Galapagos ELL Project
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OWP @ Willamette Ecuador Project 2009
Spend 2 1/2 weeks this summer studying and teaching in the fascinating Galapagos Islands of Ecuador!
The OWP at Willamette is again sponsoring a project for teachers to study second language literacy acquisition and classroom Spanish through an immersion program in Ecuador. During July 2009 the project will be located on the Galapagos Island of San Cristobal. A major component of the project will be working with students and their teachers at two local schools.
Goals:
- to provide OWP teachers with effective strategies for developing literacy skills with their ESL students.
- to provide OWP teachers with Spanish language skills focused on improving communication with students whose first language is Spanish.
Classes:
Spanish for Teachers (any level) - 3 graduate credit hours
ESL Student Literacy Development - 3 graduate credit hours
Independent Study: Literacy Curriculum Development (optional, follow-up course) - 3 graduate credit hours
Participants will have the opportunity to earn 9 quarter hours of graduate level credit for the coursework during the summer and through follow-up curriculum projects. Cost for the project is $1800.00 which includes tuition and fees, housing and food, and 2 local excursions. OWP@Willamette will sponsor $1,000 of this cost for each participant. That means that the actual cost to the teacher is $800.00 (which we hope be covered in part by your school districts’ reimbursement for tuition). Additional costs include airfare, Galapagos park fee ($100), and money for souvenirs, laundry, etc.
The project is tentatively scheduled from July 12th (arrive in Ecuador) through July 29th. Participants will be encouraged to embark on an optional 6 day excursion following the coursework. The excursion will include the islands of Santa Fe, Santa Cruz and Isabella from July 30 through August 6th. The cost will be approximately $700 for transportation, hotel, food, & guide services. (Dates & costs are still a bit tentative at this time and may change slightly.)
When considering this project, please be aware that living conditions are much more primitive than what we are accustomed to here in the U.S. There are a couple of hotels on San Cristobal, but water is somewhat scarce and hot water for showers is not always available. The group will eat at a local restaurant. Food is reasonably sufficient and healthy, but the local restaurant will determine the content of meals and it may not always be something that you like. You will want to bring a bit of extra money to try out a hamburger at the Calypso or splurge on lobster at the one up-scale restaurant in town. “Our” restaurant is located right on the bay; we are entertained by a group of sea lions and diving birds while we eat. It is a 1/4 mile walk from our hotel to the restaurant. Taxis are readily available and $1 will get you anywhere in town, but the project will still require a fair bit of walking. San Cristobal is very safe and local community members are friendly and welcoming.
We hope that participants will choose to take advantage of the optional excursion to Santa Cruz, Isabella, and Santa Fe. On this trip, teachers will be able to see land and marine iguanas, blue footed boobies, Galapagos penguins, seal lions, many species of Darwin finches, albatross, various species of tortoises, and snorkel with brilliantly colored fish. We are scheduled to travel by horseback into remote volcano areas. Adventurous folks will have the opportunity to snorkel or dive with reef sharks. As you may know, the most amazing characteristic of Galapagos animals (other than the fact that many of them do not exist anywhere else in the world) is that they have no fear of humans, so you can sit with seal lion mothers or blue footed boobies as they feed their babies. It’s a truly fascinating experience. This exclusive trip comes with a fully licensed, English speaking Galapagos National Park guide. The trip will include sites not typically available to tourists, at a fraction of the usual cost. The cost of the 6 day trip is $700.00 including transportation, lodging and food, and guide services.
All National Writing Project alumni are welcome to apply. If you have questions, please contact Karen Hamlin at 503-375-5476 (office phone) or via email at khamlin@willamette.edu. Please send your completed application to Karen Hamlin at School of Education, Willamette University, 900 State Street, Salem OR 97301 or fax it to Karen at 503-375-5478.