Mingtan Elementary English Camp
Our camp’s theme was “The Secrets of Sun Moon Lake.”
We wanted to encourage students to think about what they can share with others about the lake and their home beyond the usual tourist attractions or foods.
Participants were divided into three age groups and rotated between a crafts-based classroom, a vocabulary lesson, and a CLIL stargazing class. The event included 23 elementary schoolers and an addition of middle schoolers and kindergarteners.
Aaron Niederman: I am so happy I decided to sign up for this remote service camp! The ability to meet other ETA’s from cohorts all across Taiwan, to teach lessons that prioritized fun and engagement, and to enjoy the beautiful scenery at Sun Moon Lake all made the long trip from Taitung worth it. I would definitely do it again if given the opportunity in my next grant period.
Eliza Renn: Volunteering at the Sun Moon Lake service camp was a really wonderful experience! I taught with two other ETAs from different sites in the craft classroom. I loved watching the kids channel their creativity into a brochure that described what they enjoyed doing around the lake. Almost every student produced work that they were really proud to display at the gallery walk during the conclusion of the camp. It was a super fun day.
Katie Stankard: The Sun Moon Lake remote service camp was a huge success. The students were able to share what makes their home special, beyond the tourist attractions. I loved learning about their favorite things, and was so proud of what they accomplished!
Esther Lee: Working with other ETAs during the Sun Moon Lake service has been so exciting and rewarding. We had engaging conversations about the current state of Sun Moon Lake. The students connected with the vocabulary and grammar used to describe Sun Moon Lake, and they all participated in the vocabulary and grammar activities. The gallery walk at the end nicely wrapped up the camp as we could all see what students learned in the other classrooms.
Hallie Cronin: I enjoyed this experience! The camp was very laid back and the kids were very smart and creative! I really enjoyed working with Aaron and Sean, and Carol and Chanler were amazing leaders. I also enjoyed the gallery walk at the end.
Nkiambi: Firstly, it was a pleasure working alongside ETA’s outside of my cohort. I appreciate how everyone brought their own unique teaching styles with them, which was carried out throughout the three different classes. Also, I enjoyed the atmosphere of Mingtan - all of the staff were very welcoming, and the students were excited to work with new teachers. It was especially interesting to see how students interacted with Esther and I’s lesson. As we were teaching them adjectives to describe Sun Moon Lake, each student's reaction was a bit different.This gave Esther and I a new understanding of what Sun Moon Lake means to them. Overall, I really enjoyed my time spent there.
ETA’s Feedback Sharing
Carol Sun: The laid-back atmosphere of the school and the flexibility of the ETAs made camp a success. The students had fun and seemed really engaged with the learning material. Thank you to the principal and all the staff involved in hosting us!
Chanler Harris: As one of the camp leaders, I have to say how proud I am of the first year ETAs! Even when we had to deviate from our original schedule and plan, they kept a positive attitude and worked with us to make sure everything still turned out great. Props to them!
Sean Welch: I loved seeing how the work of our camp leaders and the different ETA teams came together at Mingtan. I could tell most students were engaged as they used English to share life in Sun Moon Lake with us. In our CLIL class, students learned to make a constellation with relevant English vocabulary -- all of the students were able to display understanding of the new English words through physical motions or drawings.
McKinnon Reece: I had a great time working with the other ETAs in helping run the crafts classroom for the Mingtan students. The level of interest definitely varied between students, but overall I think most kids enjoyed making brochures about their favorite things involving Sun Moon Lake. A great idea was to have almost like a little gallery showing at the end where students could vote on their favorites because they seemed to love the competition aspect of it.
Advisor Feedback
Megan Gilmore: This year’s Sun Moon Lake remote service camp was a great success! I was impressed with all the ETAs’ hard work and enthusiasm. The first year ETAs have only been in Taiwan a few months and for many of them, this was their first opportunity to participate in an English camp with Taiwanese students, but everything went smoothly thanks to their teamwork and with help from second year leaders Chanler and Carol. Students had a great time and went home with new vocabulary, increased confidence, and fond memories.
