Brode's and Salbutes

      Today was our first full day at the school.  The day begins across the campus with a prayer, Belize pledge and national anthem.  The school is also founded in Christianity as the day begins with a bible lesson or verse devotion.


    From there, the Infant I students learn mathematics. This week the students are working with the number nine. The students began their math by singing their number songs. They sing nine songs, one song for each number. When the students finished singing their songs, Ms. Caliz did a whole group instruction about the number nine. This led to the activity on the chalkboard where the students had to draw nine objects. D'Elise had the opportunity of taking over the last portion of the lesson!

     After mathematics, the students had a 15 minute break. During break, the students purchase snacks that neighborhood street vendors sell to the students. The students are allowed to either stay in the classroom or go outside. This is a time where the teachers can catch up on some work! After the 15 minute break, the students have to form a boy's and  girl's line before entering the classroom. This is what the students have to do before they enter in the morning too. When the students enter the classroom, they return to their seats and prepare for Language Arts. The letter for this week is "C" and similarly to mathematics, the students sung ten songs, one for each letter they have learned so far.

     Before lunch, the students get into their separate lines and pray. After prayer, parents, siblings and friends are already waiting by the door to pick up the students because they go home for the hour lunch instead of congregating in a cafeteria.

    The standard III students begin their day with mathematics. Today we are learning about multiplication with two digit multipliers.  The students take notes as Mr. Yaxcal works out several examples on the board. After the notes, students are given a problem and work in groups of 3 to find the product.  This lesson was closely aligned to the structure I would have used in States.  The only major difference was that the groups were not differentiated, they consisted of students that sat close to one another.

     After math, the bell rings for break and the students rush out of the classroom to purchase snacks and run around the campus together.  After 15 minutes the bell rings again and the students line up to be allowed to enter the classroom. Students then come in and choral read the classroom rules, word wall, days of the week, and months of the year.  The lesson begins with the students taking notes on possessive pronouns.  Mr. Yaxcal leads a lecture in how these pronouns show ownership and has the students orally create sentences. 

     At noon the bell rings for lunch and the children rise to pray.  Most students travel home for lunch which is an hour long.  The UNF students meet in the screened porch where we were served salbutes from the local woman, Roxann, who will be making our lunch everyday.  Today she made us delicious salbutes!  A small corn tortilla topped with chicken and veggies.  They were so amazing we talked about for the rest of the day, and we defiantly be having them again.  After lunch, the children come back to the school and play before the bell rings again. 

     Students in Infant I line up outside of the classroom before entering into the classroom. As they enter the classroom, they line back up to say the afternoon prayer and greet everyone. As the students prepared for the next lesson, I called roll. Ms. Caliz asked me to read a story to the students so I chose, The Frog Prince. The students really enjoyed the story and my theatrical voices that I made! For social studies, the students learned about the different types of families. After social studies, the students learned about the different types of street signs such as: stop signs and one way signs.

     Infant I finishes school at 2:30 (an hour before the upper grade levels). Before the students leave for the day, they get in their lines and pray. Again, the parents, siblings and friends are already waiting at the door for them. Some of the students stay behind in the classroom because their siblings still have an hour left of school. The Infant I teachers use this time to plan for the next day.

Check Out Lisa's Beautiful Drawing!

     In standard III it is time for Social Studies followed by Health and Family Life Education.  In social studies the children take notes and listen to a lecture on manufacturing  and forestry in Belize.  For H.F.L.E. the students take notes and listen to Mr. Yaxcal explain the importance of brushing your teeth, flossing, and keeping your hair clean.  The students have another break at 2:30 for ten minutes.  The students have become curious about my life and the states and begin to tell me stories of family members they know in the states.  After break the students finish their H.F.L.E. lesson and color a tooth brush and tooth.  At the end of the day the students say a prayer before they head home.  Six children stay back and help clean the classroom as there is no janitor for the school.

    

     After a long but successful day, we all climb back into the van and head back to the Bull Frog.  Our next adventure was to head back to Brode's, the local convenience store that sells anything from Cheetos to shoes (both items we have purchased).  We have become regulars at Brodes, sometimes just for a simple snack and other times we were looking for a specific item.