! I love to travel!!!

Stay tuned for details and pictures of my adventures!

Settling In

This past week has been a whirlwind!  I spent most of my time settling in at my halls of residence, or dorm, and going to meetings and classes.  Below is a picture of the hall that I'm living in while I'm here.  It is called Dunseverick Hall.

Dunseverick Hall, my residence while at Stranmillis

I have my own room and my own bathroom, so I really like where I am living!  I'm up on the third floor, and the rest of my friends who are here are in the same building, so it's really convenient.

Even though my week was spent mostly in meetings and class, on Friday I was able to visit the school I will be teaching in.   It is called Gilnahirk Primary School.  In primary schools over here, they have different names for the grades.  So I will be teaching in a P6 class.  This stands for Primary 6, and it means that the students are 10 years old.  P6 is the equivalent of 5th grade in the US.  They are a bit older (and bigger!) than the students I am used to teaching, but I'm excited for this new experience and challenge.

I forgot to take pictures on Friday of Gilnahirk Primary School, but I promise to take pictures next week!  Here is the link to their school website.

http://www.gilnahirkps.org.uk

Besides going to classes, meetings, and visiting Gilnahirk, I did manage to explore the city of Belfast a little bit.  I went to the Ulster Museum, found the grocery store, and went back into the city centre to do a little shopping.  I'm trying to get a head start on some Christmas gifts for my family!

However, the coolest things from this week were the rainbows!  I saw two rainbows this past week!  TWO!  They were so bright and clear and I could see all of the colors.  One was so close I could almost see where it touched the ground!  I didn't see any leprechauns or pots of gold, but I still think that they were lucky rainbows.  Below is a picture of the second one I saw.

Hopefully I will see more rainbows this week, and I promise to have pictures of Gilnahirk Primary School for my next post!

Stay tuned!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane and Arrival in Belfast

Hello Everyone!!

On Saturday (October 11, 2014) I drove to Newark-Liberty International Airport (in New Jersey), and boarded my plane that would take me to Belfast, Northern Ireland.  I was a little nervous.  I'm always nervous before I start something new, and this was a pretty big new thing to start.  Once I got to my gate I was fine though, because I found the other people I would be having this adventure with!  Here is a picture of me at the airport with all of my luggage!

Me at Newark-Liberty International Airport before my flight to Belfast!

The plane ride was long (five and a half hours)!  Luckily, I slept for part of it.  After we landed, we took a bus to Stranmillis University, which is the school we are going to while we are here.  We then went and walked all around the center (or centre as they spell it here) of the city.  It's so pretty here!  And we have been told that we brought the sunshine and nice weather with us... I hope it stays!  After the exploring and the jet lag (I am 5 hours ahead of the East Coast), I was exhausted!! I had an early bedtime, and woke up feeling much better.

I can't wait to do some more exploring and to travel!  I'm also excited to see what an elementary (or primary as they say here) school is like here.  My first day in my school is Friday!  I'll make sure to write another post about my new school!

Stay tuned!!!