This
summer, Maryville College’s Center for International Education led a group of
11 ESL students across the state in our first Explore Tennessee study-travel program. During the first two weeks in July, students
practiced and developed their English skills while experiencing the culture of
our great state of Tennessee. We took a whole language approach to developing
our students’ English where they practiced all elements of the language:
reading, writing, listening, and speaking. During the trip, students had to
participate in scavenger hunts that required they read or start conversations
with Americans in order to find specific information about the places we
visited. They also created and
maintained a written blog about their experiences. At the end of the trip, the students worked
in groups to make movies about their experiences.
Student Blogs from Explore Tennessee:
One
of the highlights of our trip included being a part of the nature and beauty of
East Tennessee. The students went on a
rafting trip down the Ocoee River, famous for hosting water sports during the
1996 Summer Olympics. We visited
Nashville in Middle Tennessee, which is not only the capital of the state but
also the Capital of Country Music. In
Memphis, in West Tennessee, we went to several museums, including Graceland,
the home of famous musician Elvis Presley, and the Lorraine Motel, the place
where the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. These are just a few of the highlights of our
trip. I’ll let the students tell you
more about it in their blogs, using their own words and pictures. Thanks again to all the students and staff at
CIE for making our first Explore Tennessee a success!
Sincerely,
Delie
Bancroft
ESL
Instructor, CIE