TESOL
With their rich diversity of students from countries across the globe, today’s K-12 classrooms mirror the world. Many English Language Learners (ELLs) have cultural origins in countries where Peace Corps Volunteers have served.
Listening Skills
Students can listen to recordings of Peace Corps Volunteers talking by telephone with U.S. classrooms they've been communicating with through the Correspondence Match Program.
Bolivia: Ada Elementary School in Michigan speaks to Peace Corps Volunteer Joe Stevens.
Podcast | Transcript | Lesson Plan
Student Handout | Teacher Answer Key | Picture Cards
Costa Rica: Kindergarten class from GCMS Elementary School in Illinois speak with Peace Corps Volunteer Rebecca Scholtz.
Podcast | Transcript | Lesson Plan
Student Handout | Teacher Answer Key
Spanish-English Vocabulary Cards
Morocco: Lakeview Elementary School in Solon, Iowa speaks with Jessica, a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Podcast | Transcript | Lesson Plan
Student Handout | Teacher Answer Key
Turkmenistan: Third grade students from G.D. Jones School in Wisconsin speak with Peace Corps Volunteer Mike Cavey about food, language, and school.
Podcast | Transcript | Lesson Plan
Student Handout | Teacher Answer Key
Reading Skills
Touching on academic subjects that are part of the curriculum for all students, these standards-based lessons also support language development for ELLs using prior knowledge and cultural context from stories written by Peace Corps Volunteers.
Hurricane
Students will learn about the nature of hurricanes: climate conditions, geographic factors and effects on human systems. With repetitive readings of the story, students will also gain reading fluency, use of context clues and practice flow of supporting details. The effect of Hurricane Georges upon the Dominican Republic will be examined.
Ivan the Fool Lesson 1
Students will read a classic folk tale for comprehension and enjoyment.
Ivan the Fool Lesson 2
Students will learn that different cultures respect or fear certain numbers, numbers that can appear in folklore in several ways.
Ivan the Fool Lesson 3
Students will learn that a quest is central to many folk stories, and they will write their own, incorporating a quest.
Reef Results, Problem-Solving and Solutions
As fish populations plummet, Peace Corps Volunteer Tommy Schultz works with Filipinos to restore the sea life that the local people depend on for food. After watching the slide show, Protecting Philippine Reefs, students will recognize how intertwined human existence is with the health of ecosystems, identifying positive and negative impacts that people can have on their local environment. They will also practice reading fluency and new vocabulary in sentence construction and writing.
Wall of Water: Tsunami!
Students will learn what a tsunami is, what causes it, how fast it travels, what it looks like, its devastating effects upon landfall, where it occurs and why it occurs in certain geographic regions. The effect of a 2004 tsunami on the island nation of Sri Lanka will be closely examined.
Windmills and Blogs: The Impact of Technology in Rural Peru
Students will view a Peace Corps Volunteer's slide show and discuss the uses of two technologies—windmills and computers—in a Peruvian village. This lesson encourages students to explore the role of technology in society and reflect on the role of technology in their own community.
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