• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Gift Catalog
  • Donate
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Give
    • Giving Options:
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club
      • Gift Catalog
      • Ways to Give
      • Philanthropy
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Volunteer Voices Portugal

Politics and Games


Paul, Diane and Bobbie greeted their morning class at the Instituto Politécnico de Beja with “T.G.I.F.” – another new slang expression to add to their growing list.A serious discussion about religion in the U.S. followed as a student wanted to know how we manage with so many different religions in our country.  Topics covered ranged from separation of church and state, the religion of presidential candidates, to discussion of the Amish (a religion or culture?) to cults, Jim Jones and Kool-Aid.
On a lighter note, we switched gears to our planned “game day” and played a vocabulary building game known to the students as “Stop”.  We grouped them in pairs and passed out a sheet with the following headings:
     Animal   /   City   /   Clothing   /   Job   /   Food   /   We Are
F    Fox      Frankfurt      Fly        Fireman    Fries    Fabulous
We gave them a letter and they would write an English word in each column with that letter.  The first team to complete all categories would yell “stop”.  They loved playing this game and we promised to play it again next week.We repeated the same activities in the afternoon class.  In just one week’s time, we could see an amazing improvement in our students’ confidence when speaking English.Joe and Mary had an “exceptionally unusual” class on Friday as they met their new students in the Senior Institute.  Each student’s introduction lasted more than twenty minutes with one student tracing his family history back to the 1700’s!
Reba and Arleen continued their teaching at Santa Maria Middle School.  They had four classes of the 5th, 6th and 8th grades.  While their students seemed to know the English alphabet, they needed help with the letters’ sounds.  Both Reba and Arleen used flash cards with the students.Our Friday night celebration dinner was a treat at the 25th of April Restaurant where their specialty was “black pig”.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
March 23, 2012/by Michele Gran
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png 0 0 Michele Gran https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Michele Gran2012-03-23 15:29:002016-09-21 20:23:55Politics and Games
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (112)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (52)
  • Montana (50)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (110)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (2)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (5)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (94)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (121)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (146)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (237)
  • Ripple Effect (7)
  • Service-Learning (49)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (683)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Strike DayAnother Great Day
Scroll to top