Eshleman Elementary School and Final Reflection Posts

Hi everyone,

Your last blog posts will be covered here.  Just to clarify, you need:

• one post from our Wheatland trip (see the post from Nov. 30- you may have already done this)
• one post from the Eshleman Elementary trip (described in this post), and
• one final reflection post (also described in this post)

Eshleman Elementary School Trip Questions (due by Sunday, 12/9 at midnight)

1. How did it feel to be on this trip today?
2. What is one thing you learned?
3. What surprised you about today's trip?
4. What would you like to know more about, based on your experience today?

I will be grading the Wheatland and Eshleman Elementary trip posts based on completion.


Final Reflection Blog Post (due by Monday, 12/10 at midnight)
This can be a reflection on your whole experience this semester in the US - not just your experience in the elective class.
questions adapted from (https://minds-in-bloom.com/20-end-of-year-reflection-questions/)

1. What is something that happened this semester (in this class or outside of class) that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
2. What is something specific you accomplished this semester that you are proud of?
3. What was the nicest thing someone in our program or at Millersville did for you this semester?
4. What was the most challenging part of this semester for you (in class or outside of class)?
5. Where is your favorite place on Millersville's campus? Why?
6. If you could change one thing that happened this semester, what would it be?
7. What is something that was hard for you at the start of the semester but is easy now?
8. What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
9. Of the trips we took this year (to Lancaster Central Market and the walking tour, to Wheatland, to the North Museum [if you went on your own], and to Eshleman Elementary School), which was your favorite? Why?
10. What is something the ELI teachers or administrators could have done to make this semester better?
11. What are six adjectives that best describe this semester for you?
12. Knowing what you know now, if you could write a letter to yourself that would travel back in time so that you would receive it at the start of the semester, what advice would you give your younger self?
13. What advice would you give students who will be coming to the ELI next year?
14. What is one question you still wonder about life at Millersville University?

I will use this rubric to grade the reflection post (covering syllabus objectives 1-7):

This blog post…

…was clear (  /10)

…was organized (  /10)

…contained thoughtful, complete, original answers (  /16)

….contained answers to each of the 14 questions (  /14)

…used appropriate grammar and spelling (  /10)

Total: (  /60)

Wheatland/LancasterHistory.org

Hello everyone! 

We're going to Wheatland and the Lancaster Historical Society (LancasterHistory.org) today, and your assignment is to post your reaction to these questions by Sunday night at midnight:

1. How did it feel to be on this trip today?

2. What is one thing you learned?

3. What surprised you about today's trip?

4. What would you like to know more about, based on your experience today?

5. What was happening in your home country during the time period that James Buchanan lived at Wheatland (the mid to late 1800's)?

Remember, you can log in to your blog by going to https://www.blogger.com/

Zhirui, Wufei, and Allie, since you can't join us today, please write down 5 questions you would like to know the answers to about today's trip.  I'll try to answer them as best I can after you post!  Others are welcome to answer Zhirui and Allie's questions, too!

Looking Ahead to our Field Trips

Hi everyone,

Your assignment today is to write a blog post to answer these questions:

1. Which field trip are you most excited to experience?  Why?
2. What specific aspects of the trip are interesting to you?
3. What do you hope to learn on this trip?

Please post your answers on your blog by today (Friday, Nov. 9) at midnight, and post 3 comments on classmates' blogs by midnight on Sunday, Nov. 11.

You can find more information about the trips here:

• The North Museum
• Wheatland/LancasterHistory.org
• Eshleman Elementary School
• Lititz
• Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery
• Wilbur Chocolate

Recommended Books

Hi everyone,

This is a short list, but these are all books I'd recommend  Let me know in the comments if there are other genres (types) of books you'd like to have more recommendations for (or if you'd like more in one of the genres I have below).

Thanks!

• Fiction
• All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
• The Brutal Telling, by Louise Penny
• The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
• The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
• Make Your Home Among Strangers, by Jennine Capó Crucet  
• Ordinary Grace, by William Kent Krueger
• Humor
• Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, by Mindy Kaling
• Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris
• Nonfiction
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver
• Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson
• Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

Library Observation: Diamante Poems

Hi everyone,

Below are your amazing Diamante Poems (the ones you wrote after your trip to observe at the library a few weeks ago):

Library

quiet, stately

searching, finding, reminding

history, humanity, biology, cytology

reading, deriving, acquiring

sciential, profound

knowledge

- Wufei

Stranger

serious, dedicated

talking, reading, doing

computers, books, papers, minds

using, making, creating

fantastic, perseverant

Teachers

- Chenxin 

Young

enjoy, quietly

watching, typing, thinking

book, paper, idea, view

talking, listening, writing

beautiful, excitedly

Students

- Chenyun

Starbucks

happy, busy

drinking, eating, working

books, pencils, ideas, sandwiches

learning, writing, laughing

interesting, exciting

perfect

- Cong

Teachers

peaceful, serious

typing, thinking, searching

laptops, glasses, phone, ideas

talking, listening, working

concentrated, hardworking

admiration

- Haonan

Staff

orderly, kind

asking, typing, nodding

computers, coffees, cards, sandwiches

smiling, listening, looking

enthusiastic, patient

dedication

- Yirui

Library (sixth floor)

quiet, tranquil

I am looking, walking, and finding

literature, history, physical

I'm still looking, finding, but nothing

Where are new books? strange

library (sixth floor)

- Allie

Students

leisure, busy

quietness, earnest discussion

book, computer, coffee, botany

drink, eat, clean

green, incense

administrators

- YiFan

Students

focused, quiet

searching, studying, writing

computers, bookshelves, books, tables

thinking, reading, considering

comfortable, calm

Experts

- Zhirui

Students

quiet, desired

researching, reading, borrowing

books, bookcases, knowledge, thoughts

walking, sitting, thinking

exciting, passionate

researcher

- Zhe

Reading room

I was today in the reading room

I felt like I'm in the moon

nobody was talking or even whispering

They were like a mummy in a dark room

- Reem

Library

clean, quiet

listening, printing, reading

books, tables, computers, rooms

communicating, writing, sleeping

beautiful, comfortable

environment

- Yina

Students

available, lively

reading, eating, drinking

phones, chairs, pencils, cups

writing, listening, speaking

exciting, determined

intelligent

- Yossy

Friday, September 28: Bucket Lists

Please post an answer to these questions on your blog by Sunday (9/30/18) at midnight:

1. What are the top 10 items on your personal bucket list?
2. What are the top 5 items on your career bucket list? (What 5 activities would you most like to do as part of your future job? or what are 5 jobs you would most like to have?)
3. What are 10 items you want to try on the LNP Guide to Lancaster County? 

Post 3 comments on your classmates' blogs by midnight on Wednesday (10/3/18).

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone writes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edit: It's not fair to make you do this and not do it myself. :)

Personal
1. Learn how to do calligraphy
2. Go to Ireland
3. Learn how to speak Arabic
4. Learn how to speak Spanish
5. Finish making the quilt I started 15 years ago!
6. Learn how to can food
7. Get to know more friends who have different backgrounds and lives from my own
8. Do what I can to fight injustices in the local community and in bigger contexts
9. Help my kids find what they love to do and help them learn to love others
10. Read as much as I can!

Career
1. Make international people feel welcome
2. Work with recently resettled refugees in Lancaster
3. Go to more conferences
4. Plan interesting new courses that are relevant to students
5. Learn from other teachers

Lancaster
1. Taste the World  (8)
2. Zoetropolis Cinema (31)
3. Tanger Arboretum (48)
4. Glass from the Past at the YMCA (60)
5. Lancaster Science Factory (78)
6. Fox Meadows Ice Cream (68)
7. Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve (40)
8. Mount Gretna (30)
9. Fulton Theatre (12
10. Mayor's Tree Lighting and Tuba Christmas (57)

Your advice for student success

You all had such great advice for how to be a successful student!